The National Chicken Council Wednesday released its annual Chicken Wing Report estimating Americans will eat an all-time high of 1.38 billion wings during the Super Bowl weekend, featuring the Los Angeles Rams and New England Patriots. The figure is up two percent, or about 27 million wings, from 2018.

The report points out that the record number of wings is enough to circle the Earth three times, and is four wings for every man, woman and child in the United States. Also, the Council announced it is petitioning President Trump and Congress to declare the Monday after the Super Bowl a federal holiday. The petition is available on Change.org.

National Chicken Council spokesperson Tom Super concluded, “Whether you’re a fan of the left wing or the right wing, there’s no debate – or controversial missed calls – about America’s favorite Super Bowl food.”

The Department of Agriculture is exploring ways to continue the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program if the government shutdown lingers through February. USDA has already claimed to find authority to reopen Farm Service Agency offices this week, and with SNAP benefits for March uncertain, the Trump Administration is seeking a way to keep recipients receiving benefits.

 

USDA spokesperson Tim Murtaugh told Reuters “We continue to examine our options for SNAP benefits in March.” While this is the longest government shutdown, no shutdown of the federal government has ever lasted long enough to stall SNAP benefits. USDA released the February benefits early, allowed by a legal provision that allowed money to be allocated within 30 days of a shutdown, but the Trump administration has not identified publicly a mechanism to extend the program into March. USDA says the best solution is “for Congress to pass appropriations legislation in a form the President can sign.”

The U.S. Senate Thursday will consider two proposals to end the government shutdown, but both are expected to fail. Still, many say the move is an opening of negotiations in Congress to reach an agreement. It also marks a shift from Senate Leader Mitch McConnell who previously said the Senate would not consider bills that are destined fail.

In December, he said the Senate would only consider bills that would produce a solution to all parties and be supported before a vote. The Senate will consider a Republican backed proposal to reopen the government, along with the Democratic-backed and House passed proposal.

The votes come on the same day the Department of Agriculture is reopening Farm Service Agency offices after recalling more 9,000 workers to provide services to farmers, which farmers have lacked during the shutdown.

In a list of goals last week, the European Union left out agriculture for its upcoming negotiations with the United States. An expected move, the action starts the talks off on a sour note as agriculture was one of the objectives for the United States.

The Trump Administration goals included a desire to “secure comprehensive market access for U.S. agricultural goods by eliminating tariffs and non-tariff barriers for farm goods,” according to Politico. A deal without agriculture has little U.S. support from lawmakers.

Also last week, U.S. Representative Roger Marshal of Kansas said in an editorial that if agriculture isn’t in the deal, he and other in Congress “will not consider it or support it.” In the editorial, Marshall urged the Trump Administration to continue to fight for farmers in the trade negotiations. According to the U.S. Trade Representative, the U.S. domestic exports of agricultural products to the EU totaled $11.5 billion in 2016.

The Food and Drug Administration is considering calling back more furloughed workers to help with inspections of high-risk foods. The FDA last week said it would restart inspections of high-risk foods that had been stopped due to the federal government shutdown.

Over the weekend, Gottlieb took to Twitter to say, “more staff could be on the way depending on needs.” He says the FDA has called back about 100 investigators and 35 supervisors for high-risk food inspections. Among the foods the FDA considers high risk are seafood, select dairy products, unpasteurized juices, fresh fruits and vegetables, spices, shell eggs, sandwiches, prepared salads and infant formula.

Meanwhile, The National Pork Producers Federation reminded the nation over the weekend that federal meat inspectors are working in meat packing plants despite the government shutdown. NPPC and other livestock groups a year ago urged USDA to deem inspectors as essential employees, because without inspectors, “meat and poultry processing plants are prohibited by law from operating.”

Washington, D.C.– U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced that all Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices nationwide will soon reopen to provide additional administrative services to farmers and ranchers during the lapse in federal funding. Certain FSA offices have been providing limited services for existing loans and tax documents since January 17, and will continue to do so through January 23. Beginning January 24, however, all FSA offices will open and offer a longer list of transactions they will accommodate.

Additionally, Secretary Perdue announced that the deadline to apply for the Market Facilitation Program, which aids farmers harmed by unjustified retaliatory tariffs, has been extended to February 14. The original deadline had been January 15. Other program deadlines may be modified and will be announced as they are addressed.

“At President Trump’s direction, we have been working to alleviate the effects of the lapse in federal funding as best we can, and we are happy to announce the reopening of FSA offices for certain services,” Perdue said. “The FSA provides vital support for farmers and ranchers and they count on those services being available. We want to offer as much assistance as possible until the partial government shutdown is resolved.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has temporarily recalled all of the more than 9,700 FSA employees to keep offices open from 8 am to 4:30 pm weekdays beginning January 24. President Trump has already signed legislation that guarantees employees will receive all backpay missed during the lapse in funding.

For the first two full weeks under this operating plan (January 28 through February 1 and February 4 through February 8), FSA offices will be open Mondays through Fridays. In subsequent weeks, offices will be open three days a week, on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays if needed to provide the additional administrative services.

Agricultural producers who have business with the agency can contact their FSA service center to make an appointment.

FSA can provide these administrative services, which are critical for farmers and ranchers, because failure to perform these services would harm funded programs. FSA staff will work on the following transactions:

Market Facilitation Program.
Marketing Assistance Loans.
Release of collateral warehouse receipts.
Direct and Guaranteed Farm Operating Loans, and Emergency Loans.
Service existing Conservation Reserve Program contracts.
Sugar Price Support Loans.
Dairy Margin Protection Program.
Agricultural Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage.
Livestock Forage Disaster.
Emergency Assistance Livestock, Honey Bees, and Farm-raised Fish Program.
Livestock Indemnity Program.
Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program.
Tree Assistance Program.
Remaining Wildfires and Hurricanes Indemnity Program payments for applications already processed.
Transactions that will not be available include, but are not limited to:

New Conservation Reserve Program contracts.
New Direct and Guaranteed Farm Ownership Loans.
Farm Storage Facility Loan Program.
New or in-process Wildfires and Hurricanes Indemnity Program applications.
Emergency Conservation Program.
Emergency Forest Rehabilitation Program.
Biomass Crop Assistance Program.
Grassroots Source Water Protection Program.
With the Office of Management and Budget, USDA reviewed all of its funding accounts that are not impacted by the lapse in appropriation. We further refined this list to include programs where the suspension of the activity associated with these accounts would significantly damage or prevent the execution of the terms of the underling statutory provision. As a result of this review, USDA was able to except more employees. Those accounts that are not impacted by the lapse in appropriation include mandatory, multiyear and no year discretionary funding including FY 2018 Farm Bill activities.

Updates to available services and offices will be made during the lapse in federal funding on the FSA shutdown webpage. Programs managed by FSA that were re-authorized by the 2018 farm bill will be available at a later date yet to be determined.

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