I recently attended the groundbreaking for a project to reconstruct Ladwig Road in the Town of Sylvester and County Road FF in Green County. These roads are being improved using nearly $4 million in funding from the Agricultural Roads Improvement Program (ARIP), a program Rep. Travis Tranel (R-Cuba City) and I authored to help upgrade local roads that Wisconsin farmers rely on every day. Once completed, these roads will provide a more reliable route to transport goods and products from our farmers and agricultural industry to market, and are a perfect example of the good that this program can do for our state.

When Rep. Tranel and I introduced this program a few years ago, we had a goal to upgrade local, rural roads that connect agricultural producers to county and state highways. These first-mile roads are extremely important to our local economies and Wisconsin’s crucial agriculture industry, but are often overlooked by the existing transportation assistance programs because they carry relatively little traffic. These roads are the most rural in the state. They are maintained by small townships and counties with limited budgets, making major upgrades difficult without state assistance.

After several rounds of funding it is clear this program is a massive success. I have heard overwhelmingly positive feedback from local officials, members of the agricultural community, and fellow legislators. This program has funded dozens of road repairs across the state, allowing farmers to haul full loads to market, reducing costly detours, improving safety, and helping communities complete infrastructure projects that had been deferred for years.

Here in the 17th Senate District, nine projects have received ARIP funding, with up to 90 percent of the cost being covered by the state. Grant, Green, and Lafayette counties have each received multiple awards. Helping create ARIP has been one of the most rewarding projects of my time in the State Senate. We identified a problem, worked with farmers and local governments to develop a solution, convinced legislators on both sides of the aisle to support it, and delivered results that can be seen in our community.

Agriculture is the backbone of southwestern Wisconsin’s economy and I will always work to support our farmers, producers, processors, and those in the supply chain. I look forward to seeing even more ARIP-funded roads completed across the 17th Senate District in the years ahead.