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By P.J. Huffstutter and Tom Polansek
HENRY COUNTY, Illinois / CHICAGO, Aug. 21 (Reuters) – The US Department of Agriculture announced Wednesday that it was withdrawing all employees from an annual harvesting tour after an employee has been threatened. Three sources said the threat was carried on the phone by an angry farmer.
Frustrated farmers have complained this month that a government report on crops does not reflect the damage caused by the historic spring floods. This has exacerbated the stress caused by unsold crops due to the trade war with China, declining farm incomes and tighter credit conditions.
Lance Honig, crop manager at the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service, and other USDA staffers have canceled their appearance for Wednesday's meeting, and police will be present at upcoming stops on Pro Farmer's private tour that will end on Thursday, said three sources informed of the situation. .
"An employee of the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service has received a threat during the ProFarmer Crop Tour tour from someone not involved in the tour," said Hubert Hamer, service administrator. statistics. "As a precaution, we immediately removed all our staff from the event," he said in a statement.
The USDA said the federal protection services had been contacted and were investigating the incident and had refused to give details of the threat.
The organizers of the tour said the threat was taken "very seriously" in a statement.
"We have taken all possible measures to ensure the safety of everyone involved in the tour," said Andy Weber, CEO of Farm Journal. Farm Journal is the parent company of the Pro Farmer Travel Organizer.
"It's clearly a stressful time right now."
Honig could not be reached. Mark Warburton, police chief of Spencer, Iowa, declined to say whether the police would attend a scheduled meeting at Spencer on Wednesday night.
Honig was scheduled to attend a meeting later on Wednesday and speak at the last event of the tour in Rochester, Minnesota on Thursday to answer questions about the government's harvest forecast, according to tour organizers.
Farmers at stops throughout the east and west reaches of the normally quiet agricultural season expressed frustration with the USDA – but less with President Donald Trump, than they continue in. much to support. (Additional report by Karen Braun in Nebraska and Humeyra Pamuk in Washington, written by Caroline Stauffer, edited by David Gregorio)
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