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Wednesday, April 17, 2019

What the Ag Census tells us about rural connectivity

The recently released 2017 Census of Agriculture is a gold mine of information about the nation's farmers and rural communities. Here's what it tells us about rural internet connectivity and what progress is (or isn't) being made, Margy Eckelkamp reports for AgProfessional.

Connectivity varies by farm size; big operations generally have better internet access: fewer than 3% of farms with more than 140 acres have slow, dial-up access. The most prevalent means of internet access has shifted from DSL to mobile wireless between 2012 and 2017. And though fewer farmers rely on dial-up, broadband adoption percentage has remained about the same, Eckelkamp reports.

Those reviewing the data must be careful about comparisons because of varying definitions and question parameters, though. The 2012 census included a "broadband" category, but that wasn't included in 2017. And the 2017 census included a "don't know" category that wasn't included in 2012, Eckelkamp reports. Moreover, the Department of Agriculture and the Federal Communications Commission don't use the same definitions of internet connectivity.

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