USDA Releases Farm Computer Use Report

Seventy-three percent of Wisconsin farms own or lease a computer, one percentage point higher than the U.S. percentage, according to the latest USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service Farm Computer Use report. Seventy-seven percent of Wisconsin farms report having access to a computer, unchanged from 2015. Farms using computers for their farm business increased slightly to 49 percent, two percentage points above the national percentage, which rose to 47 percent. Seventy-three percent of Wisconsin farms have internet access, unchanged from 2015. DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) remains the most common method of access, with 39 percent of farms in Wisconsin with access to the internet using DSL, up five percentage points from 2015. In 2017, mobile internet service was the second most common way to access the internet in Wisconsin. The proportion of Wisconsin farms using satellite service decreased seven percentage points from 2015, falling to 15 percent. Fiber optic was used by six percent of farms.