A partial shutdown of the U.S. government began on October 1, with no indications regarding how long that shutdown may last. Most farmers in the Midwest are in the middle of harvest season, so there has probably not been a lot of attention paid to the government shutdown to this point. However, if the shutdown continues for several more weeks it could start to impact financial decisions for farmers and ag lenders. Approximately half of the nearly 86,000 USDA employees have been furloughed (placed on leave) and most local FSA offices are closed until the shutdown ends. Most of the remaining USDA employees are considered “essential,” related to ongoing food and nutrition programs and inspection services for food and agriculture. The second phase of the Economic Commodity Assistance Program (

See Full Page