Letter
Dear President Biden,
On behalf of our respective organizations, which collectively represent U.S. agricultural producers, rural businesses, rural communities and rural families, we ask for your support for rebuilding infrastructure in rural America.
Your plan to Build Back Better in Rural America rightly notes the crumbling state of our country’s infrastructure. We have witnessed this deterioration first-hand – how it jeopardizes jobs, our agricultural competitiveness and the health of rural families. As you are aware, past infrastructure initiatives often focused on urban and suburban infrastructure, while not adequately addressing the unique needs of rural communities. We ask that you address this as part of your administration’s comprehensive infrastructure renewal efforts.
American agriculture truly feeds the world and creates millions of jobs for U.S. workers. Our nation’s ability to produce food and fiber and transport it efficiently across the globe is a critical factor in U.S. competitiveness internationally. Infrastructure that supports rural communities and links them to global markets has helped make the U.S. the unquestioned leader in agricultural production. Our deteriorating infrastructure threatens that leadership position.
Transportation infrastructure improvement is the most obvious need in rural communities, but not the only one. In particular, we appreciate your plan specifically includes roads and bridges, locks and dams, railroads, electrical and water systems, agricultural research at land grant universities, broadband, healthcare and housing. These areas all require major investment for America to continue efficiently moving our agricultural products to market.
For example, one-quarter of our road system’s bridges require significant repair or cannot efficiently handle today’s traffic, and many of the 240 locks and dams along the inland waterways need modernization. Critical needs also exist in providing clean water and quality, affordable housing for rural families, expanding broadband to connect rural communities to the outside world, and enhancing the ability to supply reliable and secure power.
The scope of the investment needed is staggering. Clearly, the federal government must continue to play an important role in providing funding and those federal investments should increase. However, as your plan also suggests, federal resources alone cannot fill the void. Creative solutions that pair federal investment with state/local government investment and private sources of capital hold promise for raising a portion of the funds necessary to do the job for some of these infrastructure priorities. Further, we urge you to ensure rural people have a voice in the infrastructure priorities and have an opportunity to own, control and benefit from the new investments through cooperatives or other mechanisms that promote local forms of ownership.
As you begin addressing the nation’s infrastructure needs, we hope you will provide leadership to ensure that rural America’s needs are addressed. We stand ready to work with you and your administration to begin this important undertaking.
Respectfully,
AgLaunch
Agribusiness Association of Iowa
Agribusiness Council of Indiana
Agricultural and Food Transporters Conference
Agricultural Retailers Association
Agriculture Transportation Coalition
AgriSafe
Alabama Farmers Federation
Alliance for I-69 Texas
American Academy of Family Physicians
American Agri-Women
American Association of Crop Insurers
American Bar Association
American Cotton Shippers Association
American Dairy Coalition
American Farm Bureau Federation
American Farmland Trust
American Feed Industry
Association American Horse Council
American Seed Trade Association
American Sheep Industry Association
American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association
American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers
American Soybean Association
American Sugar Alliance
Arizona Farm Bureau Federation
Arkansas Soybean Association
Association of Equipment Manufacturers
Board on Agriculture Assembly of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities
Bongards Premium Cheese
California Association of Winegrape Growers
California Farm Bureau Federation
Colorado Farm Bureau
Corn Refiners Association
Council for Affordable & Rural Housing
Council of State Community Development Agencies
Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau
Crop Insurance Professionals Association
Empire State Potato Growers, Inc.
Empire State Water Well Drillers’ Association
Enterprise Community Partners
Equipment Dealers Association
Farm Credit Council Farmer Mac
Farmworker Association of Florida, Inc.
