Just when U.S. farmers thought they were catching a break with a second round of federal aid, now there’s concern the impasse in Washington could hamper payments, Bloomberg News reported. After crop prices tumbled amid the U.S.-China trade war, the Trump administration made good on its promise to help farmers by approving the second-round payments this month. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has said the total aid could reach as much as $12 billion, with soybean growers taking the biggest share. But the partial U.S. government shutdown is raising questions about delays for the plan, called the market facilitation program. On Dec. 21, the USDA said in a statement that the aid would continue during the first week of a shutdown, but payments would halt after that for producers who hadn’t certified production. The deadline to apply for the program is Jan. 15.
