U.S. Department of Agriculture leaders delivered an upbeat update to a crowd at the Commodity Classic trade show last week, emphasizing technology upgrades, streamlined programs, and a renewed “farmer-first” focus under the second Trump administration.
Undersecretary Richard Fordyce opened the session by noting FPAC’s creation during the first Trump term to unite the three most farmer-facing agencies: Farm Service Agency (FSA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and Risk Management Agency (RMA). “We are all farmers,” Fordyce said, stressing the push for “one farmer, one file” to eliminate redundant paperwork. He highlighted the new Farmer Bridge Assistance (FBA) program, which launched Monday via login.gov and quickly reached 150,000 applications—35,000 through the secure portal—distributing over $2 billion in days while saving mailing costs.
FSA Administrator Bill Beam called FBA “fantastic” and already ahead of expectations. He detailed a three-phase acreage reporting modernization: Phase 1 creates a geospatial map with common land units for easy field drawing; Phase 2 adds a home or tractor-based portal; Phase 3 will integrate precision-ag coverage maps. Beam also reported rapid work on the new farm bill, including 30 million additional base acres and updates to ARC/PLC sign-up for the 2026 crop year.
NRCS Chief Aubrey Bettencourt described a “recommitment tour” to core programs EQIP and CSP, pruning outdated practice codes to save 85,000 staff hours annually and delegating decisions to local staff. She announced the Integrated Field Tool for real-time whole-farm planning in the field, set for trials soon. NRCS will update 91 of 168 outdated practice standards this year with farmer roundtable input. The new regenerative agriculture pilot offers $700 million through EQIP/CSP, plus soil testing, outcomes reports, and private-sector matching under the Sustains Act.
Lastly, RMA Administrator Pat Swanson, a former crop insurance agent and Iowa farmer, called crop insurance “the backbone” of the safety net. She noted quick implementation of the farm bill’s premium support (saving farmers ~$400 million) and extension of the Beginning Farmer and Rancher program to 10 years. Swanson echoed the modernization theme, praising private-sector precision technology already in use and urging producers to talk with agents before the March 15 deadline.
All four leaders—each with multi-generational farm roots—pledged continued progress on technology, reduced bureaucracy, and keeping farmers on the land. Fordyce teased “fun stories” by next year’s Classic in New Orleans as modernization accelerates.
Listen to their updates here:
Classic26 - USDA Policy Outlook (52:47)