U.S. sets 3-day reopening of offices to assist farmers

WASHINGTON -- The federal government will reopen more than two dozen Farm Service Agency offices in Arkansas for three days, recalling furloughed employees to open the mail and to assist farmers with existing loans, among other things.

Applications for new direct or facility loans, marketing assistance loans and farm loan guarantees will not be accepted, officials said.

Nationwide, the shutdown is being briefly lifted at hundreds of Farm Service Agency locations, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced Wednesday morning. Roughly 2,500 agency employees have been called back temporarily.

The opening is scheduled to begin today, with work to continue on Friday and Tuesday. The offices will remain closed on Monday because of the Martin Luther King holiday.

Farm Service Agency offices will open in Fayetteville, Jonesboro, Pine Bluff, Texarkana, Searcy, Hamburg, Mountain Home, Harrison, Berryville, Arkadelphia, Heber Springs, Morrilton, Wynne, Ozark, Paragould, Hope, Marianna, Star City, Ashdown, Lonoke, Huntsville, Helena, Harrisburg, Hazen, De Queen, Ash Flat and Mountain View, USDA officials said.

A partial federal government shutdown began Dec. 22 after President Donald Trump and congressional leaders were unable to agree on funding legislation for a number of federal agencies.

Trump is demanding $5.7 billion for his border wall project. Democrats in Congress oppose the expenditure.

The longest-ever U.S. government shutdown has left roughly 800,000 federal employees without pay. Many of them have been furloughed; essential employees in the affected agencies are continuing to work, but are no longer receiving pay.

U.S. Sen. John Boozman, who serves on the Senate Agriculture Committee, said the temporary opening is good news.

"Any help that the [Farm Service Agency] can give would be, I know, very much appreciated," the Republican from Rogers said.

Asked what can be done to end the shutdown, Boozman said, "I think it comes down to President Trump and, primarily, [House] Speaker [Nancy] Pelosi making a deal. ... I would hope that, very quickly, they do come to a compromise."

Matt King, Arkansas Farm Bureau's director of public affairs and government relations, said the closure has caused difficulties for some borrowers.

Farmers frequently turn to the Farm Service Agency for financial assistance. Through its loans and loan guarantees, the agency helped farmers obtain roughly $6 billion in new credit in 2017, the agency said. At the end of 2017, the agency was helping roughly 120,000 farmers access more than $25 billion in credit.

In some instances, the checks they receive from buyers are jointly payable to both the farmer and the agency. Without Farm Service Agency sign-off, they can't be cashed, King explained.

The agency shut its offices after the close of business on Dec. 28.

With the offices temporarily open, the checks can finally be signed and the funds can finally be disbursed, King said.

"It's an opportunity for farmers to get some bills ... paid that they need to get paid," he said.

In a news release, Perdue said the USDA hopes to provide customer service "to the greatest extent possible during the shutdown."

"Until Congress sends President Trump an appropriations bill in the form that he will sign, we are doing our best to minimize the impact of the partial federal funding lapse on America's agricultural producers," he said.

Earlier this month, the USDA announced that it would extend the Jan. 15 deadline for the Market Facilitation Program, which is supposed to protect farmers from the harm caused by retaliatory tariffs. Because of the closure of the Farm Service Agency, farmers have been unable to apply for the aid.

Business on 01/17/2019

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