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Agribusiness
Connected in the Black Hole: How Eastern Colour Keeps 2 Million Strawberry Plants Online
Narissa Corfe, Eastern Colour, Australia
For three decades the Baronio family has grown produce at Eastern Colour Farm in Applethorpe, Queensland - now including more than 2 million strawberry plants a season. Applethorpe's cellular coverage is notoriously poor, a “black hole” that left field teams out of contact, delayed real-time picking and RFID data, wasted time driving to find signal, and disrupted equipment monitoring.
Connected Farms deployed three CommsXtend® remote units into Eastern Colour's work utes, plus a mobile communications trailer, turning each vehicle into a mobile Wi-Fi hub with coverage that reaches even inside poly tunnels, where signal normally can't penetrate.
“Our location in Applethorpe is the black hole for any cellular service... Each of the three vehicles can now be used in the field as a point of connectivity. The range is impressive given we are working in poly tunnels,” says Narissa Corfe, Farmer, Eastern Colour.
RFID scanners now capture and send picking data instantly, supporting real-time yield analysis; teams stay in constant contact across every work zone; and the connectivity trailer can be redeployed anywhere on the property as needed. Eastern Colour reports faster data transfer, increased productivity, reduced downtime, and peace of mind for management.
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