USDA Rural Development will host a one-hour information session highlighting rural broadband needs on Aug. 27 during the Farm Progress Show in Decatur, Ill.
“We all know getting adequate internet service to rural areas today is as critical for economic prosperity — even survival — as electrification was to our great-grandparents,” says Doug Wilson, Illinois director for USDA Rural Development.
Called “High Capacity Networks on the Farm: Why Ag Operations Need It and How to Get It,” the session will be held from 10 to 11 a.m. Aug. 27 in the Main Conference Room at Richland Community College, right next to the Farm Progress Show site.
Wilson says the information session will feature presenters from technology, internet providers, funding sources and more in an effort to get questions answered and build networks with each other.
Speakers include:
- Brendan Bachman, Growmark senior manager, agronomy technology
- Matt Johnson, member, Illinois Rural Broadband Association
- Christopher Collins, USDA Rural Development, rural utilities service gen field rep
“Knowing the technology that is available and coming, how it relates to production and competitiveness, and how networks can be built with the capacity to capture the impact is essential for our agricultural producers and rural communities,” Wilson says. “Farmers need reliable, high-speed internet service to achieve the economical, efficient, environmentally responsible ag operations required in the future — and today.”