WSU Economist Looks At Importance Of Infrastructure To Ag Economy

For the agriculture community, trade is not just about tariffs, taxes and trade wars.  At the heart of trade, is ensuring the U.S. infrastructure is in good enough shape for farmers to get their commodities to market.  According to the American Society of Structural Engineers, the U.S. transportation infrastructure receives a grade of D+.

Washington State University economist Eric Jessup recently led a team that looked at the current situation, and needed improvements for the Ag community.  Jessup noted that not all projects are new,  and some are about improving the existing facilities for 21^st century trade.

“Say, projects that are related to port infrastructure at the export terminals, some of the projects that are related with the rail infrastructure are new capacity expansion projects.  So, it’s not just maintaining what we have it’s kind of improving the capacity of it, but expanding it and improving the efficacy of it, how it operates.”

Jessup noted that transportation infrastructure has been deteriorating for 20 years, so this is not a political issue.

“Mostly what it is, a public disconnect between the value that that transportation and the function of our transportation system serves.  It’s not just for maybe commuting to work, or maybe just for taking a vacation.  It serves a critical need for our economy, and especially for our agricultural economy to access markets.”

Jessup said transportation is like any project around your home, if you don’t maintain, over time it will fail and become a larger problem to address.  Jessup will share his research finding during a workshop this Friday in Atlanta Georgia.

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