National Farmers Union Demanding Government to Open
The National Farmers Union (NFU) Board of Directors have adopted a resolution calling for an immediate reopening of the federal government.
The partial government shutdown, entering its fifth week, is causing harm and exacerbating issues already facing American family farmers and ranchers as they look to sell their crops, acquire financing and prepare for the coming year.
NFU Board says,
Net farm income declined nearly 50 percent since 2013, and a majority of farms of all sizes, have been operating in the red over the past several years. President Donald Trump initiated and escalated trade wars with China and much of the rest of the world, further depressing commodity prices and damaging America's reputation as a reliable trading partner. The government shutdown is making these matters worse.
The Market Facilitation Program, designed to aid farmers through the administration’s trade wars, is frozen due to FSA office closures. These closures also limit farmers’ and ranchers’ ability to access federally backed operating loans.
Additionally, information, data, and reporting services provided by USDA have been discontinued, making it more difficult for producers to make informed planting and selling decisions.
The shutdown is also significantly delaying implementation of both the 2018 Farm Bill and summertime sales of E15. All of this and more is weighing in heavily on our farmers.