{"id":29673,"date":"2020-10-06T00:00:12","date_gmt":"2020-10-06T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ourpublicservice.org\/farm-loan-and-conservation-services-2\/"},"modified":"2022-11-15T10:20:44","modified_gmt":"2022-11-15T15:20:44","slug":"farm-loan-and-conservation-services","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/ourpublicservice.org\/our-solutions\/customer-experience\/y2020\/farm-loan-and-conservation-services\/","title":{"rendered":"Farm Loan and Conservation Services"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n
This customer experience profile is from 2020. To view this year\u2019s profile, click here<\/a>.<\/h5>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\nUser Interactions<\/span><\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\nCustomer Feedback<\/span><\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\nSocial Media Presence<\/span><\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\nCustomer Experience Indicators<\/span><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
\n
\n

Executive Summary<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Recognizing the vital role agricultural producers\u2019 play in feeding people across the country, USDA is taking steps to understand and improve how farmers and ranchers experience its services. In 2018, the department launched a new mission area called Farm Production and Conservation\u2014bringing together three USDA agencies that assist farmers, ranchers and other stewards of private agricultural lands. The FPAC Business Center, a centralized operations agency within the new mission area, streamlines systems, policies, procedures and practices to deliver programs to customers effectively and efficiently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to research conducted by the FPAC mission area, customers value personalized interactions with highly trained field office representatives\u2014often farmers themselves\u2014who tailor services to meet producers\u2019 specific needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, many customers need a more convenient way to access farm loan and conservation services digitally, such as through self-service capabilities offered on Farmers.gov. Our analysis found the website to be well-designed, with intuitive tools and digestible content that enable customers to conduct a range of business activities such as viewing loan information, requesting conservation support or applying for program benefits. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption within FPAC of digital platforms, enabling USDA field offices to focus on more complex customer interactions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To further improve the customer experience with farm loan and conservation services, agricultural producers would like the organization to streamline the application and reporting processes to avoid redundancy. Customers would also like faster decision-making and reduced processing times for loans and other program applications\u2014an issue the mission area has started to make progress on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
Data at a Glance<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

More than 32,000 farm loans delivered in fiscal 2019 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

More than 500,000 farmers have received conservation services<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

More than 800,000 visits to 
Farmers.gov in fiscal 2019<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
\n

\u201cAs a 5th<\/sup> generation farmer who\u2019s been engaged with the Natural Resources Conservation Service for 20 years, I know how important it is to walk into a field office and be welcomed by someone who is happy to assist you, and willing to go out into the field and discuss your concerns. That\u2019s why customer experience is a top priority for me.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n