Farmers hog-tied by bad broadband
United Soybean Board study finds ‘slow, unreliable internet is the norm’
A farm boy consults a computer. A new study on rural broadband finds “slow, unreliable internet is the norm.” (Shutterstock)
By Ted Cox
Agricultural advances are being slowed by bad broadband down on the farm, according to a new study released by the United Soybean Board.
“Slow, unreliable internet is the norm,” states “Rural Broadband and the American Farmer,” which surveyed more than 2,000 farmers across the nation with the cooperation of the American Farm Bureau Federation, American Soybean Association, Illinois Soybean Association, and the North Carolina Soybean Producers Association. The study’s subtitle warns: “Connectivity Challenges Limit Agriculture’s Economic Impact and Sustainability.”
The study finds that three-fifths of U.S. farmers and ranchers, 60 percent, “do not believe they have adequate internet connectivity to run their businesses.” Almost two-thirds, 65 percent, believe they don’t get adequate value for their internet service at home, and that rises to more than three-quarters, 77 percent, in the field. What’s more, 78 percent have no alternative to their internet service provider.
The study finds that 59 percent of farmers plan to incorporate more data into their operations, and an additional 28 percent are considering it, meaning that an overwhelming majority of 87 percent of farmers and ranchers are moving toward the need for better, faster internet connections.
Just last week, Maple Park farmer Steve Pitstick told a Chicago Ideas Week presentation on so-called AgTech by the Illinois Soybean Association that farm machinery now routinely runs on computer pads, and farms are increasingly dependent on internet technology. He made the presentation from his own fields during the soybean harvest via FaceTime.
Gov. Pritzker committed his administration to improving broadband across the state in his inaugural address, saying, “We will work to deliver high-speed broadband internet coverage to everyone, in every corner of Illinois. Today every new job and every student is dependent upon connectivity, and no part of our state should be left out.”
He followed through on that in June by allocating $420 million of the $45 billion Rebuild Illinois capital plan to upgrade broadband infrastructure. Later in August, John Sullivan, director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture, called it “the fulfillment of one of my first meetings with Gov. Pritzker regarding rural development," adding, “These capital dollars will make enormous improvements in internet service to rural areas of the state — helping farmers, small-business owners, and individual homeowners."
Farmer complaints about internet service ran the gamut, with 21 percent bemoaning slow service, 20 percent the high costs, 16 percent the unreliability, and 15 percent the lack of access.
According to the study, poor internet service acts as a drag on farm productivity, which contributes nearly $133 billion to the U.S. gross domestic product. “Farms that contribute nearly $80 billion to GDP run on limited internet connections,” it stated.