Modern farming utilizes technology and connectivity in ways that shape nearly all daily farm activities, from helping monitor a cow’s eating habits to managing fieldwork down to the inch where a seed is planted. A commissioner and team from the Federal Communications Commission saw precision agriculture firsthand at one of UW–Madison’s agricultural research stations in April.
Commissioner Anna Gomez toured the Arlington Agricultural Research Station with researchers and experts from the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Division of Extension, and Wisconet. Presentations and demonstrations explained RFID (radio-frequency identification) monitoring of cows, use of drones in field operations, real-time kinematic (RTK) tractor maneuvering, weather stations, farm safety, and legal issues related to connectivity in agricultural production.
All of those processes rely heavily on robust connections that can sometimes be a challenge for farms and barns. The Federal Communications Commission regulates internet, radio, television, satellite, and other spectrums which facilitate precision agriculture. Commissioner Gomez is one of three commissioners of the independent agency and has served in the role since 2023.
“For farmers, Washington, D.C., can feel very far away and they don’t always have a chance to make those connections,” said Kelly Wilfert, Farm Law Management Outreach Specialist with Extension’s Agriculture Institute. “UW–Madison helps tell an unbiased, research-based story that helps farmers have their voices heard.”
All photos by Michael P. King/UW–Madison CALS
From left, Kim Kester, dairy and livestock program manager in UW–Madison Extension’s Agriculture Institute, shows examples of data collected on cows for their health and wellbeing in modern dairy barns to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Commissioner Anna Gomez and her chief of staff Deena Shetler while touring the Emmons Blaine Dairy Cattle Research Center at Arlington Agricultural Research Station.
Following an agricultural drone demonstration, Federal Communications Commissioner Anna Gomez, center, poses for a group picture with faculty and staff during a tour of UW–Madison’s Arlington Agricultural Research Station with biological systems engineering professor Brian Luck; plant and agroecosystem sciences professor Shawn Conley; and Adam Roth and Mark Kendall of Conley’s Cool Bean team.
Jessica Cederquist, left, dairy herd operations manager, gives a tour of the Emmons Blaine Dairy Cattle Research Center milking parlor to Federal Communications Commissioner Anna Gomez, front, and her chief of staff Deena Shetler to UW–Madison’s Arlington Agricultural Research Station. The milking equipment, which collects individualized data on cows and their productivity, is just one example of the increasing technology use on dairy farms.