Federal agencies that serve farmers and many others are back in business this week, but the challenges in getting services back up to speed after the longest shutdown ever will be daunting. USDA, USTR, EPA, the IRS and other agencies will take weeks or months to recover from the 35-day partial government shutdown as they deal with mountains of backlogged …
Shutdown Costly for USDA
The record-long partial government shutdown is likely to cost billions and has already hamstrung the nation’s 2-million or so farming operations. Everyone knows how tough it is to get back to work after a long absence. But if you’re USDA, with a huge backlog of farm program and other applications, implementing a farm bill, paying furloughed workers, and more, it’s daunting. …