USDA calls back 2,500 workers from shutdown furlough as farmers wait for trade war bailouts

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Wednesday that it plans to temporarily reopen about half of its Farm Service Agency offices around the country and call back about 2,500 employees furloughed because of the partial government shutdown. The USDA operates more than 2,100 FSA offices and nearly half are expected reopen for at least three business days, starting Thursday. Many banks require crop insurance certification that has been difficult to obtain with FSA offices closed. If crop insurance isn't available, banks usually require a different form of collateral to secure loans to agricultural producers. According to Rodger, the shutdown has created "a fair amount of anxiety among some of our members." The FSA also administers the so-called Market Facilitation Program, or trade relief payments to corn, cotton, dairy, hog, sorghum, soybean and wheat producers. The original deadline for agricultural producers to apply for the $12 billion trade mitigation program was Jan. 15 but it was extended last week by the USDA...MORE