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Why Farms Need Wireless Broadband

Fresno, Calif., works to roll out wireless broadband across a landscape populated primarily with fruits and vegetables.

Why Farms Need Wireless Broadband
When it comes to farming, what good is wireless broadband? Seed, sun, dirt and water are the essentials that have sustained agriculture for thousands of years, so what can wireless bring to the table? And what is a CIO doing down on the farm in rubber boots?

For Fresno CIO Carolyn Hogg, the answer has to do with olive trees as wireless subscribers, tracking tomatoes from vine to dinner plate, self-driving tractors, and agricultural research and education that could boost the state’s economy and help feed the world. Hogg, along with a coalition of federal, state, private-sector and local interests, are working to secure high-speed wireless broadband to take the region’s agriculture, healthcare, and education to the next level.

But what do farmers -- worried about water and the price of tomatoes -- think about adding information technology to their operations? Find out in the August issue of Government Technology magazine and in this video.

Wayne E. Hanson served as a writer and editor with e.Republic from 1989 to 2013, having worked for several business units including Government Technology magazine, the Center for Digital Government, Governing, and Digital Communities. Hanson was a juror from 1999 to 2004 with the Stockholm Challenge and Global Junior Challenge competitions in information technology and education.