08/03/05 Washington farms, computers and internet

08/03/05 Washington farms, computers and internet

Washington Ag August 3, 2005 A new survey by the Agricultural Statistics Service shows that two-thirds of Washington farms either own or lease a computer. That compares to 57 percent two years ago. But only 37 percent of farms use a computer for farm business. That's down slightly from 2003 and the same as in 2001. Like producers elsewhere in the U.S., most Washington farmers with computers, 76 percent, rely on dial up access to get on the internet and USDA chief economist Keith Collins says that is probably limiting computer use for farm business. Collins: "Dial up can be frustrating.. Particularly if you are going to try and transact business or if you are going to try and access lots of information such as market information over the internet. If you are limited to dial up that can be a frustrating experience. And that acts as a deterrent to more widespread utilization of computers and of the internet." : A survey in 2003 found that 18 percent of Washington farmers used the internet for marketing activities such as on-line direct marketing, tracking commodity prices or using advisory services. This year that dropped to eight percent. Use of the internet to purchase agricultural inputs also fell from two years ago, dropping from 11% to 9%. I'm Bob Hoff.
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