New Broadband Towers Announced in Kansas with Land O’Lakes, Inc., Nextlink Internet and Microsoft

Today, In collaboration with Central Valley Ag Cooperative, Land O’Lakes, Inc., Nextlink Internet and Microsoft, new towers providing high-speed internet are now available in Beloit, Solomon Rapids, Norway, Asherville, Glen Elder, Scottsville, and Belleville.

This is a part of the efforts to expand broadband internet access to residents and commercial business areas around several of Central Valley Ag Cooperative locations. This effort to improve internet connectivity aims to directly benefit residents in these rural areas who currently lack adequate broadband service at home. 

Not only is broadband increasingly critical to daily life, it also enables precision agriculture, increasing yields, improving productivity, and boosting profits. Yet, according to the Federal Communications Commission, more than 14.5 million Americans do not have access to broadband, specifically in rural areas, where more than 17% of Americans lack access. However, some claim the number is even higher, Broadband Now estimates that 42 million Americans do not have access to broadband. This effort by Central Valley Ag Cooperative, Nextlink and Land O’Lakes aims to address these gaps. 

This project is part of ongoing efforts by Land O’Lakes and Nextlink to address the rural broadband gap across the United States, and Central Valley Ag Cooperative is part of the Land O’Lakes member network. Through its American Connection Project, Land O’Lakes along with its cooperative network are helping to bridge the digital divide with awareness and advocacy.  

“Supplying our CVA communities with broadband access is a great benefit that we are pleased to assist in providing,” said Doug Clingman, Director of Information Services, “as a farmer-owned cooperative, we are committed to serving our members and communities as much as we can. Equipping them with reliable, high-speed internet is a great way to support our rural communities.”

"We're so excited to be working with Central Valley Ag Cooperative 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, Land O'Lakes works to support job creation and vibrant communities where our members and their families work and live. We continue to develop more ways to increase access to digital connectivity for all Americans."

“We’re just grateful for the opportunity to partner with Central Valley Ag Cooperative, a pillar in the communities they serve, along with Land O’Lakes and Microsoft Airband Initiative to bring critical, quality high-speed internet to enable economic development through lower cost precision agriculture solutions, home-based employment and learning, and telemedicine to more and more small towns and rural communities,” said Katy Keenie, Nextlink VP Sales & Marketing.

“Too many in rural America lack access to the digital opportunities that are facilitated through reliable high-speed internet,” said Vickie Robinson, general manager of Microsoft’s Airband Initiative. “Through connectivity efforts like this, we can help level the playing field and improve livelihoods in these previously under-connected communities.”

 

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About Central Valley Ag Cooperative

Central Valley Ag is a farmer-owned cooperative in Iowa, Kansas, & Nebraska. CVA is an innovative leader providing products and services in grain, agronomy, feed, & energy.

 

About Nextlink Internet

Nextlink Internet is a rural-focused provider of high-speed internet and phone services in Texas, Oklahoma, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska. The company is a fully IP-based, carrier-class network from core to edge with approximately 80,000 customers, more than 850 team members, 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 rapidly connect thousands of additional homes, schools, libraries, and businesses in small communities across 11 states. For more information: nextlinkinternet.com. 

 

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 2021 annual sales of $16 billion, Land O'Lakes is one of the nation's largest cooperatives, ranking 232 on the Fortune 500. Building on a legacy of more than 100 years of operation, Land O'Lakes today operates some of the most respected brands in agribusiness and food production including Land O’Lakes Dairy Foods, Purina Animal Nutrition, WinField United and Truterra. The company does business in all 50 states and more than 60 countries. Land O'Lakes, Inc. corporate headquarters are located in Arden Hills, Minnesota.