First open the government, then implement the new Farm Bill

It’s no secret that farmers in Minnesota and across the country have been rocked by low crop and dairy prices, and a crippling trade war that has blocked billions of dollars in sales of U.S. farm products abroad.  So, the last thing our farm economy needs as we move into the new year is to have the federal government shut down.
For me, job one in the new Congress is to end this wasteful and unnecessary shutdown that is hurting hundreds of thousands of federal workers and low-income federal contractors, who have been working for weeks without pay. 
But beyond that, the shutdown is having a devastating impact on Minnesota producers who are finding county Farm Services Agency (FSA) offices shuttered.  One Minnesota farmer said recently that lack of access to FSA services simply “adds insult to injury.”
I recently heard from a Minnesota farm family who sold half their calf crop late last year but can’t get the funds from the sale until the FSA is reopened. The money represents a large part of their yearly income. 
And I have talked with struggling Minnesota dairy producers who have been hit hard by falling dairy prices. During the Farm Bill debate, I worked with both Democrats and Republicans to improve dairy provisions that focus assistance on small and medium size farms. But due to the shutdown, dairy farmers will not be able to access and enroll in this much-needed safety net.
That’s why I’m going to continue to push hard on the president and congressional leaders to come together to get the government open.
With so much uncertainty roiling the farm economy, it’s more important than ever to get the 2018 Farm Bill implemented.
When the measure was signed into law in late December, it was the culmination of many months of hard work and compromise that will bring some much-needed certainty to struggling producers.
For Minnesota, where agriculture creates $121 billion in economic activity and supports 400,000 jobs, the five-year measure will be critically important to our state’s economic future.  For Congress, getting the bipartisan bill over the finish line also showed that our country can accomplish important things when we work together.
Importantly, it strengthens the farm safety net, including crop insurance and other tools to safeguard farmers from unexpected losses.
Now, we just need the government to reopen so that it can once again deliver all of the services people in our state and across the country have paid for and have come to rely upon.