March 29, 2024

BAUDLER: Local farmer shares importance expanding rural broadband

While the wind is howling outside in the midst of Iowa’s latest winter blizzard, I intently stare at the TV screen where our camera system (connected to a fiber optic internet source) displays the ewes and does milling around in the barn; several seem to be only hours away from going into labor.

I consider my grandparents in the 1950′s, who built their life and family on this land; they trudged through the snow to that same barn countless times to check the livestock and assist with births when needed during inclement weather. I wonder what Grandpa would think of how we do things in 2021? Instead of running to the barn at midnight, we turn on the TV or pull up an app on our phones to analyze the birthing situation before venturing outside.

Broadband access for agriculture and in rural areas has become an essential commodity; however, 26.4% of rural Americans lack internet access, in comparison to only 1.7% of urban Americans, which shows just how important this issue is for rural residents and businesses.

Graduating college 10 years ago, I had no idea how much 25 Mbps download speed / 3 Mbps upload speed would run my cattle nutrition and feed sales career. Zoom video meetings are on the docket two to three times per week. Evaluating real-time intakes and feedstuff costs for feedlots across Western Iowa on Performance Livestock Analytics from a computer screen is a daily occurrence. Our virtual bookkeeper completes all invoices via Quickbooks online from her home office in a small Missouri town.

And then Covid-19 hit. As I talk with my agriculture colleagues, some of them have been working from home for over nine months, and that doesn’t look to be letting up anytime soon. Many of us combine farming lifestyles with off-the-farm virtual jobs. Broadband is the common thread keeping us all employed and offers new opportunities, although adequate access is variable between mobile hotspots, satellite options, and fiber connections.

In many of our recent agriculture meetings, rural vitality has been extensively mentioned. We need people in communities to keep rural economies thriving. What brings people to new places? Jobs. Health care. Good schools and youth programs. Businesses. Essential services. And to grow those opportunities, we must add broadband access to that list.

In Adair County, we were fortunate to have our supervisors approve funding in November of 2020 for a broadband study commissioned by the Greater Des Moines Partnership. This study is to look at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC’s) maps and determine how accurate they are for both coverage and utilization. Currently, Adair County’s coverage is approximately 79% according to the FCC, but Microsoft says the utilization rate is only 15%. Long term, we need both coverage and utilization rates to climb towards 100% to keep people coming and staying in rural Iowa counties like Adair, building continual vibrant communities.

It is important to look at some success stories as we analyze the broadband issue long-term. USDA Rural Development stepped up to the plate in 2020 providing $35.8 million from the ReConnect Pilot Program and the Telecom Infrastructure Program. The end benefit consisted of equipping over 6,000 rural Iowans with high-speed internet. Some homesteads are 10+ miles from towns, and the price tag for building fiber infrastructure is over $10,000 alone to these locations. Private telephone/service companies can’t justify the cost without some state and federal grant help.

In the agriculture-rich counties of Sioux and Lyon, entities have been able to pull funding for laying internet framework through the CARES Act state grants. Upon completion, 100% of the residents in those counties will have high-speed internet access. Already, businesses are operating more efficiently ordering online supplies, families with school-age children are seeing higher-quality online learning, and farmers are finding it easier to operate their precision row crop equipment.

2021 looks promising for even greater expansion in other parts of the state. Representative Ray “Bubba” Sorensen II, who represents Iowa House District 20, will chair the Economic Growth Committee; he guarantees that one of his main priorities will continue to be high-speed internet access for all, including working with Governor Reynolds on her proposed bill of $450 million (over 3 years) to connect Iowa.

As we round out this issue, there is no doubt that broadband will be a hot topic for years to come. With the survey being completed in Adair and other surrounding counties, there is great hope in opening up more grant opportunities for our part of the state. We are fortunate to have telephone/service companies working intently to expand fiber access and others in the satellite spectrum.

Part of making internet more universal is being willing to pay the monthly charge. As I consider what the $104.95 sent to Casey Telephone Company does for me personally, I know that the value lies in more than the broadband access. It provides 200 Mbps to stay in contact with friends and family during a global pandemic, to efficiently connect with clientele across the midwest in my feed and sales career, and to help run our farming operation from the touch of a button.

Speaking of which, the cameras on the screen tell me it is time to go; needing kidding assistance is a doe, a daughter of one of the original goats that Grandpa and I bought together. Outside I go to walk in his footsteps, thankful to have a little help from broadband in 2021.

Short Bio: Beth is a passionate agriculture enthusiast who graduated from Iowa State University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences in 2011. She resides in the countryside outside of Fontanelle, IA and raises cattle, sheep, and goats in addition to helping with her family’s row crop acres. Beth enjoys working as a beef nutritionist, assisting with Ag 4 All activities, and traveling to continue learning while meeting new people each and every day.