: Empowering American Farmers - WISPA Celebrates LAST ACRE Act

Jul 28, 2023

WISPA - Broadband Without Boundaries is cheering on Senators Deb Fischer and Ben Ray Lujan for introducing the groundbreaking LAST ACRE Act. This much-needed bill recognizes the significance of connecting rural farms with high-speed broadband, propelling productivity and growth.

Leveraging USDA resources, the Act envisions "last acre" coverage, ensuring that all farmland and structures can benefit from broadband access, regardless of the technology employed.

Providing life-changing internet where it was previously rare, Wireless Internet Service Providers (WISPs) have been at the vanguard of serving American farmlands for a long time. For many rural areas, they provided essential competition to traditional providers, driving innovation and accessibility.

Some of WISPA's pioneers were farmers themselves, who realized the value of Internet access for reaching markets, leading them to create broadband infrastructure on their own, revolutionizing their farms and communities.

The role of broadband in the U.S. agricultural ecosystem cannot be overstated. It now connects farms, devices, soil, and livestock, essential for maintaining the country's status as a productive agricultural powerhouse.

However, due to the geographical remoteness and challenges in serving rural areas, universal broadband access has been elusive. The LAST ACRE Act takes a holistic approach, presenting a flexible program through the USDA to extend connectivity options to every American farmer.

WISPA's support for the LAST ACRE Act stems from its belief in the intrinsic connection between thriving farms and a healthy nation. By championing this bill, WISPA aims to collaborate with all stakeholders to ensure its successful passage, ushering in a new era of technological empowerment for rural communities and American farmers.

Video: Farm Health Guardian | Digital Biosecurity in Real Time

Disease risk, biosecurity, and real-time monitoring continue to be major topics across the pork industry. In this episode of Swine Web Industry Perspectives, presented by Farm Health Guardian, we discuss how digital biosecurity and real-time data are changing the way producers think about herd protection, people movement, and operational decision-making.

The conversation explores:

disease risk in modern pork production,

the impact of people movement on biosecurity,

the importance of real-time monitoring,

digital biosecurity technology,

and how Farm Health Guardian developed tools designed to support modern swine operations.

As the industry continues focusing on prevention, preparedness, and operational efficiency, connected technologies and actionable data are becoming increasingly important parts of modern herd health management.