Federal Plan Injects Massive Funding into Rural Infrastructure

Ag groups had mixed reaction to a plan introduced by the Biden Administration this week to revamp the nation’s infrastructure. Rural America will see an infusion of funding for roads, bridges, waterways and broadband access, all areas where there’s serious need and room for improvement. The overall $2 trillion package devotes about one percent of the next eight years’ GDP to improvements including $621 billion for “transportation infrastructure and resilience,” $17 billion for inland waterways including those on which grain traverses on its way to ports for entry into the export market. The plan also aims to deliver complete rural broadband coverage by combining the efforts of private companies, local governments, non-profits and cooperatives, where such collaboration is possible. See more on what the plan means for rural America.