The Farm Services Agency is back in business; the office in Knoxville reopened for its regular hours on Thursday, after the Department of Agriculture announced these offices would be opened up to provide a wider array of services during the partial government shutdown.

The Marion County office is one of 97 in the state which have recalled their staffs and opened their doors; they will maintain their regular business hours from 8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. from now through February 8th.

If the shutdown continues beyond that date, they will move to part-time status; the offices would only be open from Tuesday through Thursday.

And while the shutdown is in effect, there are certain functions which each individual office can and cannot carry out; many of the ones they will be performing involve loans, funding and emergency assistance.

These workers are currently not receiving pay, but President Trump has already signed legislation guaranteeing they will receive their back pay once the shutdown is resolved.