Michael Adelaine, vice president for technology and security at South Dakota State University, has been named one of four individuals to chair working groups to look at the technology needs of precision agriculture.
The work groups are part of The Federal Communications Commission’s new Task Force for Reviewing the Connectivity and Technology Needs of Precision Agriculture. The task force held its first meeting Dec. 9 in the Commission Meeting Room at FCC Headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Adelaine chairs the mapping and analyzing connectivity on agricultural lands group, which will help identify connectivity gaps on agricultural lands. Other work groups are examining current and future connectivity demands for precision agriculture, encouraging adoption of precision agriculture and availability of high-quality jobs on connected farms and accelerating broadband deployment on unserved agricultural lands.
“It’s an honor, and the implications and scope of this are huge,†said Adelaine, who was one of several individuals who presented information to Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) about the intersection of technology and rural America in September. “I’ve traveled the state of South Dakota and know what connectivity looks like and what folks have for bandwidth. When you combine that information with being on campus and working with our researchers and SDSU Extension individuals on precision agriculture, I know what’s going to be needed. It’s all about big data and the need to move it for analysis.â€
