Federal Government Shutdown Impact on Farmers?

With the Federal Government shutdown a lot of information we are used to getting will not be available or it could be delayed. First, all County USDA Service Centers and Farm Service Agency offices are closed. They are classified as "nonessential." The Livestock Slaughter and cold storage reports will not be released later this week if the stalemate continues. However, in the last Federal Government shutdown sometimes we would get a report released a little later than the normal time. I did not think we would get the export loadings report this morning but it was released  so you never know for sure.

However, there are two USDA programs important to livestock producers that will be working. They are classified as "essential." The Livestock Mandatory Reporting program run by the USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service provides market information on sales to packers of cattle, hogs and lambs plus the sale of meat products. In addition the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Services will continue working. Remember meat processing plants must have USDA inspectors at the plants when they operating. That would turn into a crises very quickly if livestock processing plants were shut down.