LENORA – The Federal Communications Commission has appointed new members to serve on the Task Force for Reviewing the Connectivity and Technology Needs of Precision Agriculture in the United States. Jimmy Todd, CEO/GM of Nex-Tech, has been appointed as a member of the Precision Ag Connectivity Task Force. The task force will continue its work to provide advice and recommendations to the FCC on accelerating the deployment of broadband internet access service on unserved agricultural land to promote precision agriculture.
Additionally, Teddy Bekele, senior vice president and chief technology officer of Land O’Lakes (MN), will serve as the chairman; and Michael Adelaine, Ph.D., CIO & special advisor to the president at South Dakota State University (SD), will serve as the vice chairman. Other members appointed include The Honorable Dale Artho, commissioner for deaf Smith County (TX); The Honorable Loranne Ausley, Florida State Senator for District 3 (FL); Sreekala Baiwa, Ph.D,. Vice President, dean and director at Montana State University College of Agriculture & Montana Agriculture Experiment Station (MT); Andy Bater, farmer at Fifth Estate Growers LLC (PA); Julie Bushell, president, Paige Wireless at Irrigation Association (NE); Anthony Dillard, tribal councilman of Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma (OK); Michael Gomes, vice president, strategic business development at Topcon Agriculture (CA); Heather Hampton-Knodle, vice president and secretary at Knodle Ltd. Farms (IL); Robert Hance, president and CEO at Midwest Energy and Communications (MI); Ryan Krogh, Manager, production system program management at John Deere (IL); Jennifer Manner, executive vice president and general counsel at Hughes Network Systems, LLC (MD); Joy Sterling, CEO at Iron Horse Vineyards (CA); and Christopher McLean, acting administrator, Rural Utilities Service, United States Department of Agriculture.
"It is an honor to be appointed to the Precision Ag Task Force. Being a service provider in rural Kansas agriculture is our life-blood and Nex-Tech has been focused on ensuring connectivity in rural areas despite the challenges of serving in high-cost areas of our country,” said Jimmy Todd. “I plan to help offer insights that allow us to make recommendations that truly benefit precision agriculture and connectivity across rural America."
More information about the Precision Ag Connectivity Task Force is available at