Generators

By Ashlyn Brooks

On a quiet winter night, when the wind howls against the barn and the lights flicker for the third time in an hour, every farmer knows the sinking feeling that follows.

The milking machines hum to a stop, the heaters go silent and the livestock shift restlessly in the dark. It doesn’ t take long for the consequences to stack up— spoiled milk, frozen pipes and the kind of stress you can feel in your chest. That’ s when you realize a generator isn’ t just backup equipment— it’ s the heartbeat that keeps everything running when the grid doesn’ t.

Whether you’ re managing a sprawling dairy farm or tending a few acres of pasture, the right generator setup can mean the difference between a temporary inconvenience and a full-blown disaster. Here’ s how to find a system that fits your farm, your workload and your peace of mind.

The Real Cost of Going Dark

Electricity isn’ t just a convenience on a modern farm— it’ s infrastructure. It keeps ventilation fans spinning, irrigation pumps pushing and cold storage at a steady temperature. A single 12-hour outage can destroy thousands of dollars’ worth of milk or feed, throw breeding schedules off by days and leave equipment exposed to the kind of moisture and chill that shortens its life.

And rural farms are often hit hardest. In remote areas, the grid stretches thin; restoration crews can take longer to reach you. A backup generator isn’ t about luxury— it’ s about insurance for every animal, machine and product that depends on you showing up no matter what the weather.

Choosing the Right Type

The best generator for your farm depends on the scale of your operation and what you need to power when the lights go out. Standby Generators( 20 to 200 kW and larger): The gold standard for whole-farm reliability. Permanently installed and wired through an automatic transfer switch( ATS), they detect power loss and start within seconds— keeping fans, water pumps and milking systems running without interruption. A 100-kilowatt( kW) diesel standby unit with a 250-gallon tank can typically run 24 hours at 75 % load, making it ideal for large livestock or irrigation operations. Expect an installed price between $ 10,000 and $ 50,000, depending on size.

20 | 515-574-2206 | 515-574-2189 | November 2025