Farming is about community. It always has been. From the earliest known farming communities in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia to the modern farms punctuating the landscape of Rural America, people have worked together for centuries to cultivate the crops that feed the world.

America’s livestock industry accounts for millions of U.S. jobs and nearly 6 percent of our Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Our country has always been the global leader in agricultural production and exports, and thanks to vigilant diligence by the USDA and the U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border Protection, we have been able to keep numerous foreign animal diseases outside our borders. However, we want to ensure that diligence continues, otherwise inaction could threaten America’s standing, putting the livestock industry, the economy and consumers at risk.

American agriculture is facing numerous challenges and unfortunately, an overwhelming share is being shouldered by U.S. pork producers like myself. However, the news earlier this week of a signed trade deal with Japan is significant and hopefully a catalyst for similar agreements in other countries.

African countries recognize agriculture as the center of their development policy.

The farmer fell to his knees, landing hard on the barren soil, and raised his arms to heaven. “God, have mercy on us,” he prayed, opening his palms to embrace his forlorn field.

Pressure to address sustainability and nutrition under a common framework is picking up steam as global stakeholders grapple with what it will take to sustainably produce enough food for healthy eating patterns given global population projections 30 years out.

Calling the ongoing trade war with China anything less than war completely understates the existential threat China poses to the United States. I believe China has viewed trade with the U.S. as a strategic war from the outset, with nothing short of global domination as their ultimate goal.

I have to drive 20 miles to see a traffic light. To get to an airport from our farm requires a 2-hour drive to Burlington. In other words, life on our dairy farm in Vermont can feel pretty remote. That was especially true before we gained access to broadband, back when it seemed like we faced a red light at the on-ramp to the information superhighway. Now that broadband finally has come to our country home—the red light has turned green—my family can enjoy the benefits of rural living along with the connectivity that keeps us in touch with the whole world.

I’m flat busted. My Missouri corn and soybean farm is bankrupt, financially incompetent, a lousy credit risk, upside down--you pick the financial euphemism for a balance sheet that is downright ugly. I’m still paying my bills on time and eating good, due to some profitable years in the recent past, but any honest appraisal of my farm’s future income and liabilities is dark indeed. Of course, if there is any comfort to be found in shared misery, every other producer of corn and soybeans in the U.S. is in the same position.

Expanding wireless internet access in rural areas will continue to fuel the truly game-changing advances being made by precision agriculture. These include new ways to grow crops using less water, seed, pesticides and fertilizer. Made possible by a faster mobile internet, precision agriculture will continue to support new innovations like driverless tractors, robots and drones that are already increasingly handling farming tasks.