USDA’s Farm Service Agency announced Monday a new pilot program aimed at streamlining the crop acreage reporting process.
The program — part of the agency’s One Farmer, One File initiative — will allow farmers to report their crop acreage just once, either to their FSA office or to a crop insurance agent under the Risk Management Agency.
Select counties in nine states will be able to use the modernized program before the July 15 reporting deadline. All counties in Maryland and North Dakota will be participating.
“Our goal is to move away from paper maps to an electronic interface that simplifies the process for producers and saves time for county office staff, which increases operational efficiencies across the board,” FSA administrator Bill Beam said in a press release.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins first announced the One Farmer, One File initiative earlier this year, touting a goal of creating “a single, streamlined record that follows the farmer — no matter where they go in the USDA system.”
Undersecretary for Farm Production and Conservation Richard Fordyce told Agri-Pulse in March that the agency was looking to “vastly reduce” the amount of time agency staff previously needed to devote to crop acreage reporting.
In addition to all counties in Maryland and North Dakota, the pilot program will also include Tift County, Georgia; Union County, Kentucky; Van Buren County, Michigan; Lac Qui Parle County, Minnesota; Harrison County, Missouri; Canadian County, Oklahoma; Lancaster County, Pennsylvania; and Fisher County, Texas.
