U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue will temporarily reopen the Farm Service Agency to offer limited services for farmers and ranchers, according to a United States Department of Agriculture press release.
The office will be open on Thursday, Jan. 17, Friday, Jan. 18, and Tuesday, Jan. 22, but will be closed Jan. 21 for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.
Almost half of FSA locations will be open to help agriculture producers with farm loans and to give 1099 tax documents before the Internal Revenue Service’s deadline.
“Until Congress sends President Trump an appropriations bill in the form that he will sign, we are doing our best to minimize the impact of the partial federal funding lapse on America’s agricultural producers,” Perdue said in the release. “We are bringing back part of our FSA team to help producers with existing farm loans. Meanwhile, we continue to examine our legal authorities to ensure we are providing services to our customers to the greatest extent possible during the shutdown.”
All services will be available in person, and most will be available over the phone while the office is open.