Fall 2006
Soybean Stats
• In October, United States soybean production was forecast at 3.19 billion
bushels. This would shatter the record for
highest production in a year.
• Last year, Michigan produced
76,615,000 bushels of soybeans, ranking it 12th in production nationwide.
• Sanilac and Lenawee are
Michigan’s biggest soybean-producing
counties.
AgriCulture
Energy information for the agricultural community
Three-phase Electric Service
Why and When?
A
S FARMS continue to get
bigger, and use electric
equipment with larger horsepower motors, the question arises of
three-phase vs. single-phase power.
What determines the need for threephase electric service? Are there specific factors that you and your electric
utility need to consider before a service upgrade is confirmed?
• Michigan soybean crops
cashed in more
than $430,000
last year.
• Soybean rust is
a major problem
and, if introduced, can result in large
crop and economic loss for Michigan
farmers.
Did You Know?
• During the Civil War, soybeans were used
to brew coffee, due to the scarcity of
actual coffee.
• More soybeans are grown in the U.S.
than anywhere else in the world.
• One-half of all daily U.S. newspapers are
printed with soybean oil-based ink.
Sources: United States Department of Agriculture;
Michigan Department of Agriculture; Oklahoma
Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry
A typical single-phase service on a Michigan dairy farm.
To understand three-phase service,
it helps to know how your electric
utility’s distribution system works.
Starting at the substation, three-phase
lines branch out, just like the branches
of a tree. On these three-phase power
lines, each pole carries three separate
conductors. Over the years, as homes
and businesses were built, each of the
three phases (three separate lines)
were used to supply electricity to
single-phase lines radiating out across
the countryside. The conductors on a
three-phase power line are referred to
as phases because each of the three
carries electricity at a slightly different
wave form or phase.
There is a limit to the number and size
of electric loads that a single-phase
power line can supply. If a farmer
wishes to install a large motor-driven
piece of equipment, the utility must
see if it will cause blinks or low voltage problems for other customers on
the line. Upgrading a single-phase
line to three-phase is an expensive
proposition. The economics of utility
line construction do not make it cost
effective to build three-phase lines for
just a few small customers.
The need for three-phase service usually occurs where large motors are
present. Up to a motor size of about
5 horsepower (hp), single-phase service is usually adequate. Beyond 5
hp, the single-phase line may have
trouble delivering the current needed
to start the motor. Starting a motor
can require six times as much current
as it takes after it’s running. A large
motor start-up on a single-phase line
can cause blinks
and related
problems for
other customers
on the line, as
well as the farm
in question.
(Continued on the inside gate)
A close up of a typical three-phase farm installation.
S TO R I E S F RO M T H E H E A RT A N D L A N D
Down on the
Dairy Farm
A
SK Shirley Parker-Hazle of St.
Johns what it’s like to live on
a farm without electric service
and she might share a few stories about
life in rural Michigan in the 1930s and
1940s.
remember coming up the road from
school and seeing the lights,” said
Shirley.
In those days, Shirley’s family had
to carry buckets of water from a well
located near their barn to the house in
order to bathe, cook or drink. They also
had to fill lamps and lanterns with oil
and trim wicks regularly to read or get
around at night.
“Every time you wanted water, you hit
the switch over the sink that would bring
the water to the kitchen sink,” Shirley
said. “It was a lot more convenient than
having to haul water into the house.”
Those were just some of the everyday
household chores the family of Dana
and Dorothy Parker had to do on their
farm until the first utility pole appeared
in their neighborhood on East Pratt
Road in 1939.
One of the first things Shirley’s father
did was install an electric pump to push
the water from the well to the house.
Her father also replaced the gas motor
in the washing machine with an electric
motor and brought the washing machine
indoors.
Shirley’s mother also made the most out
of the new power supply and purchased
a floor radio for the family.
Today, Shirley and her husband, George,
raise Holstein and Brown Swiss cattle
on the same farm, which is now called
Golden Knob Farms. The Hazles built a
new house in 1965 next to the old farm
house, which is now rented mostly to
Michigan State University students who
study agriculture.
George and Shirley Hazle with their family, down on their
farm in Victor Township.
In 1940, Shirley’s father and mother
announced they soon would have electric lighting in the house.
“My brothers and I were excited because
we knew it was going to happen. I can
Page 2
Semiretired, George and Shirley Hazle
say electricity is still a very important
part of life on the farm.
Among its many benefits, electricity powers the milking machine in the
parlor, cools the milk in the bulk tank,
powers the mercury lights in the yard at
night, and makes possible all the conveniences of modern technology in the
house and office.
Thanks in part to the milker in the
parlor, each one of the Hazles’ 57 cows
produces more than 20,000 pounds of
milk a year.
