Despite the recent budget agreement that reopened the federal government, farmers across the country are still feeling the painful, lingering effects of the temporary furloughing of nonessential services.
The two-week long government shutdown was the result of a dispute between congressional Republicans and President Barack Obama. Republicans, who had campaigned in the 2012 election on a platform of repealing Obamacare, insisted that healthcare reform be defunded in exchange for passing a budget resolution. Democrats, insisting on a clean budget bill, refused to allow their signature healthcare reform to be undermined.
While the government is open again, thanks to a last-minute budget deal, many farmers are still hurting from the lack of federal services.
In particular, many farmers are still struggling with the aftermath of the loss of USDA information on commodity prices. “Any lack of information in a marketplace creates a situation that’s not very stable,” said Jeff Geider, director of the Institute of Ranch Management at Texas Christian University. “They lose some leverage. In the absence of that data, there is nothing for them to turn to.”
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Written by: Justin Ellison / Farm Plus Staff Writer