U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins signed a memorandum directing all USDA agencies to adopt a single set of General Terms and Conditions for future grants, cooperative agreements and mutual interest agreements. This marks the first time the department will use consistent terms across its expansive portfolio, which includes nearly 51,000 active awards and over $145 billion distributed in fiscal year 2025.
Previously, more than 100 different documents totaling over 2,200 pages governed USDA awards, creating complexity and paperwork burdens for recipients such as farmers, ranchers, rural communities, and small businesses. The new unified terms will reduce this to 50 pages or fewer, simplifying access and compliance.
The change supports USDA’s National Farm Security Action Plan and aligns with federal efforts to improve oversight of grantmaking. It also enhances the department’s ability to enforce compliance swiftly across all programs, benefiting recipients and cooperators alike.
This move hopes to make USDA programs more accessible and efficient while strengthening accountability across its wide range of agricultural support initiatives.
