YOUR-VOICE

A historic opportunity for infrastructure that supports Missouri farmers

Tyson Shoemaker
Opinion contributor
Horses graze on a farm.

As someone who works with farmers and ag lenders in Missouri, anytime infrastructure is in the news, I pay attention. I know that when ag products leave farms here in Missouri, they aren’t magically transported to markets across the U.S. and the globe. It takes infrastructure to get the beef, cotton, soybeans, corn and rice to markets. That means reliable bridges, safe highways, navigable waterways and modern ports.

The problem is, for too long our state’s infrastructure has been limping along. In fact, the American Society of Civil Engineers this year ranked Missouri’s infrastructure as a C -. That grade should be unacceptable to farmers, particularly when you consider that agricultural products are the single largest user of freight services in the U.S., making up 24% of freight services across all modes by tonnage.

Thankfully, help is on the way in the form of the bipartisan infrastructure bill currently being considered in Washington, D.C. The legislation as written would make historic, once-in-a-generation investments in the infrastructure farmers depend on.

For example, the bill includes $109 billion to rebuild roads and bridges which farmers use to ship product and transport heavy ag machinery. The bill would invest another $16 billion in our ports and waterways which any farmer in Missouri knows are vital to getting our crops to consumers. It would also invest $65 billion to bring high-speed internet to the most rural parts of our state, which not only will help close the digital divide but will also help farmers who are increasingly using cutting-edge technology in their farming operations.

The bill is fully paid for and won’t raise taxes on hard-working families across our state. Which is part of the reason it has gotten bipartisan support. In fact, there are currently 11 Republican Senators who have joined with Democrats in supporting the bill.

I encourage Senators Hawley and Blunt to support this bill. One big reason for our Senators to support this bill is that if we don’t modernize our infrastructure we will continue to trail behind farmers in countries that do.

Brazil recently took the mantle of the world’s leading soybean producer and exporter, in part thanks to the robust investment they have made in their infrastructure. China continues to lay down roads and bridges across their landscape and even across borders, all in service of making themselves more competitive with farmers across the globe. Make no mistake, these investments are aimed directly at challenging American agriculture’s historical role as a provider of food to the world.

The other major reason to support this bill is jobs. Infrastructure jobs are blue-collar jobs that pay well. And that matters. In 2018, just 13 percent of workers on infrastructure projects had a bachelor’s degree, compared to 37 percent of all workers. We need to create opportunities for rural, working class jobs and this bill does it.

Historically, U.S agriculture has enjoyed a competitive advantage because we invested in our infrastructure. During the 19th and 20th Century, the U.S. became the global leader by investing heavily in railroads, inland waterways and the interstate highway system. These investments played an important role in the economic growth of the nation. Agriculture has been a big beneficiary. In 2018, $3.1 trillion worth of agricultural products were moved across all transportation methods.

Let’s support farmers and restore our nation’s competitive advantage. I urge our Senators to join with the other Republicans who are working diligently to get the bill passed.

Tyson Shoemaker lives in Cape Girardeau and is a CPA with KCoe Isom, providing consulting services to Missouri Ag producers.