How the Government Shutdown is Affecting Ranchers

Well as of the production of this program, the government has been shut down for nearly a week. For most folks, that probably hasn't had too great of an impact on your day-to-day life.

National Cattlemen's Beef Association Vice President of Government Affairs Colin Woodall discusses the government shut down and the effect that will have on the cattle industry.

Woodall: "It has a lot of implications for the cattle business. One is the impact on Food Safety Inspection Services FSIS inspectors and their ability to stay in the plant. We have heard and received confirmation that the inspectors will stay on the job so that means that packing plants will continue to operate -- which is good. On the other hand though, we've heard that mandatory price reporting will no longer be maintained during the government shutdown. So that starts to bring into question what's going to happen with cattle pricing mechanisms. What could this mean to the market place? We don't have a good handle on that yet. I think we'll have to see just how long this shutdown stays in place and get some good feedback from the countryside."

Last week's shutdown also coincided with the expiration of 2008 Farm Bill extension. Which means that we are officially under the 1949 Permanent Law, though Woodall says there is a bit of a cushion of about three months before we'd see any changes happening. The first would be surrounding dairy policy in late December or early January.

He adds he is still optimistic that Congress will be able to take the next three months to come up with the needed Farm Bill.