One mile of rural roadway is equivalent to about 8 acres of

cropland and, according to a study by the Iowa-based Soy

Transportation Coalition (www.soytransportation.org), thousands

of miles of under-used rural roads should be converted

to farmland - turning a costly liability into a productive asset.

The idea was prompted by the growing crisis in rural funding

to maintain roads and bridges. Farm associations and

commodity groups have been pressuring state legislators to

increase funding for rural infrastructure. The study pointed

out that there “simply is not enough funding to accommodate

all the needs in rural areas”. Taking under-used roads “off the

books” might go a long way to solving the problem.

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