Since 1976, there have been 21 federal government shutdowns, and this is now one of the longest. As this drags on, Kam Quarles, CEO of the National Potato Council, says other countries are loving it.
“Yeah, absolutely! Every moment that we’re shut down, none of our competitors around the world are shut down, and they’re very happy to fill the void. Any type of little competitive hiccup from the United States, and our competitors are very, very happy to step in and try to claim those markets.”
So, who gets the blame?
“We are in the ‘how long can you keep your hand on the hot stove’ phase of this. And honestly, this kind of happens with every shutdown, because both parties blame each other. You know, and usually that blame, they’re sort of partially right. You know, it’s kind of like if you blame them all, you get the right one.”
But both sides have really dug in their heels.
“And then really, it’s just who’s going to blink first. And, you know, part of getting them to that blink is just when the political pain gets heaped on them.”
As this shutdown drags on, economists warn that even with FSA offices back open, the absence of key USDA reports is crippling every corner of the ag economy, from commodity markets to cattle prices and farm-level business planning.