Technology is really challenging
in a rural environment.
[MUSIC]
Caswell County, in particular,
our internet speeds are very low.
[MUSIC]
I had no idea that there were
places in America that you could
not get broadband internet.
I mean, I was so ignorant, I just assumed.
[MUSIC]
Here on the farm the only option
we have is satellite internet,
which sometimes work okay.
But if it's thinking about raining
within the next 24 hours, or
if it's too windy, or
all sorts of different things,
things that should normally take maybe
five minutes, they can take an hour.
[MUSIC]
Even before COVID everything
was moving online, but
now that everybody's
trying to work from home,
school is happening from home
it’s actually gotten worse.
Even cell phone coverage, we have no
cell phone coverage in most places.
[MUSIC]
It may sound a little crazy, but
being able to post to Instagram and
be able to post to Facebook it’s
a huge part of our business,
especially with the farmers markets.
The number of people I have come up to me
at the farmers market and say, I saw that
picture of your pimento peppers I want to
buy them makes a big difference for us.
[MUSIC]
Half of our revenue right now goes
through our website, which is new,
we’ve only had it about six weeks.
For us, we've made the decision
that that's worth the effort and
that's what our business is.
If you haven't done it before, if you're
trying to learn it in an environment that
is just inherently frustrating
you may not make that jump and
you may just decide I'm done.
>> Is that your [INAUDIBLE]?
>> Yes.
>> [INAUDIBLE] writing.
>> I've worked with some local farmers
who are trying to move their business
online now because of COVID and
they just get so frustrated.
You're spending hours loading pages
just trying to get your store set up so
that you have the ability to take
credit cards at the farmers market,
which can now be a requirement.
[BLANK_AUDIO]
[MUSIC]
We have a huge need to be
able to access the Internet.
[BLANK_AUDIO]
It’s critical for businesses to be
able to thrive in this environment.
It's critical now for education and for
kids to be able to not just thrive,
but participate and
have that opportunity to learn in the
coming year and for who knows how long.
>> Okay, yeah.
>> Almost there.
There you go.
>> Here we go.
>> Good, how're you doing,
sir, what can we get you?
>> Pears and sweet apples there.
[BLANK_AUDIO]
