As the government shutdown continues there are a number of offices that are closed. I want to talk about the effect that the shutdown is having on agriculture and natural resources. I won’t be getting into a political discussion about the shutdown, just simply what the impact is. There is a lot of information out there that is slanted one way or the other, so I’m going to try and cut through that and just talk about some of the effects the shutdown is having.
The Farm Service Agency, including our local office located in Blairsville, is currently closed. The Farm Service Agency (FSA) is a branch of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). FSA is responsible for supporting farms and farming communities with programs including disaster relief, conservation programs, commodity price guarantee programs, and loan programs. Commodity loan activity that many farmers rely on has ceased as of January 3. This will become more of a concern if the shutdown progresses into the spring, because that is the time that farmers will be in need of money to pay for the new season that is beginning. Last year USDA gave out over $5.4 billion in loans. Not being able to have a good sense of their finances is making it difficult for farmers to make financial decisions right now.
The USDA also backs rural development programs that can be used for home loans in rural areas. These programs are also currently closed. The Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) is currently open. However, if the shutdown continues their offices may be closed as well. NRCS is able to provide conservation technical and financial assistance through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). The EQIP program is one that many people have used here to build a hoop house. The NRCS works closely with the FSA, so NRCS will continue to be open but some operations will become more difficult without the FSA.
The Forest Service is still open using non-appropriated funds. Forest Service law enforcement, emergency and natural disaster response, and national defense preparedness efforts are still ongoing. Some Forest Service employees are furloughed through the shutdown. Other employees are on standby in case of an emergency.
I am going to stay away from making any predictions about what will happen agriculturally if the shutdown continues. My crystal ball hasn’t been the same since the earthquake a few weeks ago. The services that I’ve talked about here being open may change if the shutdown continues, that remains to be seen. However, as of writing this column on January 24 the information that I’ve included is up to date. There are a number of other agricultural services that I haven’t talked about here that are in limbo. Clearly, the longer the shutdown continues the greater the impact will be on our agriculture and natural resources. When government offices resume normal operations there will be a backlog of work to go through.
Throughout the shutdown the Extension Office will continue to be open. We are funded by the state and county, so our funding is not affected. So don’t be worried about contacting your Extension Office or sending me an email at Jacob.Williams@uga.edu during this shutdown. We are still here to serve you!