Emerging Technologies Are Routing Rural Tennessee
In partnership with: Tennessee Department of Agriculture
Since the inception of the World Wide Web more than 30 years ago, access to the internet has become critical for businesses and our personal lives. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the lack of high-speed internet access in rural areas of Tennessee went from an inconvenience to a hardship.
Commonly referred to as broadband, high-speed internet is a necessity for modern farmers who rely on the tool for crop and livestock production, real-time access to commodity markets, product sales and data collection.
See more: Tennessee Farmers, Producers Embrace Innovation
Booming Broadband
“This next generation of farmers is more focused on precision ag than we’ve ever seen. Many have college degrees where they’ve learned technologies that can make their family operation more efficient than ever before,” says Taylre Beaty, state broadband director for the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. “But often, when they return to the family farm with these new technologies they have learned, whether it be new software, operating drones or machinery, tracking systems or wanting to practice precision agriculture, they aren’t able to implement them due to a lack of connectivity. We want to change that.”
Tommy and Angie Gentry are owners of Rock House Farms, a beef cattle, hay and soybean operation in Chapel Hill. They have benefited greatly from the upgrades in their area from the older digital subscriber line (DSL) to fiber, resulting from a recent grant awarded to their provider, United Communications.
“We have seen improved reliability of service and Wi-Fi access on our farm,” says Angie Gentry. “The upgrade enables me to work from home while meeting the expectations of my employer. We can now use our Wi-Fi outside the house to access cattle vaccination and health records. Knowing the weather forecast, soybean prices and market rates allows us to lock in the best return price. We can also locate parts and service when breakdowns occur, and we use mapping technology to aid with planning for crop planting.”
Angie is optimistic for the farm to expand online and on the ground.
“Hopefully we will soon use social media to showcase the registered portion of our herd and to reach out to new breeders,” Gentry says.
“Our team is putting an action plan in place, and it will be designed to get the internet to every Tennessee household and business.”
– Taylre Beaty, state broadband director for the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development
Essential Connections
The Department of Economic and Community Development is maximizing federal and state funding, which includes broadband initiatives, awards, grants, capital reimbursement programs and other resources, to provide an opportunity for every Tennessean to connect to broadband.
“Our team is putting an action plan in place, and it will be designed to get the internet to every Tennessee household and business,” Beaty says. “Being able to work from home, manage a bank account or connect to a health care provider is all part of helping others live a better quality of life without having to drive for these services. Access to broadband is no longer a luxury, but a necessity.”
