CVA to connect high-speed internet with Nextlink, Land O’ Lakes, and Microsoft

York, NE (June 1, 2021) Central Valley Ag (CVA) announced today it is expanding access to broadband internet to residents of Duncan, Elgin, Humphrey, Monroe, Oakland, Petersburg, Platte Center, Randolph, St. Edward, Wakefield and West Point, Neb, and the surrounding communities in collaboration with internet service provider Nextlink, Land O’Lakes and Microsoft’s Airband Initiative.

“Our mission is to embrace the cooperative spirit to deliver value to our members,” said Carl Dickinson, President/CEO of CVA. “This partnership demonstrates the cooperative spirit and providing reliable broadband connectivity will deliver value to our members.”

Nextlink has installed high-speed broadband technology to CVA facilities, improving access to broadband connectivity throughout the area. This effort to improve internet connectivity has the potential to directly benefit residents in these rural areas who are currently unable to access adequate broadband service at their homes, businesses, or farming operations.

“We are so grateful to partner with CVA to accelerate the build-out of our high-speed internet network across Nebraska,” said Bill Baker, CEO of Nextlink Internet. “The partnership will result in widespread residential download speeds of up to100 Mbps across rural communities within CVA’s operational footprint as well as facilitate precision agriculture deployments utilizing cheaper, more stable networks. Nextlink’s partnership with CVA along with Land O’Lakes and Microsoft’s Airband Initiative make it possible to bring affordable and dependable high-speed internet to drive economic development through advancements in precision agriculture, home-based employment, distance learning, and telemedicine to those rural communities in need. CVA has empowered Nextlink to accomplish these efforts much faster for the CVA members and the public at large within the communities they operate.”

Not only is broadband increasingly critical to daily life, it also enables precision agriculture, increasing yields, improving productivity, and boosting profit potentials. Yet, according to the Federal Communications Commission, more than 14 million Americans do not have access to broadband, including nearly a quarter of Americans living in rural areas. Additionally, 60 percent of farmers say they lack the connectivity needed to run their business. This effort by CVA, Nextlink, Land O’Lakes, and Microsoft’s Airband Initiative aims to address these gaps.

“Rural America cannot be cut off from opportunity available throughout the rest of the United States,” said Vickie Robinson, general manager of Microsoft’s Airband Initiative. “By investing in partnerships like this, we can ensure rural communities get the connectivity they deserve to thrive in the 21st century economy.”

CVA is part of the Land O’Lakes member network helping to bridge the digital divide through awareness and advocacy through its American Connection Project, and Nextlink is a partner of Microsoft’s Airband Initiative, working to eliminate the rural broadband gap by partnering across the U.S. and throughout the globe to bring access to affordable connectivity. Plans are being made to bring service to additional communities in the CVA geography, including Hooper, NE; Scribner, NE; Snyder, NE; Tilden, NE; Royal, NE; Polk, NE; Bee, NE; Hinton, IA; Beloit, KS; Washington, KS; Asherville, KS; Norway, KS, and Lincoln, KS.

"We're so excited to be partnering with these organizations to bring real solutions for the lack of broadband access in these communities,” said Teddy Bekele, Chief Technology Officer at Land O’Lakes. “As a farmer-owned co-op with deep roots across rural America, Land O'Lakes will continue to raise awareness and devise more ways to increase access to digital connectivity for all Americans."

Customers in or around the Nebraska towns of Duncan, Elgin, Humphrey, Monroe, Oakland, Petersburg, Platte Center, Randolph, St. Edward, Wakefield and West Point, who are interested in this new broadband connectivity, are encouraged to visit the website nextlinkinternet.com/lp/cva to learn more and register to determine if the service is available at their location.

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About Central Valley Ag

Central Valley Ag (CVA) is a farmer-owned cooperative headquartered in York, NE. CVA has locations in Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska. CVA is an innovative leader providing products and services in grain, agronomy, feed, and energy. 
 
 About Nextlink Internet

Nextlink Internet is a rural-focused provider of Internet and phone services to residential, business, institutional and governmental customers in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Illinois, Iowa, and Nebraska. The company is fully IP-based, with a carrier-class network that hosts 70,000 customers. The Nextlink team is made up of more than 700 team members with local community presence, and extensive fiber and wireless infrastructure. As an active participant in the Federal Communications Commission’s programs to close the digital divide, Nextlink is working to connect thousands more homes, schools, libraries, medical centers, and businesses in small communities across 11 mid-western states. For more information: https://nextlinkinternet.com . For current service areas see: Nextlink Coverage Map.

About Microsoft Airband

Microsoft’s Airband Initiative is an effort to close the broadband gap and help communities use new connectivity to improve education, health care, and agriculture, and transform their businesses. The Airband Initiative works with the private and public sectors to invest in new technologies, accelerate broadband deployment, and support policy changes with the goal of bringing broadband access to millions of people in the United States. More information can be found at aka.ms/airband

About Land O' Lakes, Inc. 

Land O'Lakes, Inc., one of America's premier agribusiness and food companies, is a member-owned cooperative with industry-leading operations that span the spectrum from agricultural production to consumer foods. With 2019 annual sales of $14 billion, Land O'Lakes is one of the nation's largest cooperatives, ranking 212 on the Fortune 500. Building on a legacy of more than 99 years of operation, Land O'Lakes today operates some of the most respected brands and businesses in agriculture and food production including Land O’Lakes Dairy Foods, Purina Animal Nutrition, WinField United and Truterra, LLC. The company does business in all 50 states and more than 60 countries. Land O'Lakes, Inc. corporate headquarters are located in Arden Hills, Minn. You can find more information about Land O’Lakes, Inc. by visiting www.landolakesinc.com