NASHVILLE, Tenn. (RFD-TV) — Rural broadband growth is reshaping how farms across the South connect and compete. A new USDA survey released in August 2025 shows sharp increases in online input purchases and marketing activity, even as some producers scale back precision agriculture tools amid tighter margins.
The biennial Farm Computer Usage and Ownership survey — conducted by USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service since 1997 — tracks how producers access and use internet-based technologies in their operations.
Between 2023 and 2025, every southern state reported higher rates of farmers buying agricultural inputs online, with Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Texas each recording more than 100 percent growth. About half of U.S. farms now report purchasing inputs over the internet. Roughly 25 percent of southern farms conduct agricultural marketing activities online — slightly below the 29 percent national average — though participation fell in Georgia and Missouri.
Precision agriculture adoption moved in the opposite direction, explains Devon Mills, Assistant Professor with Mississippi State Extension. Seven southern states, including Tennessee, North Carolina, and Alabama, saw declines in use between 2023 and 2025, mirroring a 19 percent national drop. Analysts suggest producers may be pausing high-cost technologies to reduce expenses, even as internet-based tools become central to daily operations.
Farm-Level Takeaway: Southern farms are deepening online engagement for cost savings and market access, while higher-cost precision technologies face renewed scrutiny amid tight budgets.
Mike Steenhoek with the Soy Transportation Coalition discusses supply chain challenges facing agriculture as snow, sleet and ice threaten most of the Eastern U.S.
January 23, 2026 01:36 PM
·
Rural population growth and stabilizing economic indicators point to post-pandemic recovery, but uneven income, shifting industries, and regional divides remain key challenges for rural communities.
January 23, 2026 08:00 AM
·
Moderate oil prices may ease fuel costs, but continued caution in the energy sector could limit rural economic growth.
January 22, 2026 06:00 PM
·
Corn and wheat exports remain a demand bright spot, while soybeans are transitioning into a more typical late-winter shipping slowdown.
January 21, 2026 10:36 AM
·
Despite rising costs and growing food insecurity, meat demand remained strong in 2025 as higher-income consumers offset cutbacks elsewhere. Economists break down the K-shaped economy, upcoming USDA cattle reports, livestock production outlooks, and renewed debate over beef imports and country-of-origin labeling heading into 2026.
January 20, 2026 02:47 PM
·
Corn growers are turning to ethanol, E15 expansion, and export markets to help absorb record supplies and stabilize prices. Farm leaders discuss low-carbon ethanol demand, flex-fuel vehicle challenges, input costs, and the role of USMCA as producers look for market relief in the year ahead.
January 20, 2026 02:04 PM
·
