More Washington farmers and ranchers using wireless to connect to the internet

Washington Ag Today August 25, 2009 Most Washington farmers and ranchers with internet access connect by DSL but the use of wireless to get on the web is catching up. A new survey on computer and internet usage by USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service shows that 77 percent of Washington farmers and ranchers have internet access, up from 69 percent in 2007. Of those, 29 percent connect by DSL, 24 percent by dial up, but wireless connection has increased from just five percent two years ago to 20 percent in 2009.

As for the use of computers for farm and ranch business;

Hintzman: “That’s actually leveling off.”

That’s Kevin Hintzman of NASS referring to the national trend, which is also true in Washington, where the use of computers for farm business was unchanged from 2007 to 2009 at fifty percent.

Less than a quarter of Washington farmers and ranchers purchase agricultural inputs over the internet and only 16 percent use the web for marketing purposes. Just nine percent use the internet to conduct business with the USDA.

The Organic Center, a national non-profit organization supporting research and education on the consumer and environmental health benefits of organic food and farming, has donated another $30,000 to support organic agriculture research and programming at Washington State University. That brings the total in gifts and grants to WSU from the Organic Center to more than $150,000. Charles Benbrook, chief scientist for the Organic Center, said the center supports WSU because of its commitment to expanding the science behind organic agriculture.

I’m Bob Hoff and that’s Washington Ag Today on the Northwest Ag Information Network.