Farmers, typically conservative about the role of government, could face real problems if the government shut down, especially if the shutdown lasts into the summer. For instance, the Department of Agriculture would cease to process loan applications, which could be a “critical problem” for some farmers, says Roger Johnson, president of the National Farmers Union. If loans are delayed, some farmers wouldn’t be able to make the necessary purchases to start the planting season. “If you don’t get the crop in on time, you just gave up any opportunity to get a really good yield,” he says.
But unless a government shutdown lasted for weeks, delaying crop-subsidy payments, for example, most farmers would only have to deal with minor nuisances. For example, the government usually helps farmers with pest control and installation of some conservation projects, but would not during a shutdown.
“If you think long enough you can think of a lot of ways in which the federal government touches agriculture or the public,” says Mark Maslyn, the executive director of public policy at the American Farm Bureau. “But a lot of it depends on how long there is a shutdown and if it occurs.”
