Rice Farming

Keith Mosbey sleeps a little better now that he doesn’t have to worry whether the fans on his grain bins are still running during the winter or whether his wells are still pumping water onto his rice fields during the summer.

Mosbey, who farms near Deleplaine, Ark., uses a system from Custom Monitoring Systems Inc. that automatically alerts him should his pumps or fans quit running.

Not only is he using the technology, but he thought enough of it that he’s also a partner in the company marketing it—Custom Monitoring Systems in Paragould, Ark.

Birth of a monitoring system
With his farm operations spread out over several miles in northeast Arkansas, Mosbey began wondering a while back whether there was some sort of technology that would alert him to wells or fans going down. He posed the question to his friend, Stacey McPherson, who owns U.S. Security Technology in Paragould.

McPherson, drawing from his security background, said he knew of no similar technology. So the two developed the patent-pending system for agriculture.

Already, more than 150 farmers have placed orders.

How does the system work?
The unit is composed of a transmitter and a sensor.

The transmitter uses celemetry technology, which is similar to that used by cell phones.

The sensor measures the presence or absence of a water stream coming from a well. A slightly different sensor is needed to monitor air flow in grain bins.

Once the air or water stream is broken, the transmitter turns off the machinery and automatically sends a signal to Atlanta, Ga. The signal is then relayed as a text message to your cell phone, an e-mail or a page to the designated person or persons.

You can set it up to either alert two different people or alert the same person using two different methods.
The messaging service also allows you to give different names or identifying numbers to each location, so you know which unit went down if you have multiple monitoring systems.

In addition, the system allows you to turn off wells remotely using your computer, although the key to the pump remains in the “on” position. Mosbey says this is convenient if you believe a big storm is coming and you don’t have time to run around and turn off every well on your farm.

Money-saving technology
In the long run, Mosbey says the units can save you money.

He figures it costs $12 to $15 and 30 minutes in lost work each time he sends an employee to check a well or grain bin. Even if the units are running fine at the time they’re checked, you have no way of knowing whether the motors kick off soon after the employee has left.

With the sensor, it alerts you the minute the pump or motor shuts off.

And it could save you the cost of pump repairs, should a part break and the pump burns out because it’s sucking air.

“Say you break a shaft,” Mosbey says. “The pump’s still running, but this will shut it down within one minute.” It also notifies you of the problem.

He also believes the units can improve efficiency.

“On our farm, everybody has their area to take care of, but not everybody is mechanical,” Mosbey says. “If a pump goes down, it notifies my more mechanical guy so he can go check on it.

“Before, we were kind of rushing around and trying to make sure everything is pumping. This way, it will free us up to walk around the field and to do more checking.”

One unit, many uses
Another advantage, Mosbey says, is the units are portable. You can use the transmitter during the season on your wells watering your fields, then move it to your bins when you’re drying rice.

Mosbey used a unit on 13 grain bins this winter that were about 18 miles from his farm shop. He tied the bins altogether on one transmitter.

“Instead of driving out there twice a day, we went twice a week, unless it notified us things had changed,” he says. “A couple of times I thought it lied to me, but I’d go out and the last one I’d check, it would be off.”

Other applications include monitoring fast-rising water levels in streams or monitoring gate openings and closings.

As with other electronics, Mosbey says technology is constantly changing.

“Since this is new technology, we have no shortage of enhancements that we are planning for this system,” he says.

Contact Vicky Boyd at (209) 571-0414 or vlboyd@att.net.

A little peace of mind Money-saving system monitors well pumps, grain bin fans and automatically alerts you when they stop
By Vicky Boyd Editor
Keith Mosbey sleeps a little better now that he doesn’t have to worry whether the fans on his grain bins are still running during the winter or whether his wells are still pumping water onto his rice fields during the summer. Mosbey, who farms near Deleplaine, Ark., uses a system from Custom Monitoring Systems Inc. that automatically alerts him should his pumps or fans quit running. Not only is he using the technology, but he thought enough of it that he’s also a partner in the company marketing it—Custom Monitoring Systems in Paragould, Ark. Birth of a monitoring system With his farm operations spread out over several miles in northeast Arkansas, Mosbey began wondering a while back whether there was some sort of technology that would alert him to wells or fans going down. He posed the question to his friend, Stacey McPherson, who owns U.S. Security Technology in Paragould. McPherson, drawing from his security background, said he knew of no similar technology. So the two developed the patent-pending system for agriculture. Already, more than 150 farmers have placed orders. How does the system work? The unit is composed of a transmitter and a sensor. The transmitter uses celemetry technology, which is similar to that used by cell phones. The sensor measures the presence or absence of a water stream coming from a well. A slightly different sensor is needed to monitor air flow in grain bins. Once the air or water stream is broken, the transmitter turns off the machinery and automatically sends a signal to Atlanta, Ga. The signal is then relayed as a text message to your cell phone, an e-mail or a page to the designated person or persons. You can set it up to either alert two different people or alert the same person using two different methods. The messaging service also allows you to give different names or identifying numbers to each location, so you know which unit went down if you have multiple monitoring systems. In addition, the system allows you to turn off wells remotely using your computer, although the key to the pump remains in the “on” position. Mosbey says this is convenient if you believe a big storm is coming and you don’t have time to run around and turn off every well on your farm. Money-saving technology In the long run, Mosbey says the units can save you money. He figures it costs $12 to $15 and 30 minutes in lost work each time he sends an employee to check a well or grain bin. Even if the units are running fine at the time they’re checked, you have no way of knowing whether the motors kick off soon after the employee has left. With the sensor, it alerts you the minute the pump or motor shuts off. And it could save you the cost of pump repairs, should a part break and the pump burns out because it’s sucking air. “Say you break a shaft,” Mosbey says. “The pump’s still running, but this will shut it down within one minute.” It also notifies you of the problem. He also believes the units can improve efficiency. “On our farm, everybody has their area to take care of, but not everybody is mechanical,” Mosbey says. “If a pump goes down, it notifies my more mechanical guy so he can go check on it. “Before, we were kind of rushing around and trying to make sure everything is pumping. