Farm bill benefits slowed by federal shutdown

The tentacles of the federal shutdown can be felt through all sectors of agriculture, but state programs continue to move forward.

That message was delivered by the Deputy Agriculture Commissioner Andrea Vaubel Thursday to the House Agriculture and Food Finance and Policy Division.

Farm Service Agency offices are opening for a few days (“today, tomorrow, and Tuesday”) to allow farmers to address existing loan applications and other select issues, Vaubel noted. That approach demonstrates how federal services are impacted as agencies attempt to address critical needs despite a lack of funding.

“We do have our Rural Finance Authority loan program, so we have also been encouraging farmers to look at that to see if that would help with some of the impacts they are feeling in response to the federal shutdown,” Vaubel said. “We are also asking folks to reach out to our farm advocates … they have a lot of resources.”

New or expanding programming approved through the $867 billion federal farm bill reauthorization in December, such as the expansion of education services for organic farmers and increased rural mental health services, remains on hold entirely.

[WATCH: Presentation on the 2018 Farm Bill before the House Agriculture and Food Finance and Policy Division]

State funds are keeping many services in place for now. The department plans to offer “Down on the Farm” trainings this winter to help professionals respond to the rural mental health crisis, and the state’s new Farm & Rural Helpline is up and running 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

But a continuing federal government shutdown will likely create implementation problems as the state seeks to maintain compliance with federal reporting regulations.

Industrial hemp, currently a pilot program in the state and expected to go into full-scale commercial production next year, received some help with the federal government’s decision to remove it from the Controlled Substance Act. This allayed fears banks had over federal repercussions for handling money from the crop, Vaubel reported. The farm bill also paved the way for hemp producers to join the federal crop insurance program. But complying with United States Department of Agriculture reporting requirements are hampered by access that has been curtailed by the shutdown.

Vaubel said there are a host of additional benefits that the agriculture sector will experience when the federal government resumes full operation, such as improved risk and price loss coverage, a national animal vaccine bank and related programming, and organic product anti-fraud enforcement.