LEARY, Georgia — On February 17, the Flint River Soil and Water Conservation District (FRSWCD) participated in Federal Communications Commissioner (FCC) Geoffrey Starks’ tour of the rural Southeast to share about access issues and the importance of reliable broadband in South Georgia. The FRSWCD highlighted the necessity of broadband to the agricultural South Georgia economy, the need for broadband to expand agricultural innovation, and the importance of broadband for youth and community engagement in solving issues of food insecurity in South Georgia.
FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks addresses growers at an annual growers meting in Leary on February 17.
“The Flint River Soil and Water Conservation District is committed to strategic partnerships to increase adoption of innovative practices and technologies that improve farmer’s efficiency, bottom line, and conserve our natural resources,” says Marty McLendon, Chairman of the FRSWCD. “Reliable broadband is key to the success of these efforts and becomes a limiting factor in largely rural and agricultural areas. We’re thrilled to see a commitment from the FCC and Commissioner Starks in addressing this issue head on.”
The Commissioner attended a meeting for growers and producers at the McLendon Acres, Inc. Air Hanger. At the meeting, FRSWCD Executive Director Perri Campis and Southwest District Area Water Agent Cale Cloud gave a presentation on agricultural innovations and barriers faced by lack of broadband.
Highlights of this presentation included:
Agriculture is Georgia's #1 industry, contributing over $76 billion to the state's economy annually. The majority of this production is in southwest Georgia where agriculture is the heart of rural economies.
Reliable broadband coverage is required for basic business activities-- marketing, communicating with employees, record keeping, etc.
Innovations like soil moisture sensors, variable rate irrigation, irrigation scheduling, remote pivot control, and GPS technologies on tractors are proven to improve efficiency, yields, reduce inputs, and conserve natural resources (and require 25-50 Mbps)
On average soil moisture sensors increase irrigation efficiency by 15%
On average Variable Rate Irrigation increase irrigation efficiency by 15%
Innovations like Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), Dynamic Variable Rate Irrigation, yield data transmission, and remote plant disease diagnostics are all underutilized on-farm technologies and offer huge potential, but require 100 Mbps
In southwest Georgia, on average, half of the households and businesses are unserved with basic broadband connection. In some Counties such as Early, Miller and Baker, the percentage of unserved communities is 62, 91, and 100 percent, respectively.
A side-by-side comparison highlighting the correlation of the economic impact of agriculture (red) and lack of broadband access (light yellow) by county in Georgia. Source: (left) UGA 2020 Ag Snapshots (right) Georgia Broadband Deployment Initiative.
After the presentation, Commissioner Starks addressed attendees and expressed commitment to expanding broadband into rural communities, heard concerns and comments from growers, and joined the attendees for lunch. The growers meeting was sponsored by Valent, Bayer, and McLendon Acres, Inc.
(from left) Flint River Fresh Executive Director Fredando Jackson, FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks, and FRSWCD Executive Director Perri Campis tour the Flint River Fresh Phoebe Health Community Garden site in Albany.
Following the meeting, Commissioner Starks toured the Flint River Fresh and Phoebe Health Community Garden site in Albany, Georgia
Flint River Fresh is a 501(c)(3) organization located in Albany with a mission to increase access to fresh, healthy produce to food insecure and at-risk communities in Dougherty County. The Flint River Fresh Phoebe Health Community Garden serves as an educational and hands-on demonstration site for the surrounding communities to learn about food production and conservation.
Jackson shared the importance of broadband for learning opportunities, particularly with youth in the area.
Read the official FCC Press Release on the entire Southeastern Tour here: https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-362611A1.pdf
The Flint River Soil and Water Conservation District is comprised of farmers, landowners, and community leaders that are dedicated to the conservation, wise use, and protection of natural resources in the Flint River Basin. Learn more about the District at flintriverswcd.org.