Next time you visit your local county office to conduct business with USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), you can take advantage of FSA’s new customer kiosk designed to help you access online tools and streamline your visit through self-service options. In this Ask the Expert, FSA Special Projects Coordinator Caleb Gildea answers questions about how the new kiosks will help you complete important tasks during your next visit to your FSA county office. Caleb is a Special Projects Coordinator, leading the FSA Administrator’s Office initiatives on digital transformation and workforce engagement.
What are the customer kiosks?
The kiosks are touchscreen Chromebooks that can be used to complete self-service tasks during your meetings with county staff. More than 5,000 kiosks have been distributed for customer use and at least one kiosk is available in every county office. FSA completed the nationwide rollout in April.
The new customer kiosks are part of FSA’s broader modernization effort to keep up with 21ˢᵗ century demands and match how many customers want to conduct business. These modernization efforts are designed to make working with FSA more efficient and equitable.
These efforts have also included the development of online farm loan tools such as the ability to apply for and make farm loan payments online, the expansion of electronic signature options, the development of the Loan Assistance Tool, the simplification of the paper Direct Loan application and the upcoming launch of a new FSA website.
The new online tools are part of a broader effort by FSA to streamline its processes, especially for producers who may find it difficult to access a local FSA county office; modernize and improve customer service; provide additional customer self-service tools; and expand credit access to assist more producers.
How can you use the kiosks?
The kiosk can be safely and securely used during your visit to a county office to access existing online program decision tools and related FSA resources including:
- Signing FSA documents;
- Utilizing the Loan Assistance Tool;
- Browsing USDA programs;
- Checking program deadlines;
- Accessing the internet;
- Accessing necessary personal information such as email, bank accounts or farm records and;
- Signing up for a Login.gov account, which will provide access to farmers.gov level-two features and other USDA and U.S. Government web resources.
If you do not have an appointment with FSA or the staff member you need to talk to is working with another customer and unavailable when you drop by the county office, using the kiosk will help you get started, making good use of your valuable time. For example, the kiosk enables you to consult with an FSA farm loan staff via video chat if they are in another location or not present in the office at the time of your visit.
Future enhancements to the kiosks include more self-service options:
- A customer check-in feature,
- Self-service for completing FSA program applications and submitting supporting documents and;
- Self-service financial inquiries including most FSA program payments and access to 1099s.
What can I do with a Login.gov account?
After setting up a Login.gov account you can access even more tools on the kiosk and at home through farmers.gov including:
- The Pay My Loan feature;
- The online Farm Loan application;
- Your Farm Loan history;
- The ability to request conservation assistance and track past and current contracts;
- Viewing, labeling, printing, and exporting detailed farm records and farm/tract maps for use during acreage reporting;
- And more!
How is my information protected when I use a kiosk?
Your data is protected when using the kiosks through customer specific sessions that will either timeout after use or can be manually ended to delete all your personal information from the device and log you out of all accounts.
Where can I find more information?
For more information about the new customer kiosks, FSA’s modernization efforts or the programs and service FSA has to offer, visit your local county office.
Caleb Gildea is a Special Projects Coordinator with FSA. He can be reached at caleb.gildea@usda.gov.
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