Internet Access and Use by Farm Households

The Internet is a strategic technology because it has found application across virtually all sectors of the economy. The Internet has become an everyday part of rural life and is an important new technology in U.S. agriculture. This study uses information collected through the 2004 Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS) to explore the adoption of computers with Internet access and Internet use by farm households. Results from this study suggest that adoption of computers with Internet access is positively related to age and educational level of the operator, off-farm business income, presence of a spouse, and regional location of the farm. Further, large farms and part-owner farms are more likely to adopt computers with Internet access. Internet use for the farm, household, or both is strongly related to the educational level of the operator and spouse, presence of teenagers in the household, farm size, and regional location of the farm.