“Every minute counts, and having access to safe and reliable internet and cell phone service helps ensure that we get as many of those minutes to count as possible.”
— Kelsey Scott,
rancher, Eagle Butte, North Dakota,
Cheyenne River Indian Reservation
Broadband barriers on the farm
When Virginia farmer John Boyd’s combine caught fire, spotty cellular coverage left him walking over a mile for a signal — too late to save his equipment. “A complete loss, and insurance wouldn’t pay,” said Boyd, who is also the founder of the National Black Farmers Association.
Across rural America, especially on Black and Indigenous-owned farms, the digital divide is more than an inconvenience. It undermines safety, efficiency and profitability.
That’s the focus of this week’s feature story by Melissa Dai, who found race-based disparities in farm internet access.
From Melissa’s story: In 2022, 79% of farms nationwide reported having internet access. Farms run by white, Asian and Pacific Islander producers met or exceeded that average. But Native-operated farms trailed at 71%, and Black-operated farms at 67%.
Barriers include a lack of affordability, government policy challenges and cuts to funding seeking to address historic exclusion.
But this story also takes a closer look at how tribal nations are building their own fiber networks, while some new companies are focused on offering affordable service in Black communities.
— Ben Felder, editor-in-chief
DATA HARVEST: Trump could bail out farmers again. Here’s what happened the first time.
By Sky Chadde, Investigate Midwest
When Donald Trump returned to the presidency, he restarted the trade war he had initiated during his first term. The major buyer for U.S. soybeans has been China, but the country has bought none this year. Prices for the commodity are so low that some farmers told PBS News they’re storing their product in hopes of an economic recovery — repeating what happened during Trump’s first foray into tariffs.
With farmers strapped, Trump is reportedly considering another bailout, this time for $10 billion.
ICYMI: The last bailout set the rules
By Investigate Midwest and InvestigateTV
With another farm bailout under discussion in Washington, D.C., our 2022 investigation with InvestigateTV into the Market Facilitation Program offers a roadmap for what to watch. The last time tariffs hit, the USDA used the Commodity Credit Corporation to send out more than $23 billion without congressional approval.
Our reporting found payouts were uneven, high-income farms collected millions, and new and underserved farmers received just 3.6% of funds. Many farmers growing the same crop didn’t receive the same assistance.
Policy experts warned then: once subsidies move through CCC with few guardrails, emergency aid starts to look like expectation.
‘WATER: The Current of Life’
What: Investigate Midwest’s IowaWatch newsroom is hosting an evening of storytelling
Theme: “Water: the Current of Life”
When: Thursday, Nov. 13; doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the program starts at 6:20 p.m.
Where: Trumpet Blossom Cafe, 310 E. Prentiss St., Iowa City, Iowa
Tickets: $30.52
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