Ag Groups Ask for Infrastructure Help

Over 200 groups with a stake in agriculture and rural areas sent a letter to President Donald Trump asking for rural needs to be part of any plan to improve the nation’s infrastructure. Politico says a few of the groups that signed the letter included Farm Credit Council, American Farm Bureau Federation, and the American Soybean Association, among many others. The letter stated: “Past infrastructure initiatives often focused on urban and suburban infrastructure while not adequately addressing the unique needs of rural communities.” The groups add that American agriculture truly feeds the world and creates jobs. To ensure that America remains a leader in world agricultural production, they say infrastructure needs have to be addressed, noting that the nation’s deteriorating infrastructure threatens that leadership role in feeding the world. The groups caution that the federal government can’t do it alone, saying it should partner with local governments and find private funding sources, a move supported by Trump advisers. Alabama Republican Robert Aderholt is Chair of the House Appropriations Committee, who’s promised to make investing in rural infrastructure a high priority in fiscal 2018 allocations for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.