Q&A with Brianne Partlow, marketing manager, Dakota Central
By Sharon Vollman
Sharon: You featured an excellent customer story, “Cows & Co.,” in your newsletter a time ago that proves how ongoing customer support is mutually beneficial for small businesses and Dakota Central. How did taking care of the customer help Dakota Central support C&C as it grew and moved out of its garage to build a creamery to process farm fresh gelato and gouda?
Brianne: The owners of Cows & Co. (Maartje and Casey) knew they needed a stable, reliable connection to run their business from a rural location. Dakota Central also provides broadband service to their family dairy farm, where their business started. Knowing the quality of service and local support, Maartje worked with Dakota Central to ensure they had the connectivity needed to support their growing business.
Sharon: How many farms does Dakota Central serve, and what percentage are fiber-connected? As alternative technologies emerge in your service area, what strategies do you employ to retain these customers within the Dakota Central network?
Brianne: As a rough estimation, Dakota Central serves about 1,100 farms, 100% connected with fiber. It is an ongoing effort to educate customers on the differences between internet speeds of “1 Gigabit per second” and “5G.” However, because of the rise in smart devices like moisture sensors for grain dryers and surveillance cameras, more farmers want to connect outbuildings with broadband over a cellular service. Some farms and ranches have three or four internet connections, including a home (and sometimes more than one), barn and grain dryer building.
Sharon: With this edition of Smart Notes focusing on agriculture and ag tech, could you highlight two of the most innovative ag applications your customers are leveraging in the field?
Brianne: The two most crucial precision ag applications are automatic shut-off in product application and sub-inch autosteer guidance. Automatic shut-off in product application maximizes efficiency by preventing overlap and reducing waste. It also ensures precise input placement with seed and chemicals. This technology's pinpoint accuracy minimizes input costs, enhances yield potential and reduces environmental impact by applying only the necessary amount of product. Sub-inch auto-steer guidance improves accuracy by maintaining precise row spacing, eliminating operator error and optimizing field coverage. This level of precision enhances productivity, conserves resources and improves overall farm profitability by ensuring every pass is as efficient as possible.