More Farmers Online Than Ever Before

The 2007 Census found that 57 percent (1,246,723) of U.S. farms had Internet access. This is a seven percent increase from 2002, when only 50 percent of farms had Internet access, and a 44 percent increase from 1997, when NASS reported that only thirteen percent of U.S. farms had it.

Census data also revealed the majority of U.S. farms with Internet access are small farms - approximately 67 percent (831,186) of these farms are 179 acres or less. In 2007, for the first time ever, the Census of Agriculture measured high-speed Internet access. Of those producers with Internet access on the farm, 58 percent (726,700) reported having a high-speed connection.

According to Pew Research, 73 percent of adults in the United States are using the internet and 55 percent of all adult Americans having a high-speed internet connection at home. While the existence of high-speed connections at U.S. farms is below the national average – approximately 33 percent of farms have a high-speed connection – it is encouraging to see accessibility to the Internet is increasing among farmers nationwide. The increase in Internet accessibility is indicative of the 97,000 farm operators who submitted their 2007 census responses online.

The 2007 Census of Agriculture provides a demographic breakdown of Internet usage among U.S. farmers. To access the information, go to the full text of the census.

NASS also offers an historic perspective on overall computer usage by farm operators in a series of Farm Computer Usage and Ownership reports. They span 1997 –2007 and cover topics of computer access, ownership or leasing, farm business use and Internet access. Estimates are presented for the country by state, region and type of farm.

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