Source: Susan Kelly, MEATINGPLACE, 12/28/18



Key USDA agricultural data is bound to be a casualty of the federal government shutdown the longer the stalemate persists, analysts at the Daily Livestock Report (DLR) warned.

Data that relies on survey responses, such as the information collected by USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, may not be recovered for the missing timeframe, the analysts said. The amount of data recovered varied in past shutdowns, they noted.

The latest scheduled Poultry Slaughter, Agricultural Prices and Broiler Hatchery reports are among those that will not be released. If the partial shutdown persists, it could affect the release of the next World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report, as well as USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) commodity outlook reports and data. The ERS website is being taken offline.

The next round of Cold Storage, Cattle on Feed, Livestock Slaughter and Chicken and Eggs reports also could be affected, according to the DLR, which is published by Steiner Consulting Group.

USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service duties will continue to be performed, and data such as price reports are still being released from the Agricultural Marketing Service, the DLR said.

The House and Senate are far from an agreement to end the shutdown but planned to reconvene on Monday after adjourning Thursday following brief pro forma sessions, CNN reported.

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