Dirt Road Discussions
We are all about agriculture all the time. This podcast will surprise you! It is not your ordinary farm podcast. These are fascinating stories, from technology to human interest, where we talk to captivating people who are changing the landscape of the world around us. Hosted by the Idaho Farm Bureau Federation.
Dirt Road Discussions
79: Navigating Rural Technology
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
We all know someone who says they are technologically challenged, which may be a light-hearted comment until we realize how isolating it can feel in a world that requires skills with a smartphone or computer to pay basic bills, register kids for events, or video chat with family.
High-speed or fiber optic internet opportunities can be late or non-existent in our country's rural areas, making it difficult for some who live there.
In this podcast, we meet Monica Hampton (U of I Extension Digital Economy Program Coordinator) and Aubree Denker (U of I Extension Digital Navigator ) who are carrying out a game-changing program in Southeast, Idaho. They discuss their work and mission to reach people in rural Idaho to encourage, train, and empower people with technology. Some of their answers may surprise you on how it is going.
Welcome to Dirt Road Discussions, the podcast where we're all about agriculture all the time. Broadcasting from the Idaho Farm Bureau Federation headquarters. We introduce you to people from all over the country who are keeping agriculture growing strong. Whether you're a seasoned farmer or just someone curious about where your food comes from, you're in the right place. So let's take a journey down the dirt road.
SPEAKER_01Hey, and welcome to all you dirt roadies out there to another episode of your favorite podcast, Dirt Road Discussions, the podcast that takes you off the beaten path to explore the real stories and insights shaping rural life. I am your host, Cam Hammond. Ott Clark is the co-host of Dirt Road Discussions. Ott, always a pleasure. How are you, sir?
SPEAKER_02I'm doing very well, Cameron. And yourself?
SPEAKER_01Fantastic. Good. I'm doing well. Another beautiful day. Another beautiful day in paradise. Anything new going on in your life recently? No. Nothing new. Nothing new. You? Just same here. Business as usual. New uh new baby. New baby? Yeah, he's about four months old now. Just getting big. Things all every day, probably. You bet. He's starting to grab his toes and soon he'll be shaving. So it's uh exciting. Yeah. No, but he is doing well. So uh for all of our listeners out there, thanks so much for being here with us. Whether you're a farmer, rancher, or just curious about life beyond the city lights, we're here to dig into the challenges, triumphs, and untold tales from the heart of rural communities. Dirt Road Discussions brings you conversations that matter. So be sure to give us a follow and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. We have got a great show today. And we're gonna be talking to some folks who are helping our rural and agricultural communities. So they're doing some important work. You bet. Before we jump into the conversation, though, I have a random question to ask, and you're gonna love this one. Okay, love a good random question. All right, here it is. Do you know what an idiom is?
SPEAKER_02Um it's uh it has something to do with like quotes. Um idioms, they're like uh do they teach you something? They do teach yeah, you could say that.
SPEAKER_01All right, that's a good idiom is quotes that could have quotes or not, you know, whatever you're feeling. Okay, but an idiom is an extra expression to describe something. Okay. So if I were to say if it's raining hard outside and I say, hey, it's raining cats and dogs outside, that's an idiom. You bet. Because it's not literally raining cats and dogs, okay, but it is raining pretty hard. Okay, deal. Does that make sense? I now know what that means. Yes, idioms are fun. And so I was thinking we like to have fun on dirt road discussion. Okay, maybe we're true. Maybe we need to talk about some idioms. Okay. So here's what we're gonna do. I think you probably know. It's that time once again for Ot's Shots, the game where we make Odd uncomfortable by putting him on the spot and asking him random questions. This time the idiom edition. Okay. Play along, everybody. Play along as you're driving or you're at the gym or wherever you are at. So here's how it's gonna work, Odd. I have some random idioms. Okay. Some are more known, some are lesser known. Your job is to tell me the meaning behind the idiom.
SPEAKER_02Okay.
SPEAKER_01All right. I that make sense.
SPEAKER_02I I'm I'm feeling more positive about this than some of the games that we play. Okay, good. But I'm about to be put in my place, probably.
SPEAKER_01Well, yeah, we'll see. A few of them you'll be like, oh, I've heard of that. A few others you may be like, ooh, dear. Okay. Okay, all right, let's hear them. All right. So the first one. Um I'm going to say when you pull the wool over someone's eyes, what do you mean by that?
SPEAKER_02You're you're tricking them. You're uh you're telling them a fib so that they believe you. Correct.
SPEAKER_01You got it. Spot on there, winking or hoodwork hoodwinking someone. Hoodwinking. Great word. Work that in your uh daily discussion. That's right. Bingo card hoodwink. Okay. Number two. Making hay while the sun shines. What does that mean?
SPEAKER_02Oh, that means you gotta uh you gotta do the work while uh while you can. Like you can't be waiting for um everybody knows what it means. Uh you you gotta you gotta do the work when you have the opportunity to do the work.
SPEAKER_01There you ding ding. Good job. Okay. Taking advantage of a good situation. Okay. Okay, nicely done. Two for two so far, good start. Number three. Get the goat.
SPEAKER_02Get the goat. Oh man, how do you describe that? Um it's at least in my head, it's when uh when when somebody gets you, get they they they put you in your place, but not not put you in your place, but uh man, I'm having trouble with words. I'm quite the linguist. Yes, yes. They get ya. They get ya.
SPEAKER_01Is that the is that close enough for you? You know, that is close, but I just don't think that will be accepted.
SPEAKER_02So your Wikipedia version.
SPEAKER_01You know, this one's actually pretty interesting. So it means to upset or irritate or anger someone. Okay. Okay. All right. I feel like I was close. You were pretty close, but there's a fun, interesting meaning behind this. So the expression comes from horse racing. So they used to put goats in with the horses to calm the horses down before race. I don't know if you knew that or not. But some opponents would actually cheat by stealing the goat before the race, and then the horse would get agitated, so they would get the goat. Oh, there you go. All right. Nobody likes a goat thief. Nobody. Nobody. Yeah. Okay. Interesting factoid there. All right, the next one. Sacred cow.
SPEAKER_02Sacred cow. Um, I assume that uh that that one is like, you know, cows are believed to be sacred in some places, and so that's like your your highest thing that you you believe in, or the the thing that you put above all else.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I I think I think we'll count that one. Okay. Yeah, so this says uh a person, thing, or belief that is unreasonably above criticism or immune from questioning. There you go. It's your sacred cow, right? I don't feel like I nailed that, but I'll I'll take the credit. You know, it was it was pretty close. Okay. Um, next one's fun. Damp Squib. Ooh, the old damp squib. Yep. Gotta love the damp squib.
SPEAKER_02I believe that's a Harry Potter character. Um that uh I actually don't know what a damp squib is. Uh it could be from Harry Potter.
SPEAKER_01I couldn't tell you, but yeah, this one's a little bit trickier. Uh so this means that when something falls short of expectation, okay. The old damp squib. So a squib was a nineteenth century explosive device used in mining. If the squib was wet, it was ineffective because it couldn't ignite. There you go. Therefore, a damp squib was something that was a non-starter.
SPEAKER_02The more you know.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Right. This is Knowledge is power, people. Use damp squib along with hoodwinked today. There we go. Okay, and the last one teach an old dog new tricks. Ooh, it's tough to teach an old dog new tricks. Yeah. Yeah, we all have those old dogs that still haven't figured out how to play fetch. And you it's hard to teach them to to to take on those new tricks.
SPEAKER_01Absolutely. Yes, but you're spot on hard to teach someone something new. Maybe if they're more seasoned, they they don't pick it up as easy. What do you think? Do you think it's possible to teach an old dog new tricks?
SPEAKER_02I've had young dogs that wouldn't learn tricks either. So uh I think it's uh I think it's easy to teach a dog or a person a trick if they want to learn. Um it all depends on the dog and all depends on the person. If they they feel like learning, then then they're gonna learn. Well said. Well ought you survived. Ot shots.
