USDA county offices resume core operations amid government shutdown
In the midst of a government shutdown, over 2,100 US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency county offices resumed core operations on October 23. Among the reinstated functions are "critical services for farm loan processing, ARC/PLC payments, and other programs,” US Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins posted on X.
According to officials, the reopened county FSA offices will operate with limited staffing, comprised of two county-office employees working five days a week. The returning team will be responsible for processing payments and assisting with farm loan and commodity program services, according to Texas Farm Bureau reports.
Government shutdown impact on the supply chain
Photo courtesy of the USDA
Due to a month-long government shutdown, most USDA operations have been suspended. Food industry organizations have stated that the long-term discontinuation of these services might negatively impact operations.
The international trade association, the Global Cold Chain Alliance, stated that the suspension of these programs due to the shutdown could, in the short term, "complicate demand forecasting and increase uncertainty for cold chain businesses."
Long-term, the trade and cold chain industry should be prepared for the potential freeze on ‘Food stamps’ funded under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), as well as backlogs and air-cargo disruptions.
In her social media post, the Secretary also thanked USDA employees for continuing to work without pay "to serve our farmers and ranchers."
Georgia's Department of Agriculture released a statement praising the news, since the government shutdown “has left Georgia farm families without access to the most essential farm support services and done significant damage to our state’s No. 1 industry," Commissioner Tyler J. Harper said.
As of today, there's no timeline pointing to the end of the government shutdown, which will only end as a result of an elusive bipartisan agreement.
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