LONDON, ONT. -- They're ready to kick up the connectivity in Oxford County.

It's all thanks to an $8.2 million economic injection for internet services.

For Harm Wolters, modern farming means having a number of connected devices that make Wolthaven Farms, his dairy farm near Ingersoll more efficient and cost-effective.

As an example, collars on the cows allow Wolters to use software to constantly monitor the health, activity and productivity of the herd. What appears on the computer screen looks like an extreme game of Tetris.

"Every block is a cow. All the green ones are pregnant cows. These blue ones are cows that are recently bred," he says.

Wolters can be anywhere, at any time, and still see important data, “If the computer's on the internet you can actually access that from your phone and keep track of things. Obviously, when you don't have the internet that's not going to work," he adds.

After a pilot project in Norfolk, Wellington and Lambton Counties, the province is fully rolling out its $150 million rural broadband initiative.

Ernie Hardeman, Oxford MPP and Minister of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs, announced the new roll-out at Wolthaven Monday morning, saying the broadband service is needed on a number of levels.

"To better compete in global markets, attract new jobs, and improve their quality of life," said Hardeman.

Proponents of the project say along with the economic impacts of poor internet connectivity, there can be social impacts as well.

It can be something as simple as not being to go to Amazon and order items online, like your friends do; to more serious consequences like students being at a disadvantage when it comes to doing their homework.

Ontario Federation of Agriculture President Keith Currie says with agriculture being the province’s largest industry, worth $48 billion annually, it's important to foster that industry.

"If you can't get that dependable connectivity and the speed that you need it makes it very difficult to do so," says Currie.

The broadband roll-out is being coordinated by a group called Southwestern Integrated Fibre Technology Inc. (SWIFT).

It’s a not-for-profit agency established by the member municipalities.

South-West Oxford Mayor David Mayberry is Chair of SWIFT. He says the key was to encourage competition.

"You want all the providers -- the big ones, the little ones -- to say I can do a little chunk here, a little chunk there that might actually be what the counties want," says Mayberry.

Wolters says not only do his daily operations now rely on connectivity but, in an era of global competition, farmers are required to constantly monitor international markets.

"You need to know these prices, you need to know fluctuations and you need when to jump and when not," says Wolters.

Hardeman says broadband announcements in other jurisdictions will be coming in the weeks ahead.