BROADBAND BOOT CAMP: TUESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2016

Agriculture Online: Getting on, Growing, Profiting

Kara O'Connor, Government Relations Director, Wisconsin Farmers Union

&John Shutske, Professor, UW-Madison College of Agricultural and

Life Sciences & UWEX Specialist

Agriculture and Farming in Wisconsin

• Farms & agricultural businesses generate >$88.3 billion in economic activity

• 413,500 jobs statewide• One county alone (Wood)

– provides jobs to 4,078 in Wood County– $984 million in economic activity– $13.4 million in taxes (not including property taxes to schools)

• Critical to rural vitality, culture, community

http://anre.uwex.edu/economicimpact/

Some challenges CURRENTLY in agriculture --- *To what extent do these connect to being more “digital?”

• Low product prices and high input costs• Market volatility and unknowns• Pressure to grow and create greater economy of scale• Rapid tech advancement (automation, precision ag,

genetics/genomics, etc.)• Access to healthcare and other services (and goods, products,

information)• ENGAGING the next generation!!

There’s some cool stuff out there, and even more coming quickly

• Just a few examples…..

Photo: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:DeLaval_milking_station.jpg

Fully Automated Calf Feeding…

Photos from website: https://www.calfstar.com

Photo: J. Shutske

BUT -- Even for basic services (email, phone, text messaging, purchasing, etc.)…

• Very significant access & use barriers– Speed, quality of service– Cost– Access (and understanding access options)– Support, knowledge– Security concerns– Understanding what’s possible – There are people who are “all in” & those who have adopted little or

nothing

*Based on preliminary data – Farm Technology Days interviews and other focus groups. Larger study underway by Shutske, Trechter, & Luck

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Von Ruden Dairy Farm

Organic Dairy Farm in Westby, WI

Markets milk to Westby Cooperative Creamery

Internet Connection: high-speed DSL through Vernon Telephone Cooperative

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Wisconsin’s Rural Telephone Cooperatives

Autumn Moon Farm

Transitioning from conventional corn, soybeans, alfalfa, and hops to small grains like wheat and barley for human consumption.

Also constructing an on-farm malting and milling facility to serve the small scale brewing/distilling and baking community.

Internet access: satellite (with data caps)

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Nami Moon Farms

Diversified farm: vegetables, fruit, eggs, chicken, ducks, turkeys, pigs

40% of sales via direct marketing. Website and Facebook are critical for this.

Internet Access: fiber through Amherst Telephone Company. $240 installation fee and $75 per month for 10 mbps. $150 per month for “up to” 30 mbps.

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Some Key Questions…

• Where do current policies push/pull us with respect to the four quadrants?

• What do future rural Wisconsin scenarios look like without better access?

• What do bright, positive future scenarios look like?• How do we engage and retain young people and future leaders in

rural areas?• How do we capture the benefits of smart automation, efficiency, etc.

without “hollowing out” rural communities?

Recommendations for improving rural high-speed internet:

• Eliminate de facto state law prohibition on municipalities offering broadband service

• Incorporate “dig once” policies into DOT and local road contracts• Increased funding for Broadband Expansion Grant• Robust oversight of CAF II projects• Support internet service through rural electric cooperatives, either

through grants or through promotion

Image Credits

• Slides 5, 6 are used under paid license from Shutterstock.com