One Farmer, One File

This is Tim Hammerich of the Ag Information Network with your Farm of the Future Report.

Last week at Commodity Classic USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins announced the “One Farmer, One File” modernization to create a single streamlined record that follows the farmer - no matter where they go in the USDA system.

Rollins… “ The goal is simple: eliminate redundant information gathering, reduce friction in every producer interaction, retire outdated systems, and give farmers a single seamless, secure experience at USDA. We will completely transform USDA's IT systems and change the way farmers interact with our department, and we will complete this initiative within two years. Up until now, farmers had to drive to a county office, be handed a paper map, and then manually certify their acres every year. This spring, we will roll out an advanced acreage reporting platform that will allow farmers to file faster and easier and enable USDA to deliver programs and assistance with speed and precision. We are working with our FSA county offices right now to pilot geospatial acreage reporting the backbone of FSA programs.”

The “One Farmer, One File” initiative is part of a broad modernization effort to unify all FSA, NRCS and RMA systems.