Agriculture

The "Agriculture" section features stories and updates about broadband's impact bringing important information, farm-to-business e-commerce and access to technological tools directly to agricultural and rural communities across America.

Livestock Lost? There's an App for That: CHARLOTTE FERRELL SMITH, CHARLESTON DAILY MAIL, Mar 20, 2015; The Herdsman mobile application allows farmers to track livestock from remote locations and receive alerts if the animals go outside a set boundary.
Farmers of the Future Will Utilize Drones, Robots and GPS: ALEX THOMASSON, TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY, Mar 18, 2015; Self-driving machinery and flying robots able to automatically survey and treat crops will become commonplace on farms that practice what’s come to be called precision agriculture.
5 Ways Unmanned Drones Could Affect the American Food Supply: Mary Clark Jalonick, Yahoo News, Jan 26, 2015; From herding cattle to applying pesticides, unmanned drones are revolutionizing American farming
Broadband coverage strong across rural Illinois: Nat Williams, AgriNews, Dec 16, 2014; Strong broadband coverage across Illinois means more productive farmers
Farmers, Ag Tech Providers Strike Big Data Agreement: Bob Gore, Government Technology, Dec 10, 2014; A meticulously negotiated agreement outlines areas of concern that will guide cooperation and evolution over the next four to five years.
High-Tech Farming Poised to Change the Way the World Eats: Heather Somerville, San Jose Mercury News, Nov 26, 2014; Silicon Valley is pushing its way into every stage of the food-growing process, from tech tycoons buying up farmland to startups selling robots that work the fields.
Apps are Available for Everything in Agriculture: Amy Bickel, The Hutchinson News, Nov 24, 2014; In a world of information technology, apps make it possible to remain in the field when muddled by a unfamiliar disease or insect infestation.
John Deere Makes an Economic Case for Rural Broadband Expansion: Agripulse, Oct 9, 2014; Farmers are getting more tech-savvy and using precision agriculture to increase yeilds.
How McDonald's and Corporate America are Bringing Internet Access to Rural America: Joshua Bleiberg, Brookings, Aug 21, 2014; How McDonald's is bringing Internet to Rural America
Study: Broadband Boosts Rural Jobs, Income: Steven Johnson, ECT Staff Writer, Aug 18, 2014; Study finds benefits of broadband in rural communities, increased jobs and income.
Rural Economies Found to Benefit from Broadband: National Agriculture & Rural Development Policy Center, Aug 5, 2014; Study shows rural communities benefit from broadband, increased income and jobs.
Big Data Fueling Iowa Farmers' Productivity: Orlan Love, McClatchy News Service, Jul 15, 2014; Drones flying over farm fields recording high resolution images & field sensors providing real-time information on crops are among the tech tools likely to be commonplace in an era of big ag data.
Ag Leader Technology Meets Dirt in Illinois: Leah Guffey, AgWired, Jun 26, 2014; Blog post from Leah Guffey at AgWired- The Technology Meets Dirt Road Tour is showing off the latest precision technology by visiting Illinois farms this summer.
Agricultural Tech Links iPads, Tractors: Lindsay, Illinois Technology Partnership NewsBlog, Apr 29, 2014; Illinois tech firm brings technology to farming-- collecting and reporting data ranging from field productivity to a tractor’s levels of fuel, oil and coolant.
Macomb Food Co-op Launches Online Marketplace: Rich Egger, Tri States Public Radio, Aug 8, 2013; The Macomb Food Co-op plans to soon offer locally produced meats, eggs, and produce through an on-line market. “We will be offering this service in September, hopefully. It takes six to eight…
John Deere Tractors Go Wireless For Remote Troubleshooting: By Chris Murphy, InformationWeek, Sep 12, 2012; Deere & Co., the No. 2 company in the InformationWeek 500, adds remote diagnosis to farm and construction vehicles to build closer customer ties.
USDA Invites Applications for Grants to Provide Broadband Service to Remote Rural Communities: USDA Newsroom, May 10, 2012; Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today that USDA is accepting applications through the Community Connect Broadband program for grants to provide broadband service to residents of remote,…
The Rural Broadband Evolution: Laurence Cruz, Feb 7, 2012; According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, some 70 percent of farms with sales of at least a quarter million dollars use the Internet for farm business, and more than 40 percent of smaller…
Including agriculture in the broadband plan: Sep 1, 2011; Illinois farmers have been taking a new approach to managing their crops, with a little innovation and a little assistance from their cell phones.
Wabash Telephone Co-op to receive $21.8 million from the USDA for rural broadband expansion: Aug 25, 2011; Wabash Telephone Cooperative has been notified it will receive an Infrastructure Loan Award of approximately $21.8 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Utility Service to expand…
Illinois among states getting broadband funding: Aug 23, 2011; Telecommunications companies in 16 states will be sharing more than $103 million in federal funding to help expand broadband Internet access to rural America. Illinois is a big winner with a $22…
Illinois Leads the Nation in USDA Broadband Investment — Investments To Spur Job Creation and Economic Opportunity in Rural America: Apr 20, 2011; Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced support for telecommunications projects in seven states to improve broadband service to rural residents and businesses. Projects selected include an…
Cooperative Fiber: Bringing Broadband to Rural Illinois: Ed VanHoose, Oct 14, 2010; When you hear the word “fiber” you probably think about your last doctor’s visit, but these days there’s another meaning for the word. In the world of broadband Internet,…