Federation of Southern Cooperatives Rural Training and Research Center
First District Association
Florida Agri-Women
Florida Farm Bureau
Georgia Farm Bureau
Grain and Feed Association of Illinois
Great Plains Canola Association
Housing Assistance Council
I-14 / Gulf Coast Strategic Highway Coalition
Idaho Farm Bureau Federation
Idaho Grain Producers Association
Illinois Corn Growers Association
Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical Association
Illinois Soybean Association
Indiana Corn Growers Association
Indiana Soybean Alliance
Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative
Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
Intertribal Agriculture Council
Iowa Corn Growers Association
Iowa Farm Bureau Federation
Iowa Institute for Cooperatives
Iowa Soybean Association
Iowa-Nebraska Equipment Dealers Association
Kansas Association of Wheat Growers
Kansas Cooperative Council
Kansas Corn
Kansas Farm Bureau
Kansas Grain and Feed Association
Kansas Soybean Association
Kentucky Corn Growers Association
Kentucky Soybean Association
Land O’ Lakes, Inc
Louisiana Association of Cooperatives
Louisiana Ground Water Association
Maryland Grain Producers Association
Michigan Agri-Business Association
Michigan Bean Shippers
Michigan Farm Bureau
Michigan Soybean Association
Minnesota AgriGrowth Council
Minnesota Corn Growers Association
Minnesota Farmers Union
Minnesota Grain and Feed Association
Minnesota Milk Producers Association
Minnesota Pork Producers Association
Mississippi Association of Cooperatives
Mississippi Soybean Association
Missouri Corn Growers Association
Missouri Farm Bureau
Missouri Soybean Association
Montana Grain Growers Association
National Association of Community Health Centers
National Association of Counties
National Association of Development Organizations
National Association of Resource Conservation and Development Councils
National Association of State Departments of Agriculture
National Association of Towns and Townships
National Association of Wheat Growers
National Barley Growers Association
National Black Growers Council
National Cattlemen’s Beef Association
National Cooperative Business Association
National Corn Growers Association
National Cotton Council
National Council of Farmer Cooperatives
National Family Farm Coalition
National Farmers Union
National Grain and Feed Association
National Grange
National Ground Water Association
National Latino Farmers & Ranchers Trade Association
National Milk Producers Federation
National Oilseed Processors Association
National Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association
National Pork Producers Council
National Potato Council
National Rural Economic Developers Association
National Rural Electric Cooperative Association
National Rural Health Association
National Rural Housing Coalition
National Rural Lenders Association
National Rural Water Association
National Sorghum Producers
National Sunflower Association
Native American Agriculture Fund
Nebraska Corn Growers Association
Nebraska Grain and Feed Association
Nebraska Soybean Association
New Hampshire Farm Bureau Federation
New York Corn and Soybean Association
New York Farm Bureau
New York State Agribusiness Associations
New York State Vegetable Growers Association
North American Millers’ Association
North American Renderers Association
North Carolina Ground Water Association
North Carolina Small Grain Growers Association
North Dakota Corn Growers Association
North Dakota Grain Dealers Association
North Dakota Grain Growers Association
North Dakota Soybean Growers Association
Northeast Agribusiness and Feed Alliance
Northeast Cooperative Council
NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association
Office of Rural and Farmworker Housing
Ohio Agribusiness Association
Ohio Corn and Wheat Growers
Ohio Dairy Producers Association
Ohio Farm Bureau Federation
Ohio Pork Council
Ohio Soybean Association
Oklahoma Agribusiness Retailers Association
Oklahoma Agricultural Cooperative Council
Oklahoma Soybean Association
Oklahoma Wheat Growers Association
Oregon Farm Bureau Federation
Oregon Wheat Growers League
Panhandle Peanut Growers Association
Pennsylvania Farm Bureau
Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors
Ports-to-Plains Alliance
Rocky Mountain Agribusiness Association
Rural and Agriculture Council of America
Rural Coalition/Coalición Rural
Rural Community Assistance Partnership (RCAP)
Rural Community College Alliance
Rural Development Leadership Network
SE Minnesota Grain and Feed Dealers
Select Milk Producers, Inc.
South Carolina Fertilizer and AgriChemical Association
South Carolina Peach Council
South Dakota Association of Cooperatives
South Dakota Corn Growers Association
South Dakota Soybean Association
Southern Peanut Farmers Federation
Southwest Council of Agribusiness
Soy Transportation Coalition
Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance
State Agriculture and Rural Leaders
Tennessee Soybean Association
Texas Ag Industries Association
Texas Grain and Feed Association
Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association
U.S. Canola Association
U.S. Dry Bean Council
U.S. Forage Export Council
U.S. Peanut Federation
U.S. Poultry and Egg Association
United Egg Producers
United Fresh Produce Association
USA Dry Pea and Lentil Council USA Rice
Virginia Agribusiness Council
Virginia Cattlemen’s Association
Virginia Cooperative Council
Virginia Farm Bureau
Virginia FFA Association
Virginia Horse Council
Virginia Poultry Federation
Virginia State Dairymen’s Association
Virginia Telecommunications Industry Association
Virginia Water Well Association
Washington Association of Wheat Growers
Washington State Potato Commission
Water Systems Council
Water Well Trust
Waterways Council, Inc.
West Virginia Farm Bureau
West Virginia FFA and Agricultural Education
West Virginia Poultry Association
Western Peanut Growers Association
Wisconsin Agri-business Association
Wisconsin Corn Growers Association
Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation
Wisconsin Soybean Association
Women Involved in Farm Economics
WTA – Advocates for Rural Broadband
Wyoming Wheat Growers Association