The U.S. government shutdown means the Department of Agriculture will delay the release of several market-moving reports at a time when farmers start to make their planting decisions for the upcoming season.
The USDA’s monthly World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates won’t be released on Jan. 11 as originally planned even if the government resumes operations before then, the agency said Friday. That’s because of the lead-in time needed to gather and analyze data. Other key data sets, including figures on grain stockpiles and winter-wheat seedings, will also be delayed.
