U.S. Agriculture Enters a Digital Transformation: A Single Record Era Begins for Farmers

Image: USDA

U.S. agricultural policy is entering a new phase of digital transformation with the announcement of the “One Farmer, One File” initiative, unveiled during the Commodity Classic Convention held in San Antonio. The program represents a major technological modernization effort within the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), aimed at simplifying how farmers interact with federal agricultural services.

The initiative seeks to establish a single, unified digital record for each farmer that can be accessed across the USDA system, regardless of program or agency. By consolidating data that is currently spread across multiple platforms, the department aims to reduce repetitive paperwork, minimize administrative delays, and allow producers to spend more time on core farming activities rather than compliance tasks.

Under the current structure, agencies such as the Farm Service Agency, the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Risk Management Agency manage separate systems covering everything from farm registration and acreage reporting to conservation programs, financing and disaster recovery. The new framework is designed to unify these systems, eliminate institutional silos and retire outdated legacy technologies.

USDA officials emphasize that the primary objective is to reduce the administrative burden on producers while also improving efficiency within the department. The consolidation is expected to save time for both farmers and public employees, while also lowering long-term information technology costs by replacing multiple standalone systems with a single, integrated platform.

Work on the unified system began in 2025, with significant progress planned throughout 2026. The department anticipates that the full transition will be completed by 2028, marking one of the most comprehensive digital overhauls in the agency’s history.

The “One Farmer, One File” project forms part of a broader federal effort to streamline agricultural programs and modernize service delivery. Other measures include the expanded use of centralized digital authentication tools to accelerate producer payments and ongoing changes to conservation programs aimed at simplifying applications and enabling bundled practices.

Alongside the digital modernization agenda, federal authorities also highlighted a wider push to reduce regulatory complexity in agriculture. This deregulatory approach is presented as a means to cut red tape, encourage innovation and lower costs across the agricultural value chain, with the stated goal of improving competitiveness for farmers, ranchers and consumers alike.