Rural Internet Access is Up as Number of Wisconsin Farms Drop

MADISON, WI (WTAQ-WRN) — Wisconsin farms are still struggling to get Internet access.

USDA statistician Greg Bussler says a higher percentage of farms had access to the internet in 2022 at 79%; compared to 2017 at 76%.

“The number in 2022 went down to 46,091 farms but the percentage went up because the number of farms dropped,” said Bussler.

Bussler says Wisconsin lost 10% of its farming operations between 2017 and 2022, falling from around 64-thousand farms to only 58,521 in five years.

59% of Wisconsin farmers responding to the 2022 Census of Agriculture are getting their Internet from a mobile provider, while 53% have access to broadband.