A sizable portion of America's largest farmers "are unable to take advantage of many applications and services" on the internet because they don't have a connection or it is of poor quality, said a Purdue University survey released recently. The gap in access exists at the same time the sector is embracing precision agriculture technology, such as GPS guidance of tractors and combines.
Twelve percent of farmers surveyed for the monthly Ag Economy Barometer said they had no internet access, and 16% reported a poor-quality connection. The survey is directed at the top tier of U.S. farmers and ranchers with production worth at least $500,000 a year.
The infrastructure bill signed by President Biden last fall included $65 billion to improve internet services for rural areas, low-income families and tribal communities. Most of the money would be distributed in grants to states. The White House says the USDA will issue a funding opportunity notice this year for nearly $2 billion through its ReConnect program for deployment of rural high-speed internet.
"Just three out of ten respondents said they had 'high quality' internet access followed by 41% who chose 'moderate quality,' according to Purdue economists James Mintert and Michael Langemeier, who oversee the ag barometer survey.
Half of the farmers in the biggest corn, soybean and wheat states and a quarter of farmers nationwide have embraced precision agriculture, said a USDA report on farm computer usage last summer. "This would include the use of global positioning (GPS) guidance systems, GPS yield monitoring and soil mapping, variable rate input applications, use of drones for scouting fields or monitoring livestock, electronic tagging, precision feeding, robotic milking, etc."
EDITOR’S TAKE:
Absolutely true and in line with other research conducted by organizations, such as the Ohio Soybean Council. It is hard to believe that an industry so attuned to the use of technology, would be so behind the curve with access to solid high-speed internet connections. But keep in mind that most internet providers focus on urban and suburban areas first due to the population density - despite the fact that agriculture has a huge demand for such connectivity.
It took the creation of rural electric cooperatives to bring power to many rural areas back in the day. So, hopefully the investment by federal agencies like USDA can provide the needed capital to make huge improvements in access and quality of service.
But wait, you have the ability to help farmers with little or no internet access through AgPack®! Yes, Viasat is one of our proud partners that specializes in providing high quality internet to remote areas in the U.S. and around the world. They even provide such service to our military operations in some of the most remote areas on the planet. Be sure to let farmers and ranchers in your area know about AgPack® and Viasat today!
