Report on Geographically Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers (Prepared for Submission to Congress)

Excerpt from the report Executive Summary: This report examines the transportation disadvantages experienced by farmers and ranchers in noncontiguous U.S. States and Territories as they relate to the movement of farm products, based on information derived from interviews and listening sessions with transportation providers and producers and using data collected from public and private sources. As defined in Section 10906 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (the 2002 Farm Bill), these States and Territories include Alaska, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, Hawaii, and the Virgin Islands of the United States. The report makes recommendations and suggests actions in the transportation arena that can improve the competitiveness of these farmers and ranchers in the domestic and international marketplace, utilizing private enterprise, as well as State and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs and initiatives