A sprawling road and highway system maintained by counties, cities and states, helps get ag products to market. Some states also have township-maintained roads.
From gravel roads at the edge of fields to major highways leading to grain terminals, the transportation system is crucial for agriculture.
Eric Schroeter works as deputy director and chief engineer for the Missouri Department of Transportation, and he says this highway system requires maintenance and planning to keep in good working order.
“We ship (agriculture products) around the world, we ship it around the nation,†he says. “…The roads and bridges are still the basic things that support this industry.â€
In addition, he says railroads and waterways are important pieces of infrastructure for agriculture.
Stuart Anderson, a division director for the Iowa Department of Transportation, says these roads and highways help support agriculture.
“That has been really important for Iowa historically in providing access to ag land and getting our product to market in an efficient manner,†he says.
Paul Wappel, public information officer with the Illinois Department of Transportation, says the department works with the agricultural and business sectors in the state to meet infrastructure needs.
“Over the past two decades, IDOT has worked closely with the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and the Illinois Department of Agriculture to identify key elements of the transportation system that can improve the state’s global competitiveness and support the location or retention of jobs in Illinois communities,†he says.
Schroeter says Missouri has a tiered system for road maintenance. Of the state’s 38,000 maintained highway miles, about 11,000 are considered low volume, meaning they usually see less than 400 vehicles a day.
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These are in rural areas, and despite the high amount of total miles, these roads only see about 2% of the state’s vehicle traffic.
“They’re everywhere in the state, but there’s a large concentration in north Missouri,†Schroeter says. “Those have been some of our roads that are toughest to keep condition on.â€
He says the state transportation department has made some changes to direct more funding to help these roads, which see less traffic but are critical for agriculture, especially during busy harvest times.
Also, Missouri’s phased-in fuel tax increase, passed in 2021, is gradually providing more road and bridge construction funding for the state.
Schroeter says revenue from the gas tax combines with recent federal infrastructure funding to provide a boost for state roads and bridges.
“The combination of revenues from the state and revenues from the federal infrastructure bill, we’re fast and furiously putting that to work,†he says.
Wappel says the weather, especially Midwestern winters, is an obstacle to keeping highways in good condition.
“One of the obvious challenges is the weather,†he says. “For example, with the climate we have here in the Midwest, there are multiple freeze-thaw cycles during the winter, which impacts many Illinois roads.â€
Wappel says the state has a Transportation Asset Management Plan to guide maintenance of highways and bridges, and ongoing projects like the Rebuild Illinois Capital Plan include highway improvements and bridge deck replacements.
Schroeter says meeting the needs of a changing ag industry is an ongoing effort.
“The nature of agriculture has changed over time,†he says. “The size and the number of trucks that are running from feeding operations and agricultural operations, the size of agriculture equipment has changed over time.â€
