SIOUX CENTER, Iowa (KTIV) – Since Dec. 21, the federal government has been under a partial shutdown.

But there is some good news Tuesday night for farmers impacted: nearly 10-thousand Farm Service Agency workers are set to return to work in the next few days.

The Farm Service Agency is a division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that provides financial assistance to farmers.

Farmers rely on the FSA to gain resources for the upcoming planting season such as buying seed, fertilizer, and chemicals needed for planting.

The agency also helps farmers with financing and purchases of new land.

Steve Rehder, a soybean farmer, says ethanol producers are also being affected.

“I know it affects soybean prices a lot, corn is affected, ethanol is a big deal, and we feed a by-product to the ethanol plant,” said Rehder, “you know having USDA or the EPA not in business affects the amount of ethanol being used right now and we need more to be used.”

Secretary Perdue announced that the deadline to apply for the Market Facilitation Program, which helps farmers harmed by retaliatory tariffs, has been extended to February 14.

The original deadline had been January 15.