The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) hosted Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey and representatives from equipment manufacturers John Deere and HammerHead Trenchless for a panel discussion on Capitol Hill on May 18th focused on the expansion of rural broadband access as part of lawmakers’ work this year on infrastructure. The event was in conjunction with Infrastructure Week 2017 and …
More Internet on the Farm
A new USDA-NASS report shows that internet access on the farm continues to grow. According to the Computer Usage and Ownership report, 70 percent of U.S. farms and ranches now have access to internet, up three percent from 2013. DSL remains the most popular method for accessing internet, accounting for 30 percent of all farms and ranches with internet access. …
Farmfest to Feature Minnesota’s 1st Rural Broadband Day
Underscoring the need for high-speed broadband access for farmers and ranchers, this year’s Farmfest will feature Minnesota’s first Rural Broadband Day. This news release from Farm Bureau says the farm show’s opening on August 4 in Redwood Falls, Minnesota, makes the case to the public that with the rise of precision technology in agriculture, producers need the broadband to increase …
Rural Electric Tackles Diversity & Internet Access
I recently had the opportunity to sit down with former Congresswomen from my home state of Missouri, Jo Ann Emerson. She currently calls Washington, D.C. home where she holds the title of first female CEO for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA). “I am very excited to be selected by the Board of Directors of the NRECA to serve …
Increasing Access to Affordable Broadband
The White House along with USDA held a press call to “lay out next steps to increase access to affordable high-speed broadband for all Americans.” On the call are Jeff Zients, Director of the National Economic Council and Tom Vilsack, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. The call talks about efforts on the part of private enterprise as well as those by …
Right Relevance is Right
Have you ever wondered who the influencers are in your industry? Where to find “deep relevant content?” Try Right Relevance which was founded by Vishal Mishra and Sumit Taank in August 2013. Right Relevance came to my attention via Twitter since yours truly showed up in a list of influencers for the keyword search, Agribusiness. 1039 results showed up. Check …
Smart Sensors & Cheap Connectivity Future of Ag
A combination of more, cheaper smart sensors and more connectivity could make the future of agriculture and food production pretty bright in this country. During the recent Bayer CropScience 10th annual Ag Issues Forum in Phoenix, Michael Rogers, who is an author, journalist and futurist, spoke to those gathered at the event about some of these global trends driving food …
Consumer Electronics Offer Glimpse into Ag Tech
This ZimmCast is going to be another focus on the AgNerd Cloud. It’s just been working that way lately. I did not attend the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas but via Twitter I met John Shutske, Associate Dean for Extension and Outreach Programs in the University of Wisconsin’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences who was attending. John …
AgNerd Cloud – Ayrstone Ayrmesh
It’s time for another edition of the AgNerd Cloud, a fairly regular column on new technology for the farm. In this program we’ll learn about how you can obtain a good internet cloud on your property that can include remote ethernet connections via a new wireless device! Thanks to Bill Moffitt, Ayrstone Productivity, for working with us by supplying some …
Ayrstone Introduces AyrMesh Bridge
How about an ethernet cable without the wires on your farm network? Yes, it’s possible. That is, with the Ayrstone Productivity AyrMesh Bridge! During the NAFB convention I spoke with company president Bill Moffitt about their newest product. The Bridge joins a growing family of products from Ayrstone like their AyrMesh Hub, Receiver and a Hub that mounts in your …