Shutdown Showdown: What farmers need to know

From AgWeb.com

If you’re wondering if there’s anything you need to know about the current budget battles in Congress, the answer is yes.

If the House and Senate can’t reach an agreement on the federal budget—or more likely, a continuing resolution to fund the government while they hammer out a budget—by Sept. 30, the federal government will shut down on Oct. 1, the first day of its new fiscal year.

Why does this matter to farmers on their combines, harvesting corn in fields hundreds of miles away from Capitol Hill? Because a government shutdown, depending on when it happens and how long it lasts, could affect everything from market-moving USDA reports to producers’ farm program payments for 2014, which are scheduled to be released in October. Read the rest of the story here.