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Everyday Farmer
Tucked Behind the Hills: How the Kelly Family Finally Got Signal at Gillingarra
Shane Kelly, Farm Owner, Australia
Shane Kelly farms a 2,000-hectare cropping property at Gillingarra, about two hours north of Perth, Western Australia, with his wife Emma and son Joel. Around 95% of the farm had no connectivity at all, with the property tucked behind hills that blocked the towers - meaning Kelly had to drive to the top of a hill just to get in touch with anyone if he had a problem.
▶ Watch Shane's story (1:59)
Connected Farms deployed connectivity to bring coverage across the entire property rather than just isolated spots.
"We have been able to get connectivity over the entire farm and that's been a real game changer," Kelly says.
Day-to-day, that means Kelly can call Joel from wherever he is on the farm the moment an issue comes up with the newer machinery, rather than stopping work to find signal. Joel, who's more familiar with the technology, can often remote in and fix the problem directly.
The connectivity also gives the family peace of mind on safety, letting them stay in contact and keep on top of things as they go.
Transcript
We’ve been able to get connectivity over the entire farm, and that’s been a massive benefit to us — a real game changer.
My name is Shane Kelly. I farm at Gilling, which is about two hours north of Perth, with my wife, Emma, and my son, Joel. We have about 2,000 hectares, mainly used for cropping.
Connectivity has been a challenge for us. I think about 95% of the farm has no connectivity at all because we’re tucked in behind the hills from where the towers are.
With the newer technology in the machinery, being able to contact Joel - who is very good with the technology side of things - from anywhere on the farm has made a big difference. Before, if I was in the middle of the farm without connectivity, I would have to drive to the top of a hill to try to get in touch with Joel or someone else who knew more about the technology than I did, then wait for a phone call back or a response.
Now that we have connectivity over the entire farm, I can make a quick phone call to Joel and continue operating. A lot of the time, he can remote in and fix any issues I’ve got.
The improved connectivity also gives us peace of mind from a safety point of view. We’re able to stay in contact with one another and keep on top of things as we go, and that has been a massive benefit to us - a real game changer.
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