Sponsors (7)
The bill directs a guaranteed portion of highway program funds to improve farm-to-market roads—helping farmers and rural communities with predictable support and transport cost savings—while reallocating resources away from other transportation projects and risking geographic inequities and added administrative work.
Rural communities and farmers in high-production agricultural counties receive dedicated, annual funding (10% set-aside) for farm-to-market road projects, improving local infrastructure.
Farmers and agricultural shippers will likely experience reduced transport delays and lower vehicle operating costs because targeted improvements will improve road conditions on routes used for crops and livestock.
State and local governments get more predictable, recurring eligibility for the program because county eligibility thresholds are tied to CPI adjustments and the covered-county list is updated annually.
State and local transportation projects outside the covered farm-to-market counties may receive less funding because 10% of program funds are redirected to the set-aside, potentially delaying or deferring other highway and bridge work.
Rural counties that narrowly miss the high-production thresholds get no share of the set-aside, creating geographic inequities where similarly needy communities are excluded.
Federal and state agencies will face additional administrative and coordination burdens (DOT and USDA) to compile and update the covered-county list, which could increase costs or delay grant allocations.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Introduced May 21, 2025 by David G. Valadao · Last progress May 21, 2025
Creates definitions for "covered county" and "farm-to-market road," requires the Secretary of Transportation to reserve 10% of the relevant highway program funds each fiscal year for grants for projects on farm-to-market roads, and requires an annual list of qualifying counties developed in consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture. County eligibility is defined by thresholds for total annual agricultural production and agricultural production per square mile, adjusted each year by the Consumer Price Index.