Southwest Kansas to get $26 million for road projects

Traveling down country roads (Photo: Alissa Weece)

U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kansas, said $26.7 million in federal funding for two rural, southwest Kansas road projects will support the continued growth of Kansas’ dairy industry.

“Western Kansas is home to one of the nation’s fastest-growing dairy herds, and I am pleased to announce funding to help improve local infrastructure in both counties,” Marshall said. “These two projects will help ensure that suppliers, workers and community members have safe, durable and efficient access to both facilities.”

The federal funding, which was awarded by the U.S. Department of Transportation, will be used to pave 6.3 miles of dirt road in Hamilton County to support the growth of an existing dairy facility and 8.5 miles of dirt road in Edwards County to provide access to the new Blue Sky Farms Dairy.

  • The Kansas dairy industry produced more than $1 billion in milk in 2023.
  • The estimated impact of the state’s dairy industry is $1.4 billion annually.
  • There are nearly 200 licensed dairy herds in the state of Kansas, with more than half of all milk produced in Kansas processed by facilities within the state.