Government shutdown causing issues for Southeast Missouri farmers

The partial federal government shutdown is causing a cash-flow crunch for Southeast Missouri farmers, particularly cotton growers, the president of the Missouri Farm Bureau said Monday.

U.S. Rep. Jason Smith, R-Salem, Missouri, agreed even as President Donald Trump urged farmers to stick with him.

"It is never a good thing when the government is shut down. It affects all Americans. It definitely is affecting people in Southeast Missouri," Smith said.

But the GOP congressman blamed the Democrats for the continuing shutdown of some government services, even though polls show many Americans blame Trump.

Blake Hurst, Missouri Farm Bureau president, said the shutdown over Trump's demand for funding to construct a wall along the nation's southern border has led to the temporary closing of federal Farm Service Agency offices.

The Farm Service Agency has been shuttered since the first week of the shutdown.

The closure means farmers are unable to take out Commodity Credit Corp. loans until the government shutdown ends. Many farmers use loans for short-term financing, Hurst said, and cotton farmers in Southeast Missouri often rely on such loans as they prepare for the start of the growing season. "It is causing some cash-flow difficulties," he said.

Monthly agriculture reports also are on hold while the shutdown continues. Hurst said that hinders farmers' efforts to decide on the quantity of crops to plant.

The shutdown, which has lasted more than three weeks and is now the longest on record, also has delayed access to subsidies for farmers hit by the president's tariffs.

Farmers who did not apply by Dec. 21 and those awaiting for final approval will have to wait until the government shutdown ends to receive the federal assistance.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) originally set today as the deadline for farmers to apply for the assistance. But Hurst said federal officials recently agreed to extend the deadline.

Smith, the GOP congressman, said the deadline will be extended by the number of business days the shutdown continues.

Speaking at the 100th annual convention of the American Farm Bureau Federation in New Orleans on Monday, Tump said, "No one understands more than our farmers that the tough decisions we make today will reap dividends down the road."

Trump said farmers' "greatest harvest" is yet to come, the Associated Press reported.

Trump said he wants the border wall to cut down on illegal immigration. At the same time, the president said he wants immigration reform that would help farmers get the field workers they need.

"You need people to help you with the farms," Trump told the convention. "It's going to be easier for them to get in."

About 500 demonstrators marched outside the convention center to protest the president, some holding signs reading "Open the Government Now" and "Deport Trump." But some farmers attending the American Farm Bureau Federation convention said they continue to support Trump despite the difficulty they're feeling.

Lemuel and Shelby Ricks grow cotton, soybeans, wheat and peanuts on their farm in Conway, North Carolina. They said they've been hurt by low commodity prices and the shutdown. They can't apply for financial aid the federal government is giving farmers hurt by Trump's trade policies because of the shutdown.

The Rickses said they voted for Trump and will again in 2020, contending the country will benefit from Trump's policies in the long run.

"We're not giving up on him now," Shelby Ricks told the Associated Press.

Smith said Trump has done "a really good job" of trying to make sure federal agencies continue to serve the public.

Americans still will be able to obtain tax refunds, and funding for food stamps will continue through February, he said.

Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue has asked states to issue the February benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by Jan. 20 so they can be paid to the nearly 40 million Americans in the program.

The SNAP program will cost about $4.8 billion for February, and those funds have already been appropriated through the expired spending bill, the Associated Press said.

The food stamps program in December served nearly 328,000 Missouri families, or more than 700,000 individuals, according to the Missouri Department of Social Services. The average benefit per household last month was nearly $257.

Federal employees, including some in Smith's 8th Congressional District, are not receiving pay checks while 25 percent of the government is shut down.

Smith said some of those federal workers have told him they support the president and want Congress to fund the wall.

Trump initially sought $5.7 billion in funding for border-wall construction. But Smith said Trump since has offered to compromise with the Democrats.

Instead of a concrete wall, he has now proposed a steel-slatted barrier.

The president also has said he would be willing to accept less funding, Smith said, "to a couple billion dollars."

But Democratic leaders in Congress "are not even communicating with him," Smith said.

Democrats have called the proposed wall immoral and ineffective. But Smith said many of those same members of Congress in past years have supported border walls.

It's been suggested the president could declare a national emergency in order to fund construction of a border barrier. But the 8th District congressman said, "I think that should clearly be the last resort."

Smith and other Republicans in Congress have said there is no reason to pass appropriations bills that do not include wall funding because the president would veto it.

"Congress should get their act together and learn to work together. If we cannot figure this one out, what can we figure out?" Smith asked.

mbliss@semissourian.com

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