10 Follow us on Twitter @BetterFarmingON Better Farming | November 2023 Digging Deeper IS CONNECTIVITY STILL AN ISSUE? ‘Rural areas need to continue to advocate for equal & usable access.’ By Emily Cro With a shi to 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 the knowledge and innovative practices of farmers. Cell phone reception and the ability to communicate also play a role in safety when working with equipment and livestock. But cell phone and internet access has typically been sub-par in rural communities across Ontario. Has connectivity on Ontario farms improved? And how are those without su cient service improving communication on their operation? Better Farming asked a number of farmers: Some 37 per cent responded that connectivity is an issue, 63 per cent said they did not have issues. Brady, Kawartha Lakes: My cell phone service is very unreliable. Eleanor, Leeds County: My internet is okay but I really use it for emails and not much more. But when my son in-law uses his for the Leacock Farms produce sales (which is part of the farm), it can be a bit wonky and he is only 1,000 feet down the road. So, it all depends on your location and which tower you are serviced from. Ashley, Lambton County: It makes it harder when we lose signal but we make do. Bob, Wellington County: It is a frustration waiting for pages to load but we have not really changed any practices because of it. We expect bre optics to be available in this area in the rst of next year. We will subscribe. Cheryl, Oxford County: We now have Starlink. Joan, Wellington County: It has improved over the last couple of years but access to information, weather and communication with others continues to be an important asset. Rural areas need to continue to advocate for equal and usable access to phone service and internet. Robert, Oxford County: It’s not too bad right now. Jenn, Renfrew County: I have to carry a few di erent internet sources to help ensure we can have reliable speed and bandwidth to do what our business requires. Sarah, Lanark County: We are nally connected to Starlink and it’s a game-changer! Jim, Chatham-Kent: Have not changed any farm practices and have tried all available solutions. We are just in the wrong area. Joan, Grey County: Cell service in our area is very spotty. We now have good internet options but didn’t in the past. Bryon, Peel Region: We have a highspeed wireless array on the top of our 100-foot grain leg. Klaus, Prescott and Russell Counties: Wanting to go auto-steer; it can be a problem. Lloyd, Bruce County: It is a bit slow but it’s fairly reliable and okay. If it was faster and better, we would use it more. Tony, Lennox and Addington Counties: ere is very poor service in our area, so we are unable to use a cell phone on our farm. It is not unusual for me to be required to stop what I am doing on the farm or in the shop and go to our o ce to look up information or make a call on a landline. Colleen, Northumberland County: We have used multiple internet providers and the same with cell phone providers due to poor reception and reliability. We have had to maintain our landline, also with poor service (the main service line needs replacing but there are only two homes using it), so we can have some form of communication in case of an emergency. Shaun, Chatham-Kent: Using wireless products is di cult due to intermittent connectivity. Not many options for us to try for providers. Larry, Brant County: Finally got connected to Starlink. Nancy, Northumberland County: We are unable to make any phone calls in any of our farm buildings, including our home. As you can imagine winter will be very interesting. Our cell phone reception is weak, constantly breaking up and o en dropping calls with no apparent reason. is is very frustrating to say the least and a ects our business on a daily basis. Derek, Niagara Region: We changed providers and now it’s much better. We couldn’t communicate at all with each other with our phones. Much of our work requires constant communication so it was very problematic. Doug, Middlesex County: We are fortunate being close to a big city that cell phone service is not bad. We are on wireless internet and as long as you limit the number of devices online, connectivity is pretty good. ere is bre optic internet going in all around us. Hopefully we get that service and solve the intermittent loss of internet we have now. BF Is phone service or internet availability a problem on your farm? 37% YES 63% NO
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