INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — When the topic of “infrastructure” comes up for agriculture, thoughts probably turn to roads andbridges and the deteriorating condition of so many through the country, particularly in rural areas; Indiana is no exception.

 

In fact, the 10-cent gasoline tax and increased fees for some vehicle registrations that took effect July 1 are the direct result of the Indiana legislature looking for ways to raise funds to improve the state’s byways. This is projected to raise an additional $6.7 billion by 2024, with about 30 percent going to local roads and bridges.

Improvement of the state’s infrastructure for farmers is also one of the seven “action plans” within the 10-year Indiana Agriculture Strategic Plan unveiled late last month. This includes transportation on roads, bridges, rail, air and waterways, since without access Indiana can’t maintain its nearly $5 billion in annual agricultural exports that rank it seventh in the nation (according to USDA data).

In a discussion of infrastructure needs at a June 26 panel on the Plan, Smithville Communications CEO and Board Chair Darby McCarty voiced the question: “Where’s communications in all of this?” The 95-year-old Ellettsville, Ind., company is an advocate for and seller of rural broadband, or high-speed internet service. “We live by data – every business does, and your business is no different,” she told farmers at the meeting.

The Plan takes this into account. It has three strategic initiatives just for state infrastructure expansion and improvement that cover 12 “action plans,” which are narrower tasks broken down for work within the next few years. These initiatives are to:

•Increase broadband connectivity and cell phone service in rural and underserved areas, broadly and statewide

•Maintain and improve conditions of rural bridges and roads to allow for increased transportation efficiency

•Improve access to global markets with a reliable rail system and port capacity due to increased production volume That increased volume is particularly noticeable in more crops that need moved. Ed Ebert, senior director of grain production and utilization for Indiana Soy and Corn, observed the amount of corn Indiana farmers produce shot up 150 percent from 2002 to 2016, and soybeans increased 134 percent. And, production efficiency is going to keep rising, just as global demand will. “It’s not as if we’ve got a steady-state system, here,” he said.

In April, Gov. Eric Holcomb signed into law House Bill 1626 authored by state Rep. Sharon Negele (R-District 13), which orders a six-month study of universal service funding for broadband. Negele spoke at a June 27 Indiana Farm Bureau (IFB) policy forum about her process of learning more about telecommunications and the universal service fee already charged to customers and how that money may help expand service in Indiana.

Once considered a luxury, she thinks broadband is now a necessity, including for rural Americans. Expanding access  is “not going to be one simple solution;it’s going to be a series of solutions,” she said, adding it’s also not a politically partisan issue and she’ll work with anyone who has a good idea.

Smithville Executive Vice President Cullen McCarty told the IFB there are problems at the national level with installing new broadband service. There are policy roadblocks, such as those members of Congress who believe putting fiber optic lines in rural areas is a waste of public funds. Other issues are physical or legal, such as getting permission to install lines across rail tracks. IFB President Randy Kron pointed out, “If we want farmers to be advanced and on the cutting edge, we’ve got to have broadband.”

Mike Hucker of Consolidated Grain & Barge noted that infrastructure gains for farmers are usually also beneficial to other businesses. “What’s good for agriculture is also good for other industries,” he said. Read more about infrastructure goals online at http://in.gov/isda/3547.htm