Several Senators are leading a bipartisan push to improve broadband internet access in rural communities to ensure farmers and ranchers can take advantage of precision agriculture technology to better compete in the global market. Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill joined Republican Senators Roger Wicker of Mississippi, Steve Daines of Montana, and Democratic Senators Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Jon Tester of Montana in backing legislation that would establish a task force made up of federal government officials and agricultural stakeholders to explore the unique needs of precision agriculture as it relates to broadband—with the goal of providing broadband to 95 percent of America’s crop and ranchlands by 2025. The bill is supported by the Missouri Farm Bureau Federation as well as other Farm Bureau’s from across the nation. “Missouri’s farmers and ranchers increasingly depend on a reliable internet connection to track crop yield, market their products, and conduct business more efficiently—but they’re at a disadvantage in the global marketplace without access to high-speed internet,” McCaskill said. “With a level playing field, no one outworks or outcompetes Missouri workers—and we’ve got to ensure they’ve got the tools to keep up in our changing economy.” Precision agriculture describes the use of mobile devices, robotics, field sensors, remote monitoring, and other technologies to manage agricultural production. Farmers and ranchers who use the technology can significantly increase crop yields, streamline operations, and reduce production expenses. In many areas of the country, reliable, high-speed internet connections are not consistently available to support precision agriculture operations.