Submitted Photo Local leaders from small farming towns often report a dilemma. They want to rebuild local roads to attract businesses and residents but lack the tax base to help fund improvements. Photo from Adobe Stock.

It is not just the weather or commodity prices farmers have to worry about. Many rural communities struggle to keep their roads and bridges in good shape, making farming life even harder. and now, North Dakota is trying to correct the issue.

This year, state lawmakers have expanded eligibility for agriculture infrastructure grants awarded to towns with populations under 1,500.

Rob Schmidt, chairman of the Olivier County Commission and a rancher in Hensler, said it is welcome news because some local roads have self-imposed speed limits of 25 mph because of the shape they are in, citing the effects from heavy truck traffic linked to a nearby refinery and an ethanol plant.

“Basically, there’s no local money to fix that wear,” Schmidt said. “Any money that would come from the state would certainly be appreciated to help remedy that.”

Schmidt, also a member of the North Dakota Farmers Union, is hopeful some jurisdictions in his part of the state are able to take advantage of the changes. Oliver County’s total population is around 2,000, with the biggest town home to 500 people. The grant program was established in 2023.

Schmidt noted rebuilding roads and bridges could join other quality-of-life benchmarks his county is trying to highlight in the long-standing push to attract residents.

“We’ve got a very nice school here and we’ve got all the infrastructure in place in town to be thriving a lot more than we are,” Schmidt said.

He acknowledged even when a smaller town makes infrastructure improvements and attracts more industry, it does not always result in bigger population numbers. He said they have had issues in the past when people might take a new job in the area but still commute from elsewhere.