Broadband to the Barn Powers a Kentucky Farm

For the Tucker family, farming is a way of life. The fourth-generation farmers blend together decades of tradition with a high-tech approach to their agribusiness, working more efficiently with a connected farm.

The Tuckers are just one of about 2,800 homes and small businesses in Warren County, Kentucky, who now have access to high-speed internet as part of Spectrum’s continued effort to expand broadband to previously unserved areas.

“We plant, we pray, we harvest, we deliver,” explained Jennifer Tucker of Tucker Farms. “There’s not a lot of margin for error when you grow corn, wheat and soybeans, so having access to technology to improve how we farm is a game-changer.”

Before Spectrum’s network expansion project in Warren County, families and businesses like the Tuckers had to rely on satellite internet. They say it wasn’t a cost-effective option for them, as it required paying for and installing individual setups across multiple buildings to cover their farming needs. Lack of reliability was another concern.

Now with broadband to their barns, the Tuckers can be more efficient – Spectrum Internet is saving them time and so much more.

Spectrum Rural Expansion Boosts Productivity and Security

In addition to the financial and practical benefit, using broadband helps the farmers be more productive using fewer resources. With a more data-driven approach to farming, they’re driving around large equipment less often, using less fertilizer and reducing guesswork.

With Spectrum’s full suite of services now available, Jennifer says her family also benefits from using Spectrum Mobile, and no longer worries about spotty, unreliable service. They rely on their smartphones and other connected devices to monitor security cameras around the farm for added safety and security. This allows them to keep a closer eye on their barns and shops containing hundreds of thousands of dollars in machinery, tools and other equipment.

Beyond daily operations, broadband expansion also helps the Tucker family prepare for future growth. “It’s important to show the next generation of farmers how to adapt and continue to grow food for others,” said Jennifer. “Reliable internet access keeps us connected to our communities and the rest of the world.”

Spectrum’s multi-year rural construction initiative is driven by more than $7 billion in private investment from the company and will ultimately add an additional 100,000+ miles of fiber-optic network infrastructure and deliver symmetrical and multi-gigabit speed internet access to more than 1.7 million new locations across the country.

More about Spectrum's broadband expansion can be found here.