COVER STORY
AUTOMATED ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS MONITORING A ‘NO-BRAINER,’ FARME Five dairy farmers test a real-time alert system
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arn fires are a significant issue in livestock farming, affecting animal welfare, farmer mental health and overall public perceptions about agriculture. The increasing size and high-tech nature of modern livestock barns also mean losses are higher when disaster strikes—according to Ontario Fire Marshal statistics, those range between $20 million to $30 million annually. According to the Canadian Farm Builders Association, electrical problems cause more than 40 per cent of farm fires. The best way to avoid such losses is to prevent fires from starting in the first place. Modern technology is making it easier for farmers to monitor the overall health of their electrical systems 24-7 and reduce barn fire risks in realtime. That means signs of equipment malfunction can be detected early, eliminating downtime and preventing more extensive problems. Quebec-based PrevTech Innovation
has brought an electrical monitoring system for farms to market, first in Quebec and now expanding into Ontario and Western Canada. Automation technology solution provider Maximus also offers a fire prevention monitoring system specifically designed for agriculture. In the PrevTech system, a control box is installed next to the barn’s main electrical panel to monitor for fault currents and overheating panels and other electrical components in realtime. If the sensors record anything out of the ordinary, the system sends an automatic text message alert to PrevTech, the farmer and the farm’s designated electrician. Farmers pay for the control box and its installation, along with a yearly monitoring and service fee. It has detected problems, such as a junction box with excessive moisture and worn out connections, a burnt-out motor, water from a pressure washer running down PVC tubing into a junction box, compromised lighting fixtures,
MORE INFORMATION: PrevTech: www.prevtech.ca/ Maximus: www.maximus-solution.com/prevention/ Trillium Mutual Insurance Company: www.trilliummutual.com Farm & Food Care Ontario farm fires and livestock emergencies resources: www.farmfoodcareon.org/livestock-emergencies/ OMAFRA barn fire prevention resources: www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/engineer/barnfire/fireprevention.htm Canadian Farm Builders Association: www.cfba.ca/barn-fire-prevention Farm fire safety checklist: www.mcscs.jus.gov.on.ca/sites/default/files/content/ofm/docs/Checklist.pdf
The increasing s modern livestock higher when dis Ontario Fire Mar between $20 mil a broken connector and electrical terminals on a cow brush and a severely corroded outlet used for a water pump. Guy Séguin, systems engineer at Dairy Farmers of Ontario (DFO), first learned about the technology and its potential for the dairy industry as part of his involvement with an industry working group focused on barn fire risk reduction, led by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA). That’s when DFO decided to work with five Ontario dairy farms to pilot the system. Interested farmers were invited to submit their names and received some funding toward having the technology installed on their farms. “As an industry, we need to take responsibility for this, which is why we moved on this and why we are part of the OMAFRA committee,” Séguin says. “We are promoting fire prevention and although we have a lot more work to do, I believe we are making headway.” DFO is not the only organization taking note of the concept of 24-hour real-time electrical systems monitoring and the value it offers the farm community. In October 2020, Trillium Mutual Insurance Company launched a new partnership with PrevTech Innovations to provide a control box free of charge to any of their agri-business members,