Farmers are having to be patient and sit still until the government shutdown comes to a close.
Steve Verett with Plains Cotton Growers said farmers had about a week to prepare for the looming shutdown, but it was not enough time.
“We’re just very concerned at this point about trying to get this thing back up and going,” Verett said.
Right now is especially a critical time for farmers because cotton begins shipping out starting in January, he said.
“If they’ve got obligations to ship cotton, to deliver cotton, that’s where the next problem is going to come in,” Verett said.
The Farm Service Agency is not deemed as an essential government agency. Verett said this means it is not operating during the shutdown.
Congressman Jodey Arrington has made attempts to make the FDA categorized as official. However, Verett said no changes have been made yet.
“We believe and congressman Arrington believes that being able to process marketing loans both in and out is pretty essential,” Verett said.
A farmer in Lubbock, Jeremiah Duenes, said the shutdown has halted the process of getting the loans he needs.
Duenes said he knows farmers who owe their bankers money right now, so they are having to sell their cotton at a lower price than they would like to.
“I do my lending through the FSA here in Lubbock the USDA,” Duenes said. “So with it being shutdown, I’m not able to start funding for the new year.”
