Rapid Fiber Internet Service Is Driving New Opportunities for Local Farmers
Fiber service is revolutionizing farming for SanRiver Farms’ O’Brien location, managed by Jeannette and John Ward.
Since Rapid Fiber Internet launched three years ago, access to reliable, high-speed internet has changed the way our community lives, works, and grows. With big-city speeds and small-town service, Rapid Fiber is not just connecting homes; it is transforming how local businesses operate by empowering them to work smarter, faster, and more efficiently.
Look no further than SanRiver Farms in O’Brien — a 6,000-acre farm established in 2020 to expand the Sanchez family’s farming business beyond peanuts, corn, and cattle. Under the care of John and Jeannette Ward, the farm now cultivates sweet corn, green beans, broccoli, and carrots, all of which they grow, harvest, pack, and ship from the farm to grocers along the East Coast as far north as New York. SanRiver also partners with the neighboring Southern Cross Dairy as its primary grower of feed crops.
A mural based on Paul Harvey’s speech to the Future Farmers of America in 1978 adorns the wall of SanRiver Farms’ on-site office.
As soon as Rapid Fiber Internet was available, SanRiver used that high-speed connection to better communicate with irrigation pivots across all their crops. You may have seen these long, bridge-like sprinkler systems while driving past a crop field. With fiber internet, the farm can use a mobile phone or computer to check on the status of these pivots and see how much water has been distributed, how much remains, and whether they are online or offline.
The farm’s management team can also send jobs to tractors each day, monitor their production, get live status updates, and track work as it happens. When a tractor shuts off, its data automatically transmits to the farm’s operations center, helping John, the O’Brien farm manager, keep tabs and provide real-time communication for the Sanchez family headquarters in Old Town.
Being able to send and collect data quickly has also helped SanRiver Farms in much bigger ways than automation alone.
Fast Delivery
Farm Manager John Ward surveys a field while tracking data from other crops on his phone.
Before upgrading to fiber service, the Wards couldn’t rely on information getting to the equipment promptly. Information sent to tractors in the morning might be received quickly, or it might not arrive until lunchtime. With Rapid Fiber Internet, they can count on having the latest information within minutes.
Timely Repairs
Better service also means better response times. In the past, an internet outage could leave the farm without service for as long as a week. That delay didn’t just impact equipment like pivots and tractors; it could also set back day-to-day operations, like payroll. Rapid Fiber’s local service and support ensures a timely response for the farm, minimizing disruptions to help keep operations moving.
Nimble Decision-Making
Having so much data from across the farm available at the touch of a button helps the Wards be more productive and responsive in their decision-making. That information helps John see developing problems sooner and gives immediate access to records for each field, so he can identify problems quickly.
Smarter Planning
A lightning-fast connection also helps the farm save money and time with its preparations for future crops. With the extensive information gathered from across its fields, the Wards have the insights needed to confidently decide whether to stick with the same crop next year or if it would be better to diversify into something new.
Remote Monitoring
Perhaps the biggest quality of life improvement since upgrading to Rapid Fiber Internet, John says, is equipment no longer requires constant in-person monitoring. Instead, John can oversee farm operations anytime, anywhere.
With 52 irrigation systems that need to be monitored, checking on them with a phone rather than driving to each one multiple times a day saves hours.
The Future of Farming
While many farms in Florida are still catching up to the benefits of fiber technology for their own fields, John expects it won’t be long before more large-scale farming operations like theirs start taking advantage of a faster connection. As farming equipment continues to advance, there will be more ways to leverage the power of fiber communications for local farming operations. SanRiver’s early adoption of agricultural technology and Rapid Fiber Internet is transforming the way their team works. They’re grateful for the opportunity to invest in these tools and continue adapting for the future.
Visit the Rapid Fiber website to sign up or view the Project Information page to find information on zones in your area today!
