Madison, WI – The Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association (WCMA) today applauded the award of $69.5 million through the Agricultural Roads Improvement Program (ARIP), supporting 39 projects across 32 Wisconsin counties and strengthening rural roads, bridges, and culverts critical to the state’s agricultural economy.
For Wisconsin’s dairy industry, these investments are about more than roads. Safe, reliable infrastructure is essential to moving milk from farms to processing facilities, transporting ingredients and supplies, delivering finished dairy products to customers, and keeping rural communities connected to the businesses that support them.
“Wisconsin’s dairy industry depends on a transportation network that works every day, in every season,” said WCMA Senior Director of Programs & Policy Rebekah Sweeney. “These investments help ensure farmers and processors can move milk, products, people, and supplies safely and efficiently. ARIP is delivering tangible benefits to the dairy industry and the rural communities that depend on it.”
The latest round brings ARIP’s total impact to 161 projects across 60 Wisconsin counties. Together, roads receiving ARIP support carry more than 30 million tons of agricultural products valued at $14.8 billion each year.
The program is particularly important to dairy, where reliable transportation is a necessity rather than a convenience. Milk must move from farms to processing facilities on a consistent schedule, while dairy manufacturers rely on dependable routes to receive supplies and ingredients and ship products to markets throughout Wisconsin and beyond.
“Every mile of improved rural infrastructure strengthens Wisconsin’s agricultural supply chain,” Sweeney said. “For dairy farmers and processors, that means greater reliability, safer transportation, and stronger connections to markets. We appreciate Wisconsin Governor Evers, WisDOT leaders and staff, and the bipartisan legislative leaders who have recognized that investing in agricultural infrastructure is an investment in Wisconsin’s economy – and are working to make these projects possible.”
WCMA strongly advocated for continued ARIP funding during development of the 2025–27 State Budget. That budget provided another $150 million for the program, building on the $150 million investment secured when ARIP was created in 2023.
The continued demand for the program demonstrates the scale of Wisconsin’s infrastructure needs. With more than 100 applications submitted during the latest funding cycle, local governments and agricultural businesses continue to identify rural roads, bridges, and culverts in need of improvements.
“Wisconsin has built a program that is clearly meeting a significant need,” Sweeney added. “WCMA will continue working with policymakers on both sides of the aisle to sustain and strengthen ARIP so Wisconsin can keep its agricultural supply chain moving and remain a national leader in dairy.”
WCMA thanks Gov. Tony Evers, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, and legislative leaders for their continued support of ARIP and Wisconsin’s agricultural infrastructure.
Dairy processors can visit WisCheeseMakers.org/Grants for more information on ARIP and other funding opportunities.
