Farming the Internet?

A new study at Iowa State University estimates that about one-third of Iowa farmers have Internet connections.

The survey indicated that slightly more than half of Iowa farmers have a computer and about one-third are connected to the Internet. This represents a slight increase in Internet access over levels identified by ISU economist Mike Duffy in a 1997 survey of Iowa Farm Business Management Association (IFBMA) members and a 1997 Iowa Ag Statistics Service survey. More information about the study is available at Iowa Corn and Soybean Farmers: Who is Computerized and Who is Online..

Hoping to help farmers cash in on their connections, a California company has set up a new Internet site to link small farmers. The site, LocalHarvest.com, includes a "Farmers Only" area where farmers create and update their profiles and can maintain customer mailing lists.