With the partial shutdown of the federal government dragging on, USDA has extended the deadline for farmers hurt by trade retaliation to apply for payments under its Market Facilitation Program, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said in a post on Twitter on Tuesday afternoon.
The deadline, originally set for Jan. 15, will be extended for the number of business days that USDA offices are closed, once the shutdown ends, Perdue said.
Offices for USDA's Farm Service Agency, where farmers must submit their applications, have been closed since Dec. 28. “Kept @usdafsa offices open as long as possible, but closed when funding lapsed,” Perdue tweeted.
