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Shutdown could deepen struggles for soybean farmers facing low demand and loan needs

The director of government relations with the Illinois Soybean Association says the organization is concerned that a prolonged government shutdown will make this year even more difficult for producers.

Andrew Larson tells Brownfield, “Not having your local FSA office, or local NRCS folks, be able to go into work and do their jobs and help farmers and provide that assistance is a real challenge, because that work gets backlogged and there’s less service available for farmers.”

He says it comes at a time of the year when many farmers are trying to secure Farm Service Agency operating loans.

“You have everybody right now, with the financial situation in agriculture, taking an even closer look at what next year is going to look like.”  He says, “You want to make sure that you have all of the tools and information and that you’re ready to take advantage of what makes sense for your operation. So, it’s another layer and challenge that we’re facing in agriculture.  2025 has been a really hard year.”

Larson says a slowdown of data from the USDA and any delays in ongoing trade negotiations caused by the shutdown would also be detrimental for soybean farmers already suffering reduced export demand.

AUDIO: Andrew Larson – Illinois Soybean Association