Ask a Farmer: Why Is Broadband Internet Access Important to Farms and Rural Communities?
Photo credit: Mark Stebnicki
We asked a farmer: “Why is broadband internet access important on your farm and in rural communities?”
High-speed broadband internet is one of the most important things to our rural farming business. In that way, farming is no different from many other businesses. Farmers must be able to follow commodity markets, communicate with customers and access new markets around the world. Communications made possible by broadband technology eliminate the logistical constraints of rural-based businesses and allow them to compete with their big-city counterparts.
High-speed internet isn’t just critical to our business, it’s critical to our lives in rural North Carolina. It breaks down the barriers of distance and time, allowing rural residents and farmers to access directly education, medical care and services that might not be available near their homes.
In 2022, farmers simply cannot do without the economic and social tools afforded by high-speed internet, and when farmers and rural residents are able to work and live well, the entire country benefits.
About the Farmer: Brenda Blake and her family own Blake Farms in Wilkes County. They raise poultry for Tyson Foods, grow grain crops and run a flower and vegetable operation.
See more: Ask a Farmer: Why Farming?
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