Pacific Northwest Farmers Rank High in Computer Usage

Pacific Northwest Farmers Rank High in Computer Usage

A new USDA survey shows that Pacific Northwest farmers and ranchers are leading the nation in having internet access and are near the top in other categories of computer usage. In both Washington and Oregon 84 percent of all farms have internet access and Idaho is only one percent behind at 83 percent. Results of the new survey confirm that computers are just as critical to most Pacific Northwest producers as the tractor or any other common type of equipment as Oregon Department of Agriculture’s Information Systems Manager Steve Poland comments on his state’s farmers use of technology. Poland: "Oregon is a pretty progressive state and I think we see people using a tool that is very advantageous for them to use on a daily basis. The internet and access to the internet gives them that ability to do their business more efficiently and effectively." Four out of five Pacific Northwest farmers own or use a computer and have access to the internet. Those are real high marks, well above the national average, and among the best in the nation. The survey also asked farmers to identify how they are accessing the internet: Poland: "From the survey, people are hooking up wirelessly. Before, they were in remote areas where they couldn't get any type of connection. The best connection they had was dial-up. Now, we have wireless connections that give them respectable speeds and dial-ups are becoming a thing of the past." Poland also notes that although the survey didn’t ask about the use of social media, he believes it is growing among farmers and ranchers as well.

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