USDA is open for business…sort of

The US Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) released a summary of services impacted by the federal government shutdown which has stretched into a sixth day with no signs of ending soon.  Sixty-one percent of the USDA’s employees are exempt or excepted from the shutdown during the first week. That number will decrease as the shutdown continues, the agency said. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue emphasized that the shutdown didn’t mean a letdown in USDA’s obligations to protect life and property through the agency’s services.  Read more