broadband internet

On Thursday, Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the Department is awarding $502 million in loans and grants to provide high-speed internet access in 20 states.  The funding will be available for residents and businesses in rural America.  Vilsack...

Between 2015-2019, households in rural persistently poor counties were the least likely to have home internet.  According to ERS more than three in ten households lack internet access at home.  In comparison, only two in ten households in rural counties that were not persistently poor had no internet access at home.  A similar pa...

As American agriculture grapples with scarce labor and increasing costs, one solution could lie in precision agriculture applications that can maximize output while reducing costs. Crop and livestock producers can supercharge operational efficiency with advanced precision technologies such as data analytics, connected equipment, robotics and automation ...

On Monday, the Biden Administration submitted to Congress the President’s budget for fiscal year 2023. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the budget "provides USDA with the tools needed to support a vibrant, revitalized, and prosperous rural America." ...

According to the latest numbers from NASS, 82% of farms across the county have access to the internet, a 7% increase from just two years ago. Adam Peters with NASS breaks down the numbers when it comes how farmers use their desktop computer, laptop or smart phone: "We found 29% of farms using the Internet to purchase agricultural inputs ...

Last week, House lawmakers introduced the Broadband for Rural America Act. The legislation would put the Department of Agriculture in the driver’s seat for rural broadband rather than the Federal Communications Commission. Georgia Republican Representative Austin Scott mentioned last week, "The FCC’s had their chance, and they haven’t gotten it done.” The bill is ...

Last week, Congress approved the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, in an effort to help the American economy move past the pandemic. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack was excited when President Biden signed the Plan into law. He recently pointed out that the farming community will benefit in a variety of ways ...

When the coronavirus pandemic started to spread across the country back in March, the USDA's local service service centers had to adjust, moving to maximum telework status. But according to Farm Service Agency Administrator Richard Fordyce, the agency's was really not equipped for the transition ...

Federal Communications Commission Chair Ajit Pai will step down January 20, the day President-elect Joe Biden will be sworn in. Pai was appointed to the commission in 2012 by President Barack Obama, and made chairman by President Donald Trump in 2017 ...

Technology is changing every aspect of our lives, the that's very true in farm country. "We have 2,700 county farm bureaus across the country and field reps from state farm bureaus there and we worked hard with those county leaders to get used to using Zoom ...