DENVER — If the government shuts down when the current continuing resolution expires on March 14, the Trump administration’s promise to get $10 billion in disaster aid to farmers by a congressionally mandated March 21 deadline would be impacted, a high ranking Agriculture Department civil servant said at the Commodity Classic here on Monday.  

“If there is a government shutdown that will have an adverse impact on our ability to deliver that assistance in a timely manner,” said Steve Peterson, the associate administrator of the Farm Service Agency and at present a senior adviser in the Farm Production and Conservation mission area.

He spoke at a town hall event sponsored by the American Soybean Association. 

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Jamie White, the acting deputy administrator of the Farm Service Agency for farm policy; Louis Espey, the acting chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service; and Heather Manzano, the acting administrator of the Risk Management Agency, also participated in the town hall at which farmers were able to ask questions of the officials. 

Espey confirmed an announcement by Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on Sunday that payments on contracts under the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, the Conservation Stewardship Program and the Agricultural Conservation Enhancement Program will be made.

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But Espey said that funding for new contracts under these programs is “still on pause.”

Espey also said the administration’s  goal is that USDA programs will be “farmer-led.”

White said that the administration has given directions to streamline programs and not use any “gender-based designations.”

Manzano noted that she has worked in crop insurance for 30 years and that the program has kept expanding. The administration wants to remove burdensome regulations, she said. 

On the issue of the administration’s review of existing programs, Peterson said it is the responsibility of the civil servants to educate Rollins about the programs and that while there are concerns about cuts there may also be opportunities. 

Asked about the longtime goal of an online portal that would consolidate all of farmer’s information in one place to avoid duplicate filings, Peterson acknowledged, “we have not been successful at modernizing the acreage reporting process.” The problems, he said, are the amount of data USDA needs, the lack of a separate appropriation for information technology and updates to technology. 

Asked about guidance to farmers on the choice this year between the Agriculture Risk Coverage and the Price Loss Coverage programs, White said that instead of contracting with a few universities USDA will post information on its website, which will allow a larger range of universities to offer advice.