Lights Off At USDA
WASHINGTON - Oct 1/13 - SNS -- Until funding is restored, the USDA will no longer publish any statistical reports, including the October 11 crop report if the impasse between Congress and the Senate lasts more than a few days.
Legislators were trying to pass an appropriations bill, which provides funding for most government services and civil service salaries. Because the deadline for passing the measures was not met, roughly 800,000 federal government employees in the United States will be sent home; while those in essential services are forced to work without pay.
The most immediate casualty affecting agriculture was the closure of the USDA's website and any programs which are not funded via user fees. Visitors to the USDA website are redirected to an information page which states, "Due to the lapse in federal government funding, this website is not available. . . . After funding has been restored, please allow some time for this website to become available again."
Until an appropriations bill is passed, the USDA will still offer grading services, but it will not provide crop production estimates, price reports, and other market news.
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