Better broadband enables innovation

So says Rob Ford, Pāmu general manager for innovation, environment and technology.

“Insights from a market/consumer perspective are important, hence connectivity to farm is critical in that process,” he says.

This highlights some of the benefits of the Rural Connect Project in which Vodafone has brought fast broadband to 125 Pāmu farms around New Zealand. It is the second-largest connectivity project in NZ after the Government’s Rural Broadband Initiative (RBI). Vodafone brought internet connectivity to at least 300,000ha of farmland.

“Our farms are becoming more and more sophisticated and there’s a requirement to have greater access to information on the performance from a land, animal, health and safety and environment perspective,” Ford told Rural News. 

“Connectivity and the ability to link to information systems is critical. And health and safety [require] good communications onfarm, be it mobile or broadband.”

A major bonus is the allowance for innovation in a business where technology infrastructure is delivering broadband. 

“This allows a lot of the cool things we have and cool applications to be live onfarm and create value.  Previously we were unable to, we had limitations. We can really start to push innovation on farm using technology.”

Ford says the great thing also from a farming perspective is that Pāmu doesn’t just do these things for itself. It makes sure there’s a benefit to the wider industry.

“Of benefit in time will be that a lot of information we are gleaning off farms via the systems we are using through the broadband technology will be beneficial to farmers. We will be able to publish and show what we are doing and the value created. That will be good for other farmers because they will be using similar applications to us.” 

Ford says the scale of this project was vast and to get the connectivity between 125 farms and about 200 houses, many in very isolated areas, was a feat of outstanding proportions. 

The reporting post implementation “shows that the technology is delivering us consistently 10megabits per second which was the promise”.

“Vodafone have been an outstanding partner, embarking on such a journey with such a large project to get the value that needs to be delivered. My hat’s off to them; they have done an amazing job.”

Pāmu is NZ’s largest farming company. It is also the name given to the products created by the company. It owns at least 100,000ha of farmland throughout NZ and manages an additional 200,000ha. Many of these farms are in regions where many farmers had very poor internet connection.

Vodafone spent three years delving into the connectivity problems across all areas of Pāmu's business, making regular farm visits and doing research interviews. 

Vodafone public sector business development manager Alistair McDonnell says the improved internet connection helps farms work smarter not harder. 

“Improving connectivity means employees can communicate with others in different parts of the country more regularly, with better quality and improved efficiency.

“We often take for granted the connectivity we have in our big cities but that’s not the reality for many farmers,” says McDonell.

East Coast business manager Victoria Magazinovic says the connection has helped her farms communicate more often and effectively with other stations. 

“Since the new connection was put in place we have a weekly video conference with other farms to catch up on how everything is tracking. The video conference is such a simple piece of technology but now it works really well, having a fast-enough internet connection so we can get on and get the job done.”