Because of the partial shutdown of the federal government, the weekly livestock market report from Ledbetter is not available in The Crittenden Press. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) website that makes the auction results available each Tuesday afternoon is down until funding is restored.
Also affected is Laura Kessler’s “Around the Farm” column found weekly in The Press. Kessler, the executive director of the Salem-based Farm Service Agency, and the entire staff at the USDA operated office are on furlough until a funding agreement is reached by Congress and the president.