St. Johns is famous for its peppermint
and spearmint farms. The Parkers raised
mint from the 1930s to the early 1960s.
They were also well known for their
apple orchard. The Hazles started the
dairy in 1963. Their daughters, Dana
Sue Kirk and Kathy Hazle, and son-inlaw Kevin Kirk have long been involved
in the farming operation, and the Hazles
are very proud of this involvement and
their family.
Golden Knob Farm is one of only two
dairy farms left in Victor Township.
Neighboring Bath Township has only
one dairy farm left, according to George
Hazle.
“George and I wanted to build a herd
of registered cows and we succeeded,”
Shirley said. “In our lifetime, we have
gone from the dark ages to the modern
age of unlimited technology because of
electricity.”
Understanding
A Working Definition
Stray voltage is an electrical current,
generally less than 10 volts, measured
between two points that a farm animal may
touch at the same time. If this occurs, a
current may flow through the animal between
those points.
People seldom perceive these voltage levels.
The amount of current depends on the voltage
and total resistance of the circuit. Livestock
respond to the resulting current flow, not to
voltage.
Current
Flow
Perception
Behavior
Response
Production
Loss
Voltage
Level
0.001
ampere
less than
1 in 50
animals
none
none
0.5 volt
0.002
ampere
less than
1 in 10
animals
none
none
1 volt
0.004
ampere
majority
of animals
short-term
changes
with some
animals
none
2 volt
(1 milliampere)
(2 milliampere)
(4 milliampere)
Staying Grounded
Farm Safety and Neutral-to-earth Voltage
Electric safety on the farm is of
paramount concern to Consumers
Energy and farmers statewide.
Most farms employ a three-wire, singlephase service that includes a neutral
wire grounded to the earth and two
ungrounded wires.
From the neutral to either of the
ungrounded wires is 120 volts. From one
ungrounded wire to the other (Leg A to
Leg B) is 240 volts.
Other farms may use a four-wire system.
However, when installing a four-wire
service to a farm building, it is necessary
to add separate equipment grounding
wire and grounding terminal block to the
electrical panel. Otherwise, potentially
fatal neutral-to-earth voltage (NEV) can
occur if there’s a fault, such as a frayed
wire, a short in equipment or some other
undetected electrical fault.
“A dangerous voltage can develop
on equipment in a building if the
Information taken from “Stray Voltage”
questions and answers. Produced by the
Michigan Agricultural Electric Council.
Visit their Web site at
http://www.egr.msu.edu/age/MAEC.
equipment grounding
wire is omitted, forcing
fault current to flow
through the earth,”
wrote Michigan State
University researchers
Jonathan Althouse and
Truman Surbrook in a
paper for the Michigan
Agricultural Electric
Council titled, “Dangers
of Total Separation of
Equipment Grounds and
Neutral,” Nov. 1999.
Leg A
Voltage drop on neutral
Farm
main
disconnect
switch
Leg B
120 volt circuit
Neutral bus
Ground rod
Electrical service
panel in barn
A small amount of
current may flow
through the earth
Ground rod
Bond to metal
water pipe required
The illustration shows the grounding methods for a three-wire
system that ensures a safe environment for humans and animals.
However, “The earth is never permitted
to be the only equipment grounding
conductor,” the wiring experts report,
paraphrasing the National Electrical
Code, Section 250.32(B)
The National Electrical Code (NEC)
is a book containing a set of minimum
standards for the safe installation
and use of electricity in residential,
commercial, industrial and agricultural
structures.
It is published by the National Fire
Protection Association. The NEC
2005 softbound edition ($65) is about
725 pages. The NEC 2005 Handbook
($119.95) is an expanded hardbound
reference guide with about 1,250 pages.
Both are available at http://www.
necdirect.org or by calling (800) 344Page 3
3555.
Page 3
Farm Energy Partner
Bill Hendricks has been working
closely with farmers to locate stray
voltage problems on their dairy, beef,
sheep, ostrich, chicken and turkey
farms for the past 13 years. The senior
agricultural services specialist works
the region from Cheboygan to just
north of St. Johns, and from Cadillac
to the Lake Huron shoreline.
Hendricks also performs neutralto-earth evaluations on close to
700 farms a year. His co-workers
say he’s one of the best in the
ks
company’s agricultural services
Bill Hendric
department.
Hendricks, a Consumers Energy employee since 1981, travels
about 40,000 miles a year to get the job done.
“I enjoy my job,” he said. “It’s a job where I get to interact
with people, and I enjoy the challenge of figuring out a
customer’s wiring problems and problems on the company’s
electric distribution system.”
Call Us for Help
As your farm operation changes and grows, so will your
­electrical needs. By planning and anticipating power demands,
you can ensure your electrical system won’t be overloaded.
