AUSTRALIA, North Sydney. The US government shutdown, now the longest in history, continues to affect over 800,000 federal workers, as President Trump refuses to back down on his request for funding to build the proposed Mexican border wall.
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has been one government agency significantly affected by the shutdown. The USDA announced plans to temporarily reopen about half of its Farm Service Agency offices and call back around 2,500 employees, in order to assist in processing farm payments and federal farm loans.
Steiner Consulting Group commented that most critical for the livestock industry is the possible cancellation of the US cattle inventory report, however the outcome remains unclear and could depend on the duration of the shutdown. The lack of reporting makes understanding the current US supply dynamics extremely difficult for industry to gage.