WACO, Texas (KXXV) — After weeks without progress in Washington, farmers across Central Texas are starting to feel the strain.
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The government shutdown has put a freeze on key USDA programs, leaving farmers without access to loans, crop reports and disaster assistance they depend on this time of year.
“Just knowing that people in our community are going to be affected by this is troubling,” said Beth Ferguson, interim executive director of World Hunger Relief.
Ferguson said the shutdown has delayed crucial federal funding.
“We were hoping to apply for a federal USDA grant through the NRCS, but when we were going to go to the office, we checked and they're actually closed, so that's delayed that funding. We don't know when or if that funding is going to be available even once the government does open back up,” she said.
Earlier this week, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins posted on X that the USDA will resume “core operations” starting Thursday.
Laramie Adams, associate government affairs director with the Texas Farm Bureau, said the longer the shutdown lasts, the harder it will be for farmers to recover.
“I think this is a testament to USDA understanding the challenges that these farmers are faced with. As decisions are being made in Washington DC, these lawmakers need to realize that this is hitting the bread basket of America,” Adams said.
He added that it is a story playing out across rural America, but here in Central Texas, farmers say they are just trying to hang on.
“The government shutdown comes at a time that these farmers and ranchers were already struggling. A lot of things that are beyond their control that they've been having to deal with,” Adams said.
Despite the challenges, Ferguson said she remains hopeful.
“We are very resilient and we're able to shift gears and kind of pull ourselves up by our bootstraps and look for different funding opportunities. It's actually a really great way for the community to come together and come up with really creative ways to support one another through this time and look for alternative funding methods,” Ferguson said.
