As high-speed broadband reaches more rural communities, it is important to explore how farms are utilizing the internet and advanced technologies in their operations. Every two years since 1997, the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service has conducted a survey to get an overview of technology use on farms (USDA, 2025). The survey asks producers about what devices they own, whether or not they can access the internet (and if so, if their services are through fiber, cable, etc.), and how they use the internet for business-related purposes. The most recent survey’s findings were released in August 2025 and include comparisons, where applicable, to responses from the 2023 survey.
Table 1 shows the 2025 response rates for the percentage of farms that purchase agricultural inputs over the internet, conduct agricultural marketing activities over the internet, and use precision agriculture to manage crops or livestock for states in the Southern Region. The values in parentheses are percentage changes in response rates between the 2023 and 2025 surveys. Looking at changes in the percentage of farms purchasing agricultural inputs over the internet, all southern states saw increased use of the internet to purchase inputs between 2023 and 2025. Notably, four states (Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Texas) saw over a 100% increase in the percentage of farms reporting that they buy inputs online. Given the farm financial situation over the last couple of years, farmers could be exploring non-traditional ways of buying inputs to find better deals. With 50% of respondents across the U.S. saying they used the internet to purchase inputs in 2025, it also shows the importance that reliable internet access has on agriculture.
For the percentage of farms stating that they conduct agricultural marketing activities online, the average across southern states in 2025 was about 25% compared to an average of 29% across the entire United States. The majority of southern states had positive increases in the percentage of farms reporting that they engaged in agricultural marketing online from 2023 to 2025. Georgia (-23%) and Missouri (-8%) being the only exceptions. However, the survey did not reveal the specific type of marketing activities they conduct online. It could be that most are simply getting crop/livestock price information. Either way, it is an indication of the growing importance of online engagement.
The column to the far right in Table 1 is for the percentage of farms using precision agriculture. Between 2023 and 2025, the percentage of farms that use precision agriculture for their crops or livestock decreased in seven southern states, with the largest decreases occurring in Tennessee, North Carolina, and Alabama. The percentage of farms that use precision agriculture increased in the other seven southern states over the same time period. For the U.S. as a whole, the use of precision ag technologies decreased by 19% from 2023 to 2025. This finding could signal that precision ag technologies are not viewed as cost savers, and producers are cutting these technologies to save costs.
Producers are finding different ways of using the internet to help with their businesses, including buying inputs and finding marketing information. These are relatively low-cost ways of gaining cost savings or information. Conversely, higher cost technologies, like precision agriculture, may see their use decreased in times of financial stress. Regardless, these results show that having reliable internet access is an essential tool for farmers.
| State | Percentage of Farms that Purchase Agricultural Inputs over Internet | Percentage of Farms that Conduct Agricultural Marketing Activities over Internet | Percentage of Farms Using Precision Agriculture Practices to Manage Crops or Livestock |
| Alabama | 44% (100%) * | 19% (111%) | 15% (-32%) |
| Arkansas | 45% (55%) | 28% (8%) | 20% (-26%) |
| Florida | 57% (84%) | 24% (50%) | 17% (42%) |
| Georgia | 51% (11%) | 23% (-23%) | 18% (38%) |
| Kentucky | 49% (69%) | 27% (69%) | 13% (18%) |
| Louisiana | 53% (130%) | 27% (125%) | 22% (-29%) |
| Mississippi | 48% (140%) | 26% (271%) | 19% (-5%) |
| Missouri | 43% (59%) | 24% (-8%) | 22% (-4%) |
| North Carolina | 58% (66%) | 29% (-9%) | 17% (-37%) |
| Oklahoma | 51% (89%) | 29% (45%) | 22% (22%) |
| South Carolina | 57% (159%) | 25% (47%) | 17% (21%) |
| Tennessee | 47% (88%) | 22% (22%) | 12% (-61%) |
| Texas | 51% (143%) | 23% (130%) | 14% (8%) |
| Virginia | 48% (23%) | 28% (87%) | 14% (27%) |
| United States | 50% (56%) | 29% (26%) | 22% (-19%) |
* Values in parentheses represent percentage changes in responses from 2023 to 2025
Source: United States Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service. 2025. Technology Use (Farm Computer Usage and Ownership). Available at: https://esmis.nal.usda.gov/publication/technology-use-farm-computer-usage-and-ownership.
Mills, Devon, and Brian E. Mills. “Tracking Technology Adoption on Southern Farms.” Southern Ag Today 5(43.1). October 20, 2025. Permalink
