A Continued Government Shutdown Could Affect Local Agriculture, Says Perdue

With the federal government shut-down, farmers have lost access to some programs from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, but not all.

Last week, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue detailed which functions of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) would remain available in the event of a lapse in government funding.

Some USDA activities have been shut down or significantly reduced and he said about 61% of USDA employees furloughed.

However, certain USDA activities are continuing because they are related to law enforcement, the protection of life and property, or are financed through available funding (such as through mandatory appropriations, multi-year discretionary funding, or user fees).

“A lapse in funding for the federal government, will not relieve the USDA of its responsibilities for safeguarding life and property through the critical services we provide,” said Secretary Perdue. “Our employees work hard every day to benefit our customers and the farmers, ranchers, foresters, and producers who depend on our programs. During a shutdown, we will leverage our existing resources as best we can to continue to provide the top-notch service people expect.”

Some programs that are still continuing despite the shutdown include:

  • Meat, poultry, and processed egg inspection services.
  • Grain and other commodity inspection, weighing, grading, and IT support services funded by user fees.
  • Eligible households will still receive monthly Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for January.
  • The Child Nutrition (CN) Programs, including School Lunch, School Breakfast, Child and Adult Care Feeding, Summer Food Service and Special Milk will continue operations into February.
  • And Forest Service law enforcement, emergency and natural disaster response, and national defense preparedness efforts.
  • Also, some farm payments (including direct payments, market assistance loans, market facilitation payments, and disaster assistance programs) are being continued for this first week of a shutdown.

Some programs that have been discontinued during the shut-down include:

  • Provision of new rural development loans and grants for housing, community facilities, utilities and businesses.
  • All recreation sites across the U.S National Forest System, unless they are operated by external parties under a recreational special use permit.
  • Investigation of packers and stockyards related to fraudulent and anti-competitive activities.
  • Assistance for the control of most plant and animal pests and diseases unless funded by cooperators or other non-appropriated sources.
  • Provision of new grants or processing of payments for existing grants to support research, education, and extension.

Perdue said after the first week, farm loans and some farm payments will stop (including direct payments, market assistance loans, market facilitation payments for those producers who have not certified production, and disaster assistance programs).

A complete list of USDA shutdowns can be found at USDA Shutdown List.