Study: Farmers embracing technology

According to a recent U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service report, computer usage on farms has increased, as has the number of farmers who are using computers for their farm businesses.

The most common way farmers access the Internet is through a digital subscriber line, or DSL, but NASS found that only 35 percent of U.S. farms are using it today, compared to 38 percent in 2011. Wireless was the second most common method of Internet access at 24 percent in 2013, up from 20 percent in 2011. Dial-up access dropped from 12 percent in 2011 to 5 percent in 2013.

As many as 67 percent of U.S. farms now have Internet access, compared to 62 percent in 2011, and more farmers have access to a computer, with 70 percent using one compared to 65 percent two years ago. The report also said 40 percent of farms use computers for the farm business, up 3 percent from 2011.

The higher the farm income, the more likely owners are to use computers. According to the report, in 2013 84 percent of farms with sales of $250,000 or more have access to a computer, and 72 percent of those are using it for their farm businesses. Of those with sales between $100,000 and $249,999, 73 percent have access to a computer, and 56 percent of them are using it for farm business. For farms with sales between $10,000 and $99,999, 68 percent have access to a computer, and 45 percent of them are using it for business.

Seventy-one percent of crop farms and 70 percent of livestock farms reported computer access.

“The report shows that U.S. farmers are keeping pace with non-farming households with respect to general computer use and Internet access. Farmers have computers and Internet access for both business and personal use just like anyone else,” said Tony Banks, a Virginia Farm Bureau Federation commodity marketing specialist. “In fact, many farmers use technology even more than most when you consider they may be using computers, or technology, dedicated to specific tasks such as monitoring and adjusting climate and feed systems in livestock and poultry barns, or linking a satellite with GPS-guided equipment in the field.”