Fast broadband becoming essential for farmers

John Bluett uses the internet to monitor milk production and record data on his farm. Photo / Christine Cornege

So why exactly do farmers need fast broadband?

It's pretty simple, says Hamilton dairy farmer John Bluett - time and money.

Bluett has two farms milking about 920 cows, with one using broadband and the other on dial up.

"As information is becoming more web-based then the need for speed to download that information is pretty critical," Bluett said.

"No one sends paper out ... . it's all sitting on websites."

Bluett - who is Federated Farmers Dairy vice-chairman - said his broadband speed was pretty good.

"Not as good as when I was in Melbourne ... when I wanted to get my Fonterra records it came a lot quicker than we get here, even though we're only about 1.8km from the exchange."

The internet can be used to monitor milk production and record data including culling, calving and health treatments.

"Probably an hour or two after the tanker's been you know what milk's there," he said.

"Let's say you've got a milk quality problem - you can actually rectify it quicker whereas otherwise you'd be waiting for the phone call tonight.

"It's all worth money and time."

Farmers lease management software programmes which are used directly on providers' websites, he said.

Technology using GPS can show where trucks placed fertiliser on paddocks, systems are being developed that use pond and soil monitors to help farmers decide when and how to apply effluent, while satellite mapping technology can show pasture growth.

"If you've got multiple farms, the information coming to the main office or the main operations manager is going to become more critical," Bluett said. "There's actually more need to have good rural broadband than there's ever been before."

Federated Farmers chief executive Conor English said the Government's rural broadband initiative, which is expected to cost about $300 million over three years, was a good first step.

"Our farmers have shown that they're leaders in improving productivity and production, generating the export dollars that pays the country's bills," English said. "Ultra-fast broadband is the next big enabler, so it's critical we get it right."