Farms Using Technology More for Business in Northwest

Farmers in Washington and Oregon that own or have access to a computer has remained steady since 2015 according to a recent USDA report, but the number of farmers using them for farm business has increased in the past four years.

The number of producers in the Northwest using cable internet has really jumped, from five to 18 percent in Washington and six to 20 percent in Oregon though most producers still use DSL.

Dan Kerestes with USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service said there’s also been a bump nationwide in smartphone or tablet use.

“We found out that 39 percent of the farmers out there are making use of this technology.”

Perhaps unsurprisingly, but the more business a farm did, the more likely they were to use technology in their operation.

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