“Having multiple nodes across a very large operation is critical. We often think that the farmhouse is the ultimate node, but it does not have to be. That's what's really exciting, in my view, about Zetifi’s technology.” — Dave Lamb, chief scientist of the Food Agility Cooperative Research Centre and professor at Australia’s University of New England

An Australian research project is aiming to improve cellular connectivity for farming operations at home and abroad. The Farm-Wide Wi-Fi Project brings together agtech company Zetifi and researchers at two Australian universities to build antenna arrays for farm equipment and operations. The prototypes will be tested on the universities' digital farms with plans to make the technology available globally. Zetifi recently opened an office in Rochester, N.Y., after winning $500,000 in the Grow-NY competition last year.

In this episode of the Precision Farming Dealer podcast, Zetifi CEO Dan Winson and Dave Lamb, chief scientist of the Food Agility Cooperative Research Centre and professor at Australia’s University of New England, discuss the Farm-Wide Wi-Fi Project’s scope, how it will benefit farmers, the target customer cost for this equipment and why connectivity will be vital for the future of farming.