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Government Shutdown Stymies Farm Bill Benefits For Arkansas Farmers

Courtesy: UALR

GOV SHUTDOWN SLOWS FARMERS - Arkansas produces a lot of agriculture products, including soybeans and rice.  Tuesday  the  Arkansas  Rice Association’s  Annual  Meeting took  place  in Stuttgart.  It’s a key event for Arkansas’s ag-industry and on the minds of many was the impact of trade tariff’s on U.S. agriculture products and the current government shut-down. Among those speaking was Betsy Ward, president and CEO of the USA Rice Federation, a group that promotes the nation’s rice industry and also worked on the recent FARM BILL that was approved in Congress.  She told Ark. Public Radio’s KUAR how the government shutdown is affecting farmers in Arkansas and elsewhere.

"We got a Farm Bill passed and now we are going to 

Credit Courtesy: Ark. Rice Federation Facebook
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Courtesy: Ark. Rice Federation Facebook
Betsy Ward, CEO - USA Rice Federation spoke at Ark. Rice Federation Annual Meeting in Stuttgart, Ark. Jan 8, 2019.

have difficulty unless the government opens up having farmers go sign up and finish off their loans from last year.," explained Ward. "The FSA offices are primarily shuttered, so it makes it very difficult to move forward in this new crop year with those folks not working. In Washington, everybody we work with at USDA is on furlough so they’re not available to – they’re really not permitted to actually work, so you can’t contact them if you have questions. "         

Ward also said her association relies on USDA funding to promote Arkansas ag products overseas and due to the government shut-down, that funding has been suspended.

Chuck Smith brings more than 30 years' broadcast and media experience to Red River Radio. He began his career as a radio news reporter and transitioned to television journalism and newsmagazine production. Chuck studied mass communications at Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia and motion picture / television production at the University of California at Los Angeles. He has also taught writing for television at York Technical College in Rock Hill, South Carolina and video / film production at Centenary College of Louisiana, Shreveport.