So far, the loss of federal agriculture reports seems to be one of the biggest fallouts of the partial government shutdown. Private services have attempted to step in, with some offering free access. 

Des Moines airport officials the past couple of weeks have said security lanes were operating normally even though federal workers weren’t getting paid. Some airports are starting to get crimped now, though, and the Des Moines airport today announced that the Global Entry interviews scheduled for Feb. 5-7 have been cancelled due to the shutdown, spokeswoman Shannon Braun said. 

Elsewhere, there are some concerns that loans to farmers, small businesses and students could be disrupted by the shutdown. 

Here is a sampling of the local reporting on some of those issues: 

AgPro: No updated data means much of the trade is in the dark regarding the size of the 2018 crop, according to Scott Brown, University of Missouri economist. There is little hard data to guide trade, which could hurt markets, he added. “More information is always preferred than less,” said Brown. “So I think having no USDA reports is a detriment.”

Quad-City Times: No one has reported major problems in Iowa due to the shutdown, but if it drags on it could affect federal payments to Iowa farmers or curb food inspections.

WOI: The shutdown has the potential to delay loan applications for small businesses, cause financial pain for 7,000 federal employees working without pay in the state, and potentially cause issues for college students trying to get loan payments. In addition, farmers may run into trouble verifying the identity of potential employees because the E-Verify system has been disrupted. 

CBS News: Farmer Aaron Lehman of Polk City says not having the regular federal ag reports means some farmers are “flying blind.” 

Meanwhile, CNN reports today that President Donald Trump has said he won’t budge on his demand for financing for a border wall before government reopens.

Editor’s note: If your organization or business has been affected by the federal government shutdown, please tell the Business Record how by emailing newsroom@bpcdm.com or suzannebehnke@bpcdm.com.