VICKY HARTZLER 2235 RAYBURN BUILDING WASHINGTON, 0 .C. 20515 4TH DISTRICT, MISSOURI (202) 225-2876 COMMITIEE ON ARMED SERVICES 2415 CARTER LANE, SUITE 4 COLUMBIA, MO 65201 RANKING MEMBER, SUBCOMMITTEE ON (573) 442-9311 TACTICAL AIR ANO LANO FORCES 1909 N ORTH COMMERCIAL STREET COMMITIEE ON AGRICULTURE HARRISONVILLE, MO 64701 <teongre55 of tbe mlniteb ~tates (816) 884- 3411 www.HAHTlLER.HOUSE.Gov 219 NORTH AOAMS AVENUE 1!,Jouse of ll\epresentatibes LEBANON, MO 65536 (417) 532- 5582 '[~ml'b itt !JtOll , :zDQt 20515-2504 July 16, 2019 513 The Honorable Ajit Pai Chairman Federal Communications Commission 445 12th Street SW Washington, DC 20554 Dear Mr. Pai, Thank you for your commitment to working towards closing the "digital gap" between our urban and rural communities. I share this priority and believe establishment of the Task Force for Reviewing Connectivity and Technology Needs of Precision Agriculture will provide tangible solutions to securing broadband access across our nation. As you consider candidates, I strongly recommend Mr. Blake Hurst be selected as a member of this important task force. His direct involvement in agriculture production, service on the American Farm Bureau's working group on data ownership and privacy in agriculture, Congressional testimonies related to precision agriculture, and over 15 years of leadership at Missouri Farm Bureau provide the experience necessary to advise on each of the mission areas outlined in the FCC's public notice for this task force. Mr. Hurst works closely with his family raising corn and soybeans, in addition to a large greenhouse operation. When producing these commodities, precision agriculture allows for higher yields, better adaptability, and positive environmental impacts. Mr. Hurst understands the necessity of having strong broadband connections in order to fully reap the benefits of these tools and future innovation that wi ll only continue in regions that have broadband access. Every day without broadband puts our producers and communities at a disadvantage, both domestically and globally. Overall, Mr. Hurst has substantial firsthand experience with how lacking adequate access to broadband impacts the agriculture industry and is a leader in addressing the potential solutions this task force seeks to address. I appreciate your consideration and look forward to the results from this advisory committee. VickyHartzle ~~ Member of Congress