According to research conducted by Aditya Khanal & Ashok Mishra, both with the Department of Agricultural Economics & Agribusiness at Louisiana State University, the internet has added $2,000+ annual gross farm income to small farms.

“Small farms with access to the Internet earned approximately $2,200 to $2,700 more in gross farm income compared to small farms without access to the Internet.”

The pair of agricultural economists presented their findings in February. Researchers used data from a nationwide U. S. Department of Agriculture survey of farm households in 2010. They defined a “small farm” as having a gross cash farm income of less than $250,000. Sixty-two percent of the small farm households had access to the Internet.

Researchers concluded that small farm businesses, through good management of off-farm and on-farm activities, can benefit from Internet service as it opens up options for gaining information and potentially reducing input costs and household expenses.

Those living in rural areas understand that access to high-speed internet or any form of internet is sometimes hard to find. But is getting better. The internet allows farmers to have access to more education and research, enables different marketing opportunities and can serve as a networking tool.

For more information on this study you can read the complete report here.