Farms’ Unique Power Needs

Farms have unique and often very specific power needs. These can include electric motors for grain handling, heating equipment for livestock, and just a generally large demand for power simply due to the scale of the operation. When I was growing up on my small family farm, we would routinely run up to 5 grain drying fans at the same time. I don’t know what the demand for that was, but I do remember the neighbors and my dad joking that they could tell when the fans were on or off that month by the electricity bill.

Another thing that I’ve seen on farms during my career is that there is often a quick fix on top of a quick fix on top of a quick fix. Cables criss-crossing all over the place, not buried deeply enough (or not meant to be buried at all), wires hung in free air between buildings, panels with no covers on them leaving live parts exposed, indoor boxes installed outside, panels on rotting posts, etc. Fixing some of these things is easier said than done, but owners should consider rectifying some problems simply for increased functionality. If the post your meter main is mounted on falls over and breaks in the middle of harvest when you need to run augers would be an inconvenience to say the least.

Another thing to point out is that the repair costs might be able to be used as a tax write-off. This is something best discussed with a tax professional, but it could potentially shave a large chunk off of your tax bill at the end of the year. Upgrades can also sometimes be done much more cheaply if everything is open for repairs. This can be used as an opportunity to upgrade your farm for future needs.

Overall, farms and their unique needs have the same issue of equipment aging or becoming damaged over time. If it’s time for electrical improvements on your farm, Prosperity Electric is here to serve you.