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Farm Credit member seeks rural investments in next farm bill

A farm credit institution wants the next farm bill to invest in rural infrastructure. 

Compeer Financial vice president of legislative affairs Perry Aasness says the next farm bill can address a lot of needs in rural America.

“Rural communities have needs for hospitals, senior living, childcare, a library, fire stations, things like that. All that is important to agriculture because farmers rely on those sorts of facilities as well.”

Speaking to Brownfield at the MN Ag Expo in Mankato, Minnesota Thursday, he said the Investing in Rural America Act would address those needs and should be included in the next farm bill.

“Which would allow farm credit, allow Compeer, to help bring capital back to rural America to help finance those facilities.”

And Aasness says there’s no fiscal cost for the legislation.

“We’re just asking Congress for permission for the Farm Credit system to help finance these facilities. So I think that helps us in the end because we know dollars are tight.”