(AP) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture says it must delay the release of key crop reports due to the partial government shutdown.
The announcement Friday left investors and farmers without vital information during an already tumultuous time for agricultural markets. The USDA planned to release the reports Jan. 11 but said that even if the shutdown ended immediately, the agency wouldn’t have time to release the reports as scheduled.
Grain market analyst Todd Hultman says the situation will worsen if the shutdown continues.
The lack of information comes amid the uncertainty of trade with China, where tariffs led to an abrupt drop in U.S. exports to the country. There were indications that China was beginning to resume purchases of U.S. crops, but because of the government shutdown it’s unclear what’s happening.