Future Tech West, an agribusiness-focused rural information technology centre in O’Leary, today launched a new eFarm portal-based web application to assist the Island’s agricultural community.
The eFarm portal gives PEI farmers and agriculture specialists access to customized online services from their home computers or laptops in their tractors. Industry professionals from around the globe are just a click away, as are productivity planning tools and other crucial information such as the latest weather conditions or spray and pest alerts.
“Canada’s New Government is pleased to help Prince Edward Island’s agricultural community build on its strengths by providing them with information tools they need to more effectively manage their operations,” said the Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA). “Our support will help them build strong farming communities in Prince Edward Island.”
“Technology allows for new opportunities in today’s work environment - in fact, without technology most of us wouldn’t be able to perform effectively in our day-to-day jobs,” said Minister of Development and Technology Mike Currie. “The farm community is a viable industry in our province. With the proper training and tools in place to compete in today’s global market, farmers will be able to respond to market conditions with speed and efficiency.”
Development of the portal was funded by the Government of Canada, through ACOA, Adapt P.E.I., and the Department of Development and Technology.
“The release of this new portal system is simply a first step towards what we hope to accomplish as we continue to build more applications and move forward,” said general manager of Future Tech West Darren Gill. “We have already formed a partnership with the solutions developer who designed a system that is currently used by Wal-Mart and BestBuy for product inventory and traceability. This partnership allows us to bring affordable solutions to the farm gates of PEI.”
For more information about the eFarm portal service or Future Tech West, please visit their website at www.futuretechwest.com or call 902-859-1962.