64 Billion

64 Billion

David Sparks Ph.D.
David Sparks Ph.D.
President Trump said recently: "I will take the first step to expand access to broadband Internet in rural America. I will sign two Presidential Orders to provide broader, faster—and better—internet coverage." "Those towers are going to go up and you're going to have great, great broadband."

According to USDA's "A Case for Rural Broadband," if access to broadband and adoption of digital agricultural technologies matched producer demand, U.S. agriculture would realize benefits amounting to nearly 18% of total U.S. market production, or $64.5 billion annually, based on 2017 levels. The report, published by the American Broadband Initiative, analyzes the possible economic benefits of bringing e-connectivity to the heartland and, more importantly, what needs to be done to make it happen.

From the way producers store and ship commodities to the way consumers purchase their food, the introduction and widespread usage of the household refrigerator has irrevocably changed the food supply chain system. A similar shift is upon us with the advent of digital technology and next generation precision agriculture, resulting in ever-increasing productivity with fewer inputs, better market access and healthier rural communities. Just as electricity allowed for refrigeration, to realize the benefits of this new digital technology, high-speed broadband service must be available everywhere.

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