High speed Internet access connects farmers in more ways than one

High-speed connections help family farmers, but there's a digital divide in the country: only one third of rural America has access to high speed Internet. The Broadband Data Improvement Act, Senate bill 1492, would help expand and improve high speed Internet's ability to serve small farmers across the U.S. Speed Matters recently released a video that addresses the advantages to farmers who have access to high speed Internet.

Daniel Fortin, a farmer from  Northern Vermont who is featured in the video explains: 

“There’s not a lot of traffic going by, so we need to use electronic media to get to the outside world and sell our products.” 

Farmers like fifth generation rancher Jess Peterson are using the Internet to expand their customer base and increase productivity.

US Cattlemen's Association: Broadband Deployment is necessary for Ranchers in Rural America (NextGenWeb)

Rising costs lead farmers to go high tech (USA TODAY)