SPEAKER_01Great job. All right, I feel good about it. Not your best, not your worst, but yes, we are going to be diving into an important topic, as I said on the podcast today, and we're gonna find out if you can teach an old dog new tricks. So this relates to enhancing digital skills within agriculture. It's not just adopting new technologies, it's about strengthening rural communities, increasing resilience, and ensuring that the people who feed the world can continue to do so sustainably and successfully. Sounds awesome, right? You bet. All right. So don't let your damp squib. Damp squib ruin the podcast episode today. Let's take a ride down the dirt road together where every bump tells a story. And there will be no buffering to slow us down. Today, as our guests know how to help farm farmers control alt delete their tech struggles. Nailed it. I even got a chuckle there. We are pleased to be joined today by Monica Hampton and Aubrey Danker. Monica is the regional instructional coordinator for southeastern Idaho through the University of Idaho's Extension Digital Economy Program. And Aubrey is the AmeriCorps Digital Navigator for Power in Bingham Counties through the University of Idaho's Extensions Digital Economy Program. That was fun. I got through that pretty good.
SPEAKER_02What a title.
SPEAKER_01Yes. No, we appreciate them taking the time to visit with us today. So, Monica and Aubrey, thanks so much for being here with us on Dirt World Discussions. How are you both?
SPEAKER_03I'm doing great. Yeah. Happy to be here.
SPEAKER_01We're happy to visit with you. And control alt delete, that was pretty good, right?
SPEAKER_04That was good. I I really I appreciate that very much, actually. And and having the confidence to use it. And I think we'll talk a little bit more about that. That you you you know, that that right there shows that you have um some tech skills and you're probably a lot more tech savvy than you think you are. So just remembering that and that you have the skills and confidence. So that's a lot about our program.
SPEAKER_01Absolutely. Thank you. Well, we're excited for you to dig into that with us and and go over some of those things. So just first off, just briefly tell us about yourselves. Where are you from? What do you like to do on a Friday? I'm just kidding. Where are you guys from?
SPEAKER_04Go ahead first, Monica. But I love it. Thanks, Aubrey. So I am I am in downtown Darlington. I have a remote position with the University of Idaho Extensions program. And I enjoy very much working with rural communities. I've lived here most of my adult life, born and raised, went to school with an ag background, uh, married one of those sailors who were working on the INL site, trying to run nuclear energy, moved away and then came back. And I really felt that I needed to be back here in Idaho and raise my family. And that's what led me to the position that I am today with with the University of Idaho, is is that experience and wanting to stay in my rural community.
SPEAKER_01And I've got to add, Darlington is a bustling metropolis here in Idaho, just so you know. So it is.
SPEAKER_04And you notice I said downtown, not uptown, because you know, if there is a difference there, but it is a beautiful place. And and I am happy to to be here and be able to look out my window and see the mountains and and and see the cows out there. They're they're cavin this year across the the valley there, and I I have a good view of what's going on. So I appreciate that very much.
SPEAKER_03My name is Aubrey, and I currently live in Pocatello just because I'm going to school at Idaho State University. I am currently in my master's in public health program there, which is super, super exciting. But I primarily serve in American Falls, Idaho at the Community Education Center. Oh, and I work pretty closely with the school district, but I'm going back and forth between Power County and Bingham County.
SPEAKER_02The digital economy program is the topic of the day. Uh, Monica, can you just address what that program uh entails?
