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Virginia Cooperative Extension -
 Knowledge for the CommonWealth

Farm Computer Usage and Ownership on Virginia Farms

Farm Business Management Update, October 1999

By Gordon Groover

On July 30, 1999, the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) released their second national survey of computer usage by U.S. farms. Responses to the computer usage questions were summarized for 33,000 farms. Results were compared to the 1997 levels, the first year the computer usage survey was conducted. Virginia's computer usage in the four categories survey by NASS continues to be below the U.S. average.

Farmers with access to a computer: Virginia farmers have increased their access to computers from a 1997 level of 26 percent to a 1999 level of 42 percent (Table 1). In 1999, 47 percent of U.S. farmers had access to computers. Arizona farmers reported the largest usage (80 percent) and Kentucky farmers reported the smallest usage: 25 percent.

Computer ownership by farmers: Only 20 percent of Virginia's farmers owned or leased a computer in 1997 as compared to 28 percent in 1999. Virginia has 47 percent fewer than Arizona, which reported 75 percent of their farms own or lease a computer (Table 1). Kentucky reported the lowest computer ownership or leasing with only 20 percent.

Access to or ownership of a computer does not insure the computer will be used in the farm business. In 1999, only 12 percent of Virginia's farmers who owned a computer used in it in their farm business, a negligible increase over the 10 percent reported in 1997. This rate is half of the 1999 national rate of 24 percent, and contrasts with Colorado whose usage is 42 percent (Table 1).

Access to the Internet: Nationwide, farmers with access to the Internet more than doubled from 13 percent in 1997 to 29 percent in 1999 (Table 1). Fifty-three percent of New Jersey's 9,600 farmers reported the greatest access to the Internet of any state. Virginia's farmers reported a threefold increase in Internet access from 8 percent in 1997 to 24 percent in 1999. Kentucky farmers' reported the lowest with only 14 percent having access to the Internet.

What does this information mean for Virginia and the South? NASS reported computer access and use based on region and gross farm sales. The South, as a whole, lags behind all other regions. However, the South has the highest proportion of farms reporting gross sales less than $10,000. This economic class of farmers nationwide had the lowest level of computer access and use. Thus, limited resource farmers, those with sales less than $10,000, will have difficulty accessing computer technology. Farmers in this economic class, which is highest in the South, will be less likely to benefit from the improvements in day-to-day management and analysis supported by computer technology.

A complete copy of this report can be obtained from NASS at the following URL: http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/reports/nassr/other/computer/

Table 1: Farm Computer Usage: Access, Ownership, and Use by State and United States, 1997 and 1999

Percentage of farms

Number of Farms

With Access to Computer

That Own or Lease Computers

Using computer for Farm Business

With Internet Access

State

1998

1997

1999

1997

1999

1997

1999

1997

1999

AL

49,000

25

47

21

37

13

24

9

28

AZ

7,900

46

80

42

75

35

39

16

44

AR

49,500

25

41

22

35

17

23

10

25

CA

89,000

51

61

47

55

30

40

23

46

CO

29,500

47

64

43

59

31

42

16

37

DE

2,700

45

60

44

48

21

38

18

30

FL

45,000

41

45

35

39

24

27

19

34

GA

50,000

25

33

23

29

12

18

11

20

ID

24,500

48

75

36

59

21

34

12

41

IL

79,000

45

51

36

46

27

32

17

30

IN

66,000

37

46

29

41

16

22

10

25

IA

97,000

46

51

37

45

25

32

12

30

KS

65,000

36

52

31

46

21

26

11

27

KY

90,000

23

25

18

20

9

11

8

14

LA

30,000

26

35

21

32

14

20

4

21

MD

12,500

46

51

43

45

27

28

25

31

MI

52,000

47

59

38

51

20

25

17

28

MN

80,000

43

49

32

40

22

26

11

27

MS

42,000

22

30

15

24

9

11

4

18

MO

110,000

33

39

27

34

16

19

10

19

MT

27,500

54

65

41

52

33

36

15

38

NE

55,000

45

49

38

44

29

31

14

26

NH 1/

27,550

35

57

31

46

22

31

11

43

NJ

9,600

53

69

40

56

22

35

31

53

NM

16,000

47

61

39

54

27

36

14

42

NY

38,000

42

50

33

40

19

25

14

30

NC

58,000

30

42

24

36

13

20

10

30

ND

31,000

44

53

34

47

28

35

11

32

OH

80,000

41

58

30

49

18

25

14

35

OK

83,000

31

45

26

33

15

17

9

28

OR

39,500

61

65

52

55

30

31

22

29

PA

60,000

34

43

25

34

14

20

13

26

SC

25,000

25

30

20

27

11

12

9

17

SD

32,500

43

50

30

39

24

31

13

29

TN

91,000

24

35

17

28

7

13

8

24

TX

226,000

41

48

32

39

21

23

18

31

UT

15,000

65

70

52

61

31

36

29

45

VA

49,000

26

42

20

28

10

12

8

24

WA

40,000

58

61

50

52

35

39

20

50

WV

21,000

30

35

22

27

9

11

13

19

WI

78,000

36

50

29

40

19

24

9

33

WY

9,200

56

65

45

48

35

38

11

30

US

2,185,450

38

47

31

40

20

24

13

29

1/ Includes CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, and VT.

2/ Excludes AK and HI.

Contact the author at xgrover@vt.edu .

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