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

Date Sent:

January 28, 2021

Sender:

Rebuild Rural Coalition

Recipent:

President Biden

Subject:

Rural infrastructure