SPEAKER_04Yes. We talk about what is the digital economy. We're referring to how we connect people, businesses, device, data, operations through digital technology. So that's kind of the whole digital world that we talk about. We have four parts to our program. Um we try to address these elements: affordable internet connectivity, broadband, and that's all that's another term that we'll kind of use interchangeably. What is broadband? Broadband is basically just a high-speed internet service. So sometimes you'll say internet connection or you'll say broadband. Uh we talk about internet-enabled devices, uh, anything that connects to the internet to be able to sell computer, cell phone, um, that meets the needs of the person using it. So it might be a laptop, might be a cell phone, might be an actual computer sitting on your desktop, access to digital skills training, quality technical support, and then also accessible apps and online content. So those are the five elements that our program is based on. But we have four definite areas of focus. We have we work closely with Utah State University with the Remote Work Professional Certificate Course, which is the side of the program that helps people still stay in their remote, their rural communities, but gain digital skills to be able to have a remote job or be able to have a hybrid job. We also have an e-commerce program that trains small businesses to be able to stay in the rural community and have a larger market outside of the valley or the little area that you're in. You have the whole world to be able to market your product to. We also focus on internet adoption. That is, you know, educating people about how the infrastructure works, about using the internet safely. And then we also have the last part, which is bridging the digital divide, talking about the digital divide. So there's a difference, the space between those who have the internet and those who don't have the internet and the skills to use it. Our other focuses on the infrastructure include working with broadband action teams and communities and being able to how decide in their planning and planning um documents how that they should use the internet as an economic development tool. That's kind of what led me to this position. I previously worked in for for the county. I we we sit right here across the county line in Badu County. And I worked for Budute County for a number of years in economic development. And I had came to a realization that I needed to go back to get more education, more schooling. I had done that, I started a long time ago. I went to Rick's College in agricultural business forever ago, did not add my two years in and did not finish that education. And as professionally, I wanted to do better for my county and be able to help the people that I worked with. But that meant driving like two hours to class, sometimes across the roads that were just snowed in. Um, you know, time and just the fact that here I was, you know, had a family. It was really difficult to get that done. Opportunities came across, you know, more and more for more online um programs, but still I could not connect to the internet to be able to upload my homework assignments or be able to get on a Zoom call. The internet connection that I had at my home was not good enough to be able to do that. I was really fortunate enough that at my office I could connect to, you know, high-speed internet to be able to do that. Um, I could connect to the library. I would still have to drive to town, make sure that I was, you know, getting my homework done on time because the upload speed was still not quite there. But once that happened for me, once I was able to get finished my education, I realized that that should be available to everyone, that we should have the choice be to be able to do that. I should be able to live and have that choice in Darlington, beautiful downtown Darlington, to have access to education, healthcare, my kids, schooling, education, um, better online classes, more online classes, um, but reach outside our our area there for for resources that we need. And that's kind of what led me here is because I really think it's important for people in rural communities to understand that the internet is a a tool that can be used as economic development, but also to be able to just, if you choose, be able to make positive impact on your on your life, your community, and and your family.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, nothing to add there. That was a a lot of information to digest. Oh, it's too much.
SPEAKER_04No, not at all, because I am so excited about what it can provide to you. And and that's part of our program, is making sure that's why Aubrey and our digital navigators come into play. Because we, you know, you it's a lot. You can feel overwhelmed with technology and the and the things that are out there. There's so much out there. But how do you use it? And how do you make those decisions to to have positive impact, not have a meltdown every time you have to change your password or something comes up, you hear some kind of cybersecurity threat or something that's going on, to be able to have the confidence to use it and better your life. So that's why our digital navigators like Aubrey are important.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, Aubrey, you're pretty cool.
SPEAKER_03She is thanks. I I really try my hardest. I mean, even with what Monica is saying, I don't know everything. Like, especially with technology, things are constantly changing. I'm constantly having to learn new things. I mean, sometimes people will bring a question or a question, they're using their device in a way that I hadn't necessarily thought of it. And so things like genealogy has been a really big one within some of the communities that I've been working with is something that I've never personally tried to explore from my family, but kind of having to pause and take a moment and like looking at all the amazing resources that there are for genealogy, like family search and things like that, and helping thinking about it in just a different way. Of I had never really thought about using the internet to help and spend all this time doing all this family research and getting to learn all this crazy things. Like this ant was on the Mayflower. Like people have come and tell me all kinds of crazy facts that they've learned about their families that they would have never known.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, what a what a tremendous resource. And just taking a step back, um, talking just about uh internet connectivity in general for rural communities. I looked us up some statistics, and it's frightening still how many rural communities don't have these resources. Could you just touch on that, Monica or Aubrey?
SPEAKER_04So I I think uh I would start because you know, software's been around to be able to, you know, my cousins were early adopters of monitoring, you know, using your cell phone to water to monitor your um uh trough, troughs for the cows that are grazing out in the desert, but not having the cells cell phone service where the troughs were, or being able to have internet service at your house to be able to use those programs or apps. You know, my my dad um being able to, you know, move move the pivot to be able to monitor what water usage or or or to move it, but being having to drive to the field pretty much to you to use that app through his phone wasn't the most efficient use of the technology. So, yes, there are big gaps that exist. Um, with the rollout of the of the uh infrastructure bill that we've had, there's a there's a uh an opportunity for our rural communities to talk about what's important, any community, large or small, but specifically rural, understanding that there are gaps, finding out where those gaps are, and saying we as a community, this is what we think is important. This is where we think that we should have internet connectivity, uh, maybe at our anchor institutions, making sure that our police stations, fire stations, our education, even our um maybe our our extension offices is a plug for extension. Maybe those are the places that we need. Or maybe there are places um we have food or industry or a uh a hub where food production is happening and we need better or higher speeds in that area. But that's a great opportunity for us to understand what's important in our community and then making sure that we we know where those gaps are, and then working with the programs that do exist, and maybe they don't exist now, but knowing what we have and using those um assets that we do have to be able to fill the gaps when we can put in that infrastructure.
SPEAKER_03What Monica's talking about is she has like a lot of those really um statistics that you're referring to, where a lot of my experiences are a bit more like story based, where I know from just going out. Serving my community, like helping people get connected. They don't have the internet access at home. And so they're telling me about that. Or they're trying to find remote work because they want to stay in their rural community and want to stay with their family and they don't want to uproot their kids out of the school district. I mean, things like that where they're coming and hearing them tell me about this lack of digital connectivity is really, really eye-opening. And I think that speaks, I mean, the numbers themselves can be startling when you think about it. But thinking about just the stories and you're thinking about the people, a lot of people are scared or overwhelmed by just everything that they need to learn. And so I feel like I'm in a very unique position where I'm here to kind of help alleviate all of that stress, all of that um fear that may come with it. And I really just want to empower people to be able to gain the digital skills so they're able to do these things on their own or they're able to problem solve on their own. And I love hearing all of their success stories when I'm starting to see them enacting those digital skills that I really want to teach them.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, that's fantastic. I told you Aubrey was cool. So's Monica, but that's what I'm saying.
SPEAKER_04I know I think there is. She works directly as a digital navigator. I think she can talk more specifically about what she does. But when you think about what is a digital navigator, that's that's a job title. Again, we talk about job titles at the beginning of this, but she is there to help you navigate the digital world, help you understand and gain those skills. Essential. Um, and and again, it depends on we talk about connectivity. I I've listened to your podcast before, even about you know mental health and connecting through social media for your business. That's something that if you do not have a stable internet connection, you can be isolated through your business, not being able to, you know, monitor or ship your um your product out or sell your product, but also on the side of connecting with your family or being able to have that that that relationship. So she's there to help along with others. We have digital navigators across the state placed in different communities. We would love to have navigators in every community. Um, right now we we serve, I serve southeastern Idaho, and we have Aubrey. We also have Digital Navigator who serves in Bannock County, uh, one who serves Shoshone Bannock tribes. And then also we have um our digital navigator in Fremont County this year. And we we those are our positions that we have. So we're regionally based, but we would love to have more people. We also have Treasure Valley and Elmore County too in the other side of the state. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. It depends on the year and our and our um cycles. We have to partner. We partner with community organizations or places our navigators need a place to operate from. They still need a place where people can come and meet them in a public, safe place, a library, extension office, a community center. So finding uh physical spaces for our navigators, but also being able to find somebody who has those skills needed to be a digital navigator. Not everyone has that ability to that personal touch, the patience, the ability to be able to do that. So there's two sides of it. There's the navigator themselves, the skills. And we're not out there trying to find somebody. I mean, Aubrey is amazing, and our digital navigators have amazing tech skills, but it's the people touch. We talk about technology, but if you don't under, you know, if you don't understand how to sit and be, you know, help people through a very frustrating time, then that's not probably going to be a good fit. And the other side is is the tech part. They do have the tech skills, but we are digital navigators are there to help and support people and learn those digital skills.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_01So walk us through a typical day. Aubrey, you get to work or Monica, you get to work. And uh what what's happening that day?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, do you want me to go first, Monica? Yes, Aubrey.
SPEAKER_04Tell us about what, yeah, what you're doing.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. Um, I would say my typical day would shift just a little bit depending on the day of the week, and that will depend on what kind of my focus is. But for instance, um, I'll just go off like a Monday, for example. But I get up, I drive to the office, I check in with some of my receptionists and kind of just check in and give everyone a good good morning. But I'll go ahead and go in and just get logged on to my computer and do some checking in. I've got some people that I've been working with. I've been working with some parents in the American Falls School District who are currently going, their child is going through some health difficulties. And so, because of that, they're having to pull them out of public school. And because of them being immunocompromised, they're also having to pull their siblings out of public school. And so, a project that I've been working on is getting them connected and set up with Chromebooks that they can take home and they can work on that way, they can be homeschooled and not get missed out on their education while they're going through this uh challenge. And so that was something that I worked on. And then I did some prep work for one of my classes. I do a learn to earn a Chromebook class series with my seniors in that community as well. And this class is basically designed to teach them all about these Chromebooks, which I have the ability to distribute those to my community because I refurbish them. They're donated by the school district. So they go back to the community in need. But once they meet the end of their life for the students that are using them, I then get them, I give them a good clean, I touch them up, I fix any broken keys if there's anything, and just make sure that the programs and the software is all good to go. And then I have the opportunity to use them for these classes. And so a lot of the seniors that come to my class, they don't have internet access at home. They've never even, some of them have never even used a laptop. And some of them may have not even used a computer. Like they don't have a cell phone or a mobile phone. They have their landline at home and they've never even, a lot of them are very scared to even touch it. They're very apprehensive. They a lot of that worrying that you can't teach an old dog new tricks. They're just very apprehensive about the whole process. And so the whole point of that class is really just teaching them about it. So it doesn't have to be scary. If you have a better understanding of what the computer is and that it's not super, super fragile, you can touch it and walking them through like what is hardware, what is software, how do we use the computer, practicing navigating with the touchpad, how to do a Google search. I mean, we're setting up email accounts so they can get connected to their family members. I help someone link their Facebook account to create an Instagram account. And she's recently been able to get in touch with her sister, which is like a really awesome, like heartwarming story. Um, and so I would do the prep work for that class, go and teach that class. And then I recently have been also working with the elementary schools. And so I've been stopping by and looking at their smart boards, and I'm developing a training that will be used for the teachers to help them really be able to engage the most with their students and using those um to their maximum efficiency since they have these really awesome tools, but they're not fully getting like able to take advantage of them. And then I'll drive home.
SPEAKER_01And then we'll just wrap up a spectacular day.
SPEAKER_04And a lot of our initiatives are focused on uh the foundational skills make that could be applied in any setting or any industry. So, you know, we we talk about, especially for for ag producers, so or in different communities, depending on what the the response is, what people are needing at that time. It depends on the different trainings that our navigators provide. Um, so maybe you need help, just for an example, you're out there with your Red Book, you want to be able to maybe, you know, you've written it down, but you also want to be able to put it in an Excel spreadsheet to be able to, you know, get your taxes done at the end of the year or be able to help whatever that is for with Excel or with a technology that you need to use. So most of our efforts, we focus on foundational skills so that can be applied in any setting. So if you, for instance, want to take the information that you're collecting out in the field, uh, maybe with your Red Book, you can take that information and put it into an Excel spreadsheet, but you're not really sure how to how to do that. We would be there to assist, or our digital navigators would be there to assist to help you learn how to use technology to be able to utilize your computer, utilize your cell phone and the apps and the programs. We don't specifically work with um, or we don't work with specific programs, but we work with people, the different needs of the communities and people and and where they're at.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, basically depending on what someone might be having a technical challenge with, I'm here to help them overcome that challenge. And I may not have the immediate resource like right here in my notebook, but I can help show them how to actively problem solve. And maybe there's another tool out there on the internet that would help them achieve that, um, find that solution or be more efficient through that process, things like that.
SPEAKER_04We have um some of our digital navigators have partnered with local local extension offices, you know, focusing on the 4-H side also. So STEM training for our youth. We have digital navigators through the 4-H Tech Changemaker program that we use that as youth youth development, positive youth development, where the teenagers are learning what their community needs, and then they can go out and, for example, help grandpa or grandma or mom or dad be able to use an app on their phone to move the pivot. Or but that's something that that we we work with our extension offices with on STEM training. We also have looking at how we can provide additional support. And this is a great opportunity for us to talk about that. How we we would love to engage in more conversations with producers. What types of apps and and technology issues are they facing? What kind of digital skills do they need help with learning? Is that um where is it that they are needing help? Because we want to be able to provide that. And this is a good a good way to open that conversation up too.
SPEAKER_02There was a thing that happened about four years ago called COVID. I don't know if you guys remember, but it really changed the world and and how we thought about working over the last four years. Have you guys realized like has the world gone back to to where we were, or is it still a uh work from home is is open to the world and people are gonna continue doing that for forever now?
SPEAKER_04I think what that has provided an opportunity. And and I say that in in the very honest sense of the word, that yes, there is a need, and the world has changed since since we've we've come back from COVID. And part of that is the need to understand that there is a place for remote work. There is a place in uh for hybrid work where you spend time actually in the field, or will we talk about remote work? I I kind of push a little bit back because we've I know a lot of guys out there in my lifetime who who sell fertilizer, who are on the road. They've worked remotely for 30 plus years. They just they've not sat in an office. They either call into their job or send an um email, or now it's email. At the time it was faxes, but they worked remotely. It I think it's just a different mindset of what that means and where you are. Part of our program is about connecting Idaho workers with Idaho jobs, being able to stay in your rural community. And maybe you are, you know, I could still run a sandwich out to the fields to to somebody on the on the tractor, be able to make sure that we can volunteer and go to my kids' baseball game. I can still be able to be in my my rural community and have a well-paying job, be able to export, you know, my product from my my little small business and still have a good quality of life all from all because of our internet connection.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_01And that's why I think your the program, the digital economy program is is so important because it's exactly that. You are are living in your rural community because of the resources that you have and the technology that you have. And I'm sure that's why people want to stay in their rural communities because they love the lifestyle, they love it so much, a lot of times they don't have some of those things.
SPEAKER_04And the economic opportunities aren't there. Right. We we don't have those ability, we don't have the ability, even driving to town, you know, town. Um Idaho, if you maybe are closest for me would be town would be Idaho Falls. So, you know, that's a hundred-mile drive to be able to maybe access a job that's a higher paying job, but because of the skills or the or the internet, but the basic skills that that I've learned through through the classes that we have, actually, um, I'm able to be able to get a a high a good paying job. We're able to stay there and and do the work, do work from home.
SPEAKER_01Just tying it into to agriculture, and it's not just about helping a farmer or a rancher learn how to use their smartphone, which which is important because of all the things that you can do through your smartphone, but it's it's more about strengthening that rural community when you're bringing two people together through those through those resources and technology. So could you just touch on maybe an experience where you've worked with a farmer or a rancher who's maybe more seasoned and not as willing to change, but maybe you had a a breakthrough with them and they were able to help them learn something that's gonna benefit their operation, benefit their family, and and get them going in the direction that maybe they want to go.
SPEAKER_04I have found the opposite, actually. I I think in a lot of our minds we feel like older individuals may be more adverse to learning technology. I've not found that so much the case. Um the producers that I know are older and they absolutely have fears about using the technology, but they want to increase their productivity. They want to use the resources to the best that they can, um, making sure that, you know, everything is is utilized. The internet helps them to do that. So I've actually found more older producers, again, they're everyone's a little wary, you know, technology and the fears of technology come into that. But they have been more willing to adopt or look at how they can be more resilient, how they can adopt these new technologies to improve their production, how they can help, how they can learn some of these foundational uh skills. And again, it is a lot about having the confidence and to be able to say, I um I'm gonna try this. I'm gonna see if this is gonna work for a year, I'm gonna see if if this new technology is this app that I put on my phone, is it gonna really help with water savings or on the bottom line? And once I think that you have some education and you have some confidence, you have some time where you can work and practice with the tool that you're using, it makes it a lot easier to look at other things and improve and expand. Sorry, I guess the best thing I could say is a specific example about producers just being able to make sure and have that down the internet connection that's fast and stable to be able to check reports and and market information. I think that has made a really big difference because it's at home. You can look at that 24 hours a day, good or bad, but be able to make those decisions and buying.
SPEAKER_03I think one that I kind of think about is although not everyone needs to be use is wanting to use apps for these things, I think that's something that really applies to agriculturists as a whole is just thinking about like cybersecurity or threats to this data that is really, really important. And just having that understanding and having the education about it. You may not be actively using it all the time, but for the instances that you are using it, having an understanding of is my connection secure? Am I protecting my information? What can I do to look out for phishing or potential scams? Like, is this a good deal? Like, is this not a good deal? Like, be aware of that, I think is this first thing that came to mind when you're asking for an example.
SPEAKER_02On the Dirt Road Discussion Podcast, we like to look down the road. What do you two hope for the next 10 years for our rural citizens uh to hopefully achieve from the digital economy program?
SPEAKER_0310 years. That's a big ask. I think for me, really, is that sense of community. That's why we're all here. We want our community to get better and really just fostering that sense of community where you're wanting your community to continually improve. You want to raise each other up, you want to support each other. And I think really just fostering that sense of education, no matter how old, no matter like whatever field you're from, but just being open to learning new things and supporting each other through that experience, I think that would help support all of us as technology continues to evolve. It impacts every part of society. And so I think we just all need to um like stick together and continue to support each other.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_04I love that number. I should just say, yay, that's what that's great. I I also think that our focus is on bridging the digital divide, that knowledge gap between, you know, your uh foundational skills, the basic skills, and how you can take advantage of the more advanced offerings of the internet. I would love to see in that time that we have developed, again, more partnerships, more relationships, especially with industry partners about those programs and apps that they're using and businesses to be able that more people understand and are confident using those because I do think there's positive and specific positive examples of how technology can and does improve our lives. I love the fact that Aubrey brought it back into being part of our community because you feel like you there is that human side, and it is more about the human side that we're talking about with our program. It brings us together, it helps us learn. And I think in that time, we we in the next five years, I think that I'm hoping that we'll have the word out more about the program, about also the the importance of technology in rural communities, making sure our infrastructure, um, those gaps have been filled, and giving people the choice to be able to connect.
SPEAKER_01Absolutely. Um very well said by both of you. Uh, once again, we have been joined today by Monica Hampton and Aubrey Danker. Monica is the Regional Instructional Coordinator for Southeastern Idaho through the University of Idaho Extensions Digital Economy Program. And Aubrey is the AmeriCorps Digital Navigator for Power in Bingham Counties through the University of Idaho's Extensions Digital Economy Program. Monica and Aubrey, for people out of state, I'm guessing there are similar type programs within other extension offices throughout the countries. Is that a safe assumption?
SPEAKER_04I'm going to say that Idaho is on the forefront of being able to make sure that we have digital navigators, that we are talking about digital skills and knowledge. There are programs, there are programs across the state and in other extension offices. But I would say here in Idaho, we're doing it really well. And we are leading that pilot program for digital navigators through the state education office, having digital skills. That's something that we are doing really well here. So there are programs, but they're probably not different, different stages. And it has becoming more and more important that people understand and know this. But yes, that's what I'm I'm gonna, that's my answer. Aubrey, what are you saying?
SPEAKER_03Yes, I totally agree with you. I think what University of Idaho Extension is doing with the digital economy program is incredibly unique. The digital navigators like across the nation aren't the same. They exist, they do, they have partnerships with other community partners that aren't like the extension programs. But I think really what we are doing here in Idaho is incredibly unique and incredibly powerful. But I also did just want to highlight that across the nation, American Connection Core, that Americor program as a whole, has tons of digital navigators of their own that are serving their communities in different ways.
SPEAKER_01Great to know. I was just gonna point everyone to uh your guys' website. So it's uidaho.edu and then it's the digital economy program page through the University of Idaho's extension. If you're interested, if you're in Idaho and are interested in this program, go check it out. Also look in your local communities as well and see if they offer something similar. But Monica and Aubrey, thanks so much for the work that you all do to strengthen our rural communities, to help our farmers and ranchers.
SPEAKER_03Thank you.
SPEAKER_01And I and I should wrap up with this. We did find out, thanks to the work that you all do, you can teach an old dog new tricks. And a young dog. And a young dog. Except those golden doodle things, those things just are terrible. Thank you again for being here with us on Dirt Road Discussions. We'll wrap up yet another episode of Dirt Road Discussions, and we'll see you down the road.