The partial government shutdown that started before Christmas is already the longest in U.S. history, and no one in Washington, D.C. — or Kentucky — is sure when it will end.

Shuttered federal agencies have left hundreds of thousands of government employees across the country, including many in Kentucky and Southern Indiana, either stuck at home on furlough or forced to work without pay.

Here are five ways the ongoing shutdown is affecting Kentucky:

Small business loans jeopardized

The U.S. Small Business Administration has been affected by the shutdown, which means companies can't get SBA guarantees on their loans, according to David Oetken, director of the Louisville branch of the Kentucky Small Business Development Center.

Getting a government guarantee can persuade banks to loan money to new business ventures, even though financing them involves a degree of risk, Oetken said. Some loan guarantees for small businesses in Kentucky were approved right before the shutdown, but there are a few requests that are "kind of in limbo now."

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Now, Oetken said some of his center's clients are examining other financing options. The shutdown's impact on small businesses could "snowball into something pretty significant" depending on how long federal services remain halted.

Loans for rural home-buyers on hold

Federal loans that go to low-income Kentuckians who are buying homes in rural parts of the commonwealth aren't being issued right now, according to Edwin King, executive director of the Kentucky Housing Corp.

Additionally, King said some other publicly funded loans for Kentuckians who want to become home-owners are on hold because the federal services necessary to process those transactions are frozen.

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Staffers at the Kentucky Housing Corporation, which administers several federal mortgage-related programs, are doing their best to find alternative options for people who are trying to buy a house, he said.

Uncertainty for farmers

Farmers who live and work in the commonwealth are facing impacts from the shutdown amid an already difficult economic situation, according to the Kentucky Farm Bureau.

"The closure of government agencies is creating uncertainty for farmers in Kentucky and around the country," Kentucky Farm Bureau President Mark Haney said in a statement. "The current shutdown prohibits farmers from securing needed loans, disaster and trade assistance, and will delay the implementation of the recently passed farm bill."

President Donald Trump signed the farm bill into law in December after it cleared Congress with bipartisan support. The legislation includes provisions permitting major subsidies for American farmers, many of whom have been hurt by the nation's trade war with China.

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Haney noted that his organization is watching this issue closely and hopes to see cooperation between U.S. lawmakers and President Donald Trump's administration.

"We urge Congress and the Administration to work together to reopen the government as soon as possible and bring back certainty to farmers during this difficult farm economy," he said.

Backlog for new beers

The shutdown affects the ability to get approval of new beers that will be sold across state lines and could prevent fledgling breweries from opening on schedule, according to Executive Director Derek Selznick of the Kentucky Guild of Brewers.

"We haven't run into a problem yet, but unfortunately it looks like we might have some negative effects coming down the pike," Selznick said. "Being able to serve your beer as soon as possible is the lifeblood of a small brewery."

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Selznick said the necessary approvals were secured before the shutdown for some new products that are rolling out in the first few months of 2019, but new label authorizations are on hold since the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau is closed.

That means there will be a lot of requests in the pipeline from breweries throughout the country when the government finally resumes full operation.

The shutdown also could delay the opening of some breweries in Kentucky, depending on how long it lasts, since they have to be federally licensed first, Selznick said.

"The shutdown is going to definitely cause a huge backlog, and that's really where we start to get nervous," he said. “The backlog is going to be real — and something that we are hoping does not slow our industry down.”

National parks closed

The shutdown has drastically reduced access to two tourist attractions in Kentucky: Mammoth Cave National Park and Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park.

The park in Hodgenville that honors the celebrated president's birthplace is closed, according to the National Park Service's website. And Mammoth Cave has been affected by the shutdown, too.

All cave tours have been canceled, according to Helen Siewers, volunteer coordinator for the nonprofit Friends of Mammoth Cave National Park. The visitor center is closed, as is the Green River Ferry.

January is usually a slow month in terms of visitors, but Christmastime is typically a busy period for the park, Siewers said. A lot of people's holiday plans to check out Mammoth Cave were disrupted by the shutdown, which started December 22.

The park's trails are still open, Siewers said, but she doesn't recommend going for a hike out there, given the limited staff available to help if people run into any issues.

The Friends of Mammoth Cave group has been posting volunteers by the visitor center to greet people and explain which services are halted, she said. Some folks are checking out the areas that are still publicly accessible, but Siewers said she hasn't heard about problems with trash, which has been a challenge for other national parks.

"Citizens have just really stepped up to make sure it stays clean," she said.

Morgan Watkins: 502-582-4502; mwatkins@courierjournal.com; Twitter: @morganwatkins26. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: courier-journal.com/morganw.