New construction or renovations also give you an opportunity
to install safe and efficient energy measures.
If you are in the planning, remodeling or expansion stage, call
the Agricultural Services department for recommendations at
(800) 252-8658.
And if you wish to upgrade, request new electric service or are
already under construction, call (800) 477-5050.
Free Checkup Protects
Livestock
If you have a concern about stray voltage, call Consumers
Energy at (800) 252-8658.
We’ll conduct a free evaluation of your farm and provide an
illustrated booklet that describes animal contact voltage sources,
detection and maintenance steps to help prevent them from
affecting your livestock.
Page 4
Visit us on the Internet: www.consumersenergy.com/farm
Agricultural Services Department, PE-A100
Consumers Energy
One Energy Plaza
Jackson, MI 49201
Three-phase (Continued from page 1)
Upgrading to a three-phase line can prevent these kinds of
problem for you and your neighbors.
If you are considering an expansion involving electric equipment, think about the following factors and discuss them with
your electric supplier:
• Time – Call the utility’s engineering or operations department well in advance of a planned project. Even if you
have not confirmed an expansion, a phone call six months
in advance is not too early. This avoids construction delays
and unplanned expenses.
• Costs – Constructing a three-phase line extension can easily cost $40,000 per mile of line, and often more. Any
cost-share arrangement from the utility will be determined
by comparing the total costs for transformers, poles, land
clearing, etc. with the expected higher electric usage of the
customer’s new equipment.
• Alternatives – If a three-phase line proves cost prohibitive,
consider a single-to-three-phase converter. There’s also a
new motor design on the market (called a Written-PoleTM
motor) that can be served by common single-phase service,
and drive equipment up to 60 hp.
Information for this article was provided by the National Food and Energy Council.
Additional resources on agricultural energy use and proper wiring can be found at
www.nfec.org.
Publication Order Form
To help us serve your energy needs, please include the following:
Your six-digit customer number as listed on the mailing label:
H
Fall 2006
Name
Address
City
Zip
Telephone
I am planning to install new electric equipment. Please call me to help
determine the correct electric rate and adequate size of electrical facilities.
Please circle the FREE publication you would like to receive:
EQ2 Livestock Waterers: Selection and Use
W6 Electric Fencing Basics
EQ5 Four-wire Electrical Service for Farm Buildings (MAEC)
“Understanding the Basics of Electric
Fence Energizers”
EQ7 Dangers of Total Separation (MAEC)
“Keeping the Current Flowing on an
Electric Fence”
“Protecting an Energizer from Lightning”
“Constructing an Earth Return System”
EQ8Is Your Farm an Energy Hog or a Lean
Machine (Hoard’s Dairyman)
AV1 Understanding Neutral-to-earth and Stray
Voltage
AV2 Equipotential Planes
AV3 E ffects of Electrical Voltage/Current on
Farm Animals
W1 Agricultural Wiring Handbook
W2 E lectrical Wiring for Livestock and Poultry
Structures
W3 A Guide to Electric Fencer Safety
W4 Farm Safely with Electricity
W9 Farming Safely & Efficiently with Electricity
W10 Customer Generation Connections
W11 Safety Tips Before You Build — A Quick
Guide
W13 Sizing and Selecting Your Standby
Generator
W14 Safe and Effective Electric Fences
W15 Standby Power
2007 Great Lakes
Regional Dairy Conference
Consumers Energy is pleased to be a sponsor of the 2007 Great
Lakes Regional Dairy Conference, which is gearing up for another
educational and fun-filled event on Feb. 8-10 at the Bavarian Inn
Lodge and Conference Center in Frankenmuth.
The conference kicks off with a motivational session featuring
Olympic wrestling champion and dairy farmer Rulon Gardner and
continues with two education-filled days featuring experts in dairy
nutrition and breeding.
The 2007 speaker list includes Patt Hoffman, a dairy scientist from
the University of Wisconsin-Marshfield; Ron Erskine, a doctor of
veterinary medicine with the Michigan State University College of
Veterinary Medicine; Ernest Yates, director of milk procurement for
Dean Foods; Dave Thorbahn, general manager of Select Sires; Hap
Allen, associate vice president of market development for Genox
Cooperative; and Trent Loos, an agriculture activist and radio personality.
AGRICULTURAL SERVICES PE-A100
CONSUMERS ENERGY
ONE ENERGY PLAZA
JACKSON, MI 49201-9939
PERMIT #1
FIRST-CLASS MAIL
POSTAGE WILL BE PAID BY ADDRESSEE
JACKSON, MI
BUSINESS REPLY MAIL
NO POSTAGE
NECESSARY
IF MAILED
IN THE
UNITED STATES
For registration and pricing for the conference, visit www.glrdc.msu.
edu, or call the registration hot line at (866) 387-6048.