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St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Lee Enterprises

Tuesday, June 30, 2009 11:07 PM CDT
Young farmers are tech-savvy

By Amy Rochkes, For the JG-TC

Many farmers in Illinois wouldn’t be surprised to learn that young farmers and agribusiness professionals rely on the Internet to do business. A recent survey of young farmers from American Farm Bureau Federation confirms it.

The survey asked men and women aged 18-35 years old how many of them have access to the Internet and found that not only do 100% have access, but all of them use it for their operations, too. High-speed Internet is used by 64 percent of those surveyed, while 21 percent said they use higher-priced satellite Internet service, and 15 percent said they are limited to slower dial-up service.

Young Farmers use the Internet in numerous ways. The more often they use it, the more ways they learn to use it to their advantage. At 82 percent, gathering general news and agricultural news was the top use by the young farmers. Collecting buying information ranked second, with 76 percent of those surveyed using the Internet to aid in buying decisions. In addition, 53 percent of those surveyed make E-purchases. Also, 46 percent said they use the technology for political activity and 46 percent said they are plugged into social media sites.

Are you 18-35 and have an active interest in agriculture? Join your county Farm Bureau’s Young Farmers program and discover new opportunities to network, socialize, and impact the future of American agriculture.

Learn more about the Young Farmer program or call your county Farm Bureau and ask how you can get involved.

Amy Rochkes is manager of the Shelby County Farm Bureau

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