Some 56% of all farmers are online and an increasing number are using the internet to purchase farm inputs, according to the study by the National Farm Research Unit (NFRU).
They found that 57% of growers are now using the internet, with 47% saying they had gone online to get information about farm inputs. Some 40% said they had bought some farm inputs online.
The trend is for more farmers to seek information online, with 42% doing so four years ago. Using the internet for purchasing farm inputs is increasing, with just 17% buying farm inputs online four years ago.
Some 55% of livestock producers use the internet. The figure is highest among dairy farmers (59%), followed by beef farmers (54%) and sheep producers (52%).
The survey also showed that 45% of livestock farmers had gone online to get information about farm inputs, with more dairy farmers using this as a source of information (49%).
Just 42% of sheep farmers used the internet for information. Two out of five livestock farmers (40%) reported buying some farm inputs online, with no differences between the different types of livestock farmers.
NFRU economist Jim Williams said the survey indicated a growing percentage of farmers using the internet but very few using the technology to purchase farm inputs technology.
Researchers quizzed more than 24,000 farmers.