On Farm Connectivity Program (Round 2) Program
Environmental & Cropping Technologies Australia is an approved supplier under the On-Farm Connectivity Program (Round 2).
Unfortunately, the program has closed.
About the OFCP Program
The On Farm Connectivity Program forms part of the Better Connectivity Plan for Regional and Rural Australia (Better Connectivity Plan) and assists Primary Producers to take advantage of digital agribusiness solutions to boost productivity and improve safety. The intended outcomes of the Program are to:
- increase investment in equipment to support operations of the agricultural sector
- increase efficiency, competitiveness, and productivity of the agricultural sector
- improve safety on farms
- increase use of advanced farming technology
- improve knowledge of advanced farming technology and digital literacy.
Eligibility Process:
To participate in the Program, the Primary Producer’s business must:
- be a registered farming business & have an ABN that has been active for 12+ months
- have an annual average pre-tax income from primary production of between $40k – $4 million. Annual average gross income is calculated as the average of the previous 3 years,
- not be considered a hobby farmer
- operate an eligible primary production activity that is defined as those listed in the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC) 2006 (revision 2.0) codes under Division A, Agricultural Forestry and Fishing, Subdivisions 01, 02 and 03
- agree to the department contacting you for a case study about your connectivity solution for the On Farm Connectivity Program up to 2 years after the Program has closed.
What is the rebate process?
Once a Primary Producer accepts a quote for equipment, we will submit an application for a rebate. If the application is successful, the primary producer pays for the equipment at a reduced price. Once the equipment is installed/shipped, the supplier can claim the rebate. Further information is outlined below:
Step 1—Choose: The primary producer engages with / selects a connectivity solution from an Eligible Equipment Supplier, such as us!
Step 2—Quote: We send through a quote proposing the products, installation and any necessary subscriptions for you to accept.
Step 4—Application submission: Once the quote is approved, we submit a rebate application. The Business Grants Hub assesses the application (estimated 2-6 week turnaround), and we are notified if you are approved.
Step 5—Invoice & Payment: The Primary Producer receives the invoice at a discounted price of up to 50% from us. The Primary Producer then pays invoice.
Step 6—Equipment installed / shipped: We either ship or install your product, and teach you how to utilise its features.
Technologies & Services available under the On-Farm Connectivity Program:
Metos Farm Weather Stations & Digital Rain-Gauges
There are four levels of Metos digital stations available under the 50% rebate:
- Rain-gauge only – Includes a 4G/5G communications module, solar panel, 6-volt battery, modular-board and digital rain-gauge sensor only.
- Metos Basic Weather Station – Includes all features under the Metos Raingauge configuration, plus added PI Air Temperature & Humidity Sensor
- Metos Delta-T Station – includes the basic weather-station configuration above, with added solar-radiation sensor and ultrasonic wind-speed & direction sensor.
- Metos Envirostation – includes the above, with larger sensor capacity, and added leaf wetness sensor.
All stations are highly configurable and modular, meaning you can start small and add additional sensors, or soil moisture probes over time.
Soil Moisture Monitoring – Utilising the EnviroPro 80cm Soil Moisture Probes, we can help farmers track their rainfall, infiltration and soil water-use over time, across 8x 10cm depths. Solutions include bare probes
Starlink & Building WiFi Connectivity
Have Starlink or poor WiFi coverage?
Utilising a wide range of Ubiquiti WiFi equipment, we can bolster your existing WiFi networks, or increase and optimise your coverage with a range of indoor and outdoor access points. With remote monitoring and upgrades, we can help ensure your WiFi systems maintain a quality service.
Extending Connectivity Networks to additional buildings & paddocks – Point to Point WiFi.
Utilising your existing connection, we can beam your internet connection across farm and into other paddocks/buildings, enabling the opportunity to share one internet connection across multiple buildings, or to add backhaul connectivity to enable you to add networked printers, cameras or hard-drives across your farm.
Extending WiFi Networks to buildings & paddocks – Relay Solutions.
Do you want to beam your internet access across a farm, but are looking for a turn-key solution which enables you to have local WiFi for solar panels, workers quarters, or buildings? Maybe you want to create local radio networks or connect network security cameras? We
- Powered WiFi Repeater Node – Where 240v power is currently available, we can develop a relay hub which includes a battery UPS, network rack, POE switch, with options available to implement building WiFi or extend WiFi across to other buildings. These hubs are perfect to connect an existing WiFi/network camera for added farm security, or to connect other networked devices.
. - Solar WiFi Repeater Nodes – Perfect for unpowered sites, these solar WiFi systems enable farmers to have a WiFi access point, beam internet across the landscape or to add network devices to (such as cameras, printers, hard-drives, etc.). Solar systems include 100 or 200ah Lithium battery packs, Victron MPPT solar chargers, solar panel, 24v POE network switches, with optional battery monitoring & telematics available.
Connectivity Optimisation – Antennas & CelFi Boosters
Is your internet connection not quite up to spec? Maybe you suffer from poor signal quality? With a range of external antennas and CelFi boosters available, we can bolster that connection to improve your internet and phone coverage quality.
Register your interest
To find out more about the program and to explore products that may support your business, please register your details here and you will be contacted by one of our sales team.
Environmental & Cropping Technologies Australia supports the rural and regional Western Australia population through the provision of specialised Precision Agriculture (PA), GIS Mapping, connectivity & AgTech services.
For more information about how we can help you, please contact us through one of our many channels.