MidSouth Fiber Internet was established to bring our community something it didn’t have: fast fiber-optic internet access. In 1940 we brought power to our community when no investor-owned company would. The same principle applies today with this new, top-of-the-line internet service. While some residential consumers have been enjoying fiber internet for a few months now, MidSouth Fiber Internet is proud to announce that we recently connected our very first commercial account—Navasota Livestock Auction.
If you are familiar with the agricultural industry in Navasota, there are two things that you definitely know. First, every Friday is fried catfish day at CowTalk Steakhouse, and second, Navasota Livestock Auction is the place to be any given Saturday. If you have visited either location, chances are you’ve met owner and operator Greg Goudeau.
A fighting Texas Aggie with a passion for the ag industry, Goudeau is dedicated to growing and advancing the local cattle market. He’s put in a lot of work to achieve those goals, from graduating from auction school and purchasing the auction barn to participating in Texas A&M University agriculture studies and overseeing his cow-calf operations. When fast fiber internet became an option in his area, Goudeau knew it could be a valuable tool for his business and the community.
Goudeau appreciates what it means to be an integral part of his community. “From sponsoring local youth sports to providing jobs to folks who live in the area, it really is something special to help out the community,” he said. “Some of the employees here use this as a part-time job to supplement the income of their full-time jobs because they are able to work the Saturday auctions.”
MidSouth Electric Co-op had the chance to visit Goudeau on the day of the largest weaned calf sale he has ever hosted at Navasota Livestock. It also happened to be the first time his operation used MidSouth Fiber Internet to host the virtual component of the auction. With more than 3,900 head of cattle to move through the auction in a couple of hours, lightning-fast internet speeds and lightning-fast auctioneering were necessities along with the help of family, friends and dedicated workers.
“It means a lot to have my wife, kids and friends help out,” Goudeau said. “It was all hands on deck. We had over 40 employees working hard to pull that off, and it was a blessing to have everyone help.”
He said MidSouth Fiber did a great job connecting the auction with gigabit service in advance of the sale.
“I’m more about cows than internet, but if you were watching online, it was like you were here,” he said. “We had people bidding live from the Panhandle to West Texas, with over 300 bids just taken on the internet. Out of 3,900 head of cattle, 1,300 were sold online.”
Navasota Livestock Auction, along with MidSouth Fiber Internet, can now represent local cattle nationwide. “It has opened up possibilities and is a game changer for Navasota Livestock,” Goudeau said. “After we installed MidSouth Fiber, the speed, the service—it’s unreal what it has done.”
MidSouth EC looks forward to all the possibilities that MidSouth Fiber will bring to our members and their businesses. Please take the time now to ensure your address is preregistered at midsouthfiber.com.
Construction crews are actively working on phases one and two to bring more members reliable fiber internet speeds of up to 1 gigabit. Learn more about our internet packages by visiting midsouthfiber.com.
