Rural and Farm Infrastructure: Empowering Rural America

For many dairy farms, 35-40% of operating costs come from power consumption. This highlights the urgent need to modernize rural power infrastructure to support farmers and enable rural communities to thrive. To address these challenges, I propose a two-step approach focused on upgrading outdated infrastructure and strengthening the broader power distribution network.

Modernizing Farm Power Infrastructure:

We must establish a grant and loan program to help farmers improve outdated power systems. This program would provide funding for critical upgrades to ensure that farms can support modern equipment.

For example, many large-scale milking machines require 480V power to operate efficiently. However, some older farms are still working with 208V systems that are incompatible with newer equipment. In these cases, farmers are often forced to invest in costly step-up transformers or switch to gas-powered generators—solutions that are expensive and inefficient. Federal support for infrastructure upgrades can help eliminate these barriers, reducing costs for farmers and boosting productivity.

Strengthening the Power Distribution Network:

We must implement updates to the 1930 Rural Electrification Act to improve rural America's power distribution network. The average rural power line carries between 7,200V to 14,000V, which often falls short of meeting the demands of modern farms and small manufacturers. By increasing the capacity and resilience of rural power lines, we can:

Support farmers in adopting energy-intensive, modernized equipment.

Empower rural entrepreneurs to start manufacturing facilities or launch other economically stimulating businesses.

Ensure energy security in rural areas, reducing outages and increasing reliability during peak usage.

Investing in rural power infrastructure is not only essential for the agricultural industry—it’s a key driver of economic development. By upgrading the power grid and providing resources for farm modernization, we create a stronger foundation for small businesses, farmers, and rural communities to grow and thrive.

A resilient, modern infrastructure ensures that rural America can meet the demands of today’s economy while remaining competitive and sustainable in the future.