We are a farming family living in rural Montana. Our local Post Office will not deliver mail to our house, forcing us to drive 20 miles round-trip on a poorly maintained gravel road to send or receive mail. We are self-employed in agriculture, and need to be able to receive bills, send invoices, send checks, et cetera in a timely manner. The Post Office in surrounding counties delivers mail to rural families who live even further from town than we do, yet the USPS refuses to put us on a rural route. We are only asking for mail delivery three days a week, and there are at least 10-15 other households on our road that need to receive mail delivery as well. I petitioned the Post Office for a rural route, and they denied it. I even wrote to Senator Jon Tester to ask for his help, but they denied our request again after he contacted them. 

The rural route was established in Montana in 1902 to provide mail service to isolated rural families. I often hear talk of the aging population that currently works in agriculture and the shortage of young people willing or able to get started in it. If we want young families to come back to the farm and the rural areas of Montana, there are many areas that need to improve (rural development, road maintenance, small town revitalization, improvement of food deserts, and much more), but the most basic amenity that Americans should be able to expect is the service of the United States Postal Service. If you could possibly help us convince the USPS to add us to their rural mail route, I would greatly appreciate your assistance.