Ag Groups Call For End to Government Shutdown

It is critical to farmers already grappling with other economic challenges that the ongoing partial government shutdown of USDA and other government agencies is resolved as soon as possible, the nation's top agriculture groups said. The American Farm Bureau Federation and National Farmers Union (NFU) are both urging the Trump administration and Congress to resolve their disagreements and promptly reopen the federal government. The groups noted the negative impacts the shutdown is having on farmers already dealing with low commodity prices and trade turbulence. "Like the rest of the country, though, farmers and ranchers are ready for this shutdown finally to end," Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall wrote in his column this week. He noted that "Farm Bureau’s closing order of business at our delegate session this year was to pass a statement urging Congress and the Administration to work together to do just that and bring an end to this shutdown as soon as possible." Duvall pointed to the bipartisan passage of the 2018 Farm Bill as "a prime example of the work our lawmakers can get done for rural America when they find common ground." Both organizations cited the need for USDA to begin work implementing the 2018 Farm Bill, currently on hold due to the shutdown, as a top priority. "Farm bill programs and updates, signed into law just a day before the shutdown, are very important to family farmers and ranchers of all sizes and operation types," the NFU Board of Directors wrote in a resolution adopted late last week.