12 Our Advertisers Appreciate Your Business Better Farming | November/December 2023 With an increase in virtual meetings and services as well as the rise in technology requiring internet connection, access to connectivity services is more valuable than ever to advancing knowledge and innovation on Western Canadian farms. Cell phone reception and the ability to communicate also play a role in safety when working with equipment and livestock. Equipment damage or fires, injuries and other emergencies require timely action, which can be limited by poor reception. Cell phone and internet access has typically been sub-par in rural communities across the Prairies. Has connectivity on Prairie farms improved? And how are those without sufficient service adapting to improve communication on their operation? Jennifer, Sask.: Our calls drop constantly. Colin, Man.: Our previous internet provider’s reliability was marginal at best. We tried fix after fix, but they were mostly band-aid fixes. As soon as Starlink was available we jumped onto that bandwagon and we’ve been fairly happy. We run Starlink to the shop and have an AyrMesh Hub that gives us about 1.5km of Wi-Fi range and we’re looking to extend that area. It’s enough to send messages. Our cell service covers about 70 per cent of our farm well enough to pull up service manuals, watch YouTube and scroll Twitter or whatever Elon is calling it these days. On days with high humidity the service quality drops, and typically mornings are better than afternoons. Some spots still have no service so you need to climb onto bins or equipment to make calls. Some of the time we don’t receive texts, or calls go straight to voicemail. For communication on the farm, we’ve started using two-way radios, which has been a nice upgrade. Currently we’re combining north of Manitoba’s #2 highway, and I’ve got one bar of service. I know if I hop on the highway and head five miles closer to Winnipeg, I’ll have no service for a 10-mile stretch. I’ve informally approached my cell provider about putting up a cell tower somewhere on the farm, but they indicated that there weren’t enough customers to justify it. Last year we had an incident where the rear ladder on the combine came down on someone’s head. We suspected a neck injury so we called 911. Unfortunately, there was no service at the location so we had to leave the injured person to make the call. Less than ideal. Alana, Sask.: We purchased Starlink for better internet service and it works great almost all the time. It’s been a game changer for us! Our phone connectivity is variable from our farmyard – oddly much poorer during spring and fall, the busiest times on the farm. This can create major challenges when we’re trying to make critical calls for the business, especially input supplies or equipment repairs. We’ve reported the issue numerous times but have had no success in convincing the phone company to do anything about their poor service. Jason, Alta.: We have intermittent signal loss on wireless internet connection. Brennan, Sask.: Poor connectivity and data speed have resulted in poor usage of available tech. We are unable to utilize our tech to its fullest ability because of poor service. Real time data and telematics have a lag time, thus some of the tech cannot be utilized fully. Brett, Sask.: Variable is the best word I can use. Sometimes it’s good and sometimes it barely works, and I can see the nearest tower. I’m convinced that SaskTel plays games with its service because if it was too good then customers would demand even more. I also think consumers are part of the problem (expecting to watch a movie on their phone whenever and wherever they want). BF Jodie Aldred photo Digging Deeper IS CONNECTIVITY STILL AN ISSUE? ‘Some spots still have no service, so you need to climb onto bins or equipment.’ By Emily Croft
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