MADISON – Gov. Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation announced today grant recipients for the first $50 million of the Agricultural Road Improvement Program (ARIP). These projects will rebuild local roads that carry over 10.8 billion pounds of agricultural goods each year from farming and forestry operations that have a $1.6 billion annual impact on Wisconsin’s economy.
“A farmer’s biggest hurdle to getting products to market is often the road at the end of their driveway,” said Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation President Brad Olson. “Weight restrictions on roads force farmers to take longer routes or run half-loaded trucks, adding time and costs they can’t afford. These grants are a great start to remedying this long-standing problem.”
Wisconsin Department of Transportation received applications for more than $260 million in projects for the first round, five times the amount of available funding. The awards will go to projects throughout the state to improve the efficiency of transporting agricultural goods, saving money for farmers and consumers.
“The bumper crop of applications for the first round of grants shouldn’t surprise anyone,” said Olson. “There is a tremendous need for this funding; I encourage farmers and local governments who didn’t receive funding in this round to apply for the $100 million available in the next round this fall and to talk to their legislators about the need to continue this program.”
Upgrading these roads will benefit farms and agricultural industries of all sizes and types.
A listing of the awards can be found here.
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