ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times

DATE: Monday, March 3, 1997                  TAG: 9703030127
SECTION: VIRGINIA                 PAGE: C-4  EDITION: METRO 
DATELINE: GLADE SPRING
SOURCE: Associated Press

INTERNET GROWING PLACE FOR FARMERS

Ralph Puckett's newest farm implement bears no resemblance to the plows and combines one usually envisions when agriculture is mentioned.

It's a personal computer with access to the Internet.

``In the month I've had it, I've barely scratched the surface of what's out there,'' the Washington County farmer said. ``I'm still learning some of the capabilities for communicating with other people.''

Puckett has learned that technical information, daily market reports for almost every agricultural commodity, and even updates on blue mold sightings across the burley tobacco belt are just a few keystrokes away.

Puckett, who raises cattle, tobacco, corn and alfalfa, said he trolls the on-line agricultural markets almost daily. And the Internet has helped him decide where and when to buy beef cows.

The farmer also has practically instant access to agricultural information from land-grant colleges, such as Virginia Tech, and he can find data from schools around the country.

County Extension Agent Phil Blevins said North Carolina State University maintains a web site devoted to blue mold sightings on burley tobacco fields. The site also predicts where the voracious fungus is likely to strike next.

Farmers can find out about the fungus just by clicking on the university's web page.

The Virginia Farm Bureau recently completed an informal survey of state farmers and found that one in four are on the Internet, said bureau spokesman Greg Hicks. He said the Richmond-based organization plans to post detailed agricultural information and periodic news briefs of interest to Virginia farmers.

Dr. Thomas Van Dyke, an Abingdon veterinarian who specializes in farm animals, said the number of Internet resources for agriculture is almost limitless. He uses the Internet and the World Wide Web for research. The many on-line market reports are invaluable for managing a farm business, he said, because the information is constantly being updated.

``You can check feed prices, like soybeans and corn, and decide the right time to buy,'' he said.

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