There are a lot of factors in agriculture that farmers can’t control. So when a farmer has conquered countless unpredictable scenarios, it only becomes that much more frustrating and expensive when they travel to the local grain elevator and come to an un-passable bridge.
Bridges are typically inspected visually. And because safety is the highest priority when analyzing bridge structure, many err on the side of caution when setting weight limits. The soy checkoff helped fund a study conducted by the Soy Transportation Coalition to use a more precise test to set bridge restrictions.
In a pilot project by the STC and the Iowa Department of Transportation on three bridges in rural Iowa, each of the three had its load limit lifted.
Soy checkoff farmer-leader Woody Green from South Carolina explains why improving the U.S. infrastructure is so important to farmers.
“Our transportation is one of our single biggest factors of success in United States agriculture, and that’s something that we can’t afford to allow to deteriorate.”
For more information on the importance of transportation for U.S. soybean farmers, visit WWW.UNITEDSOYBEAN.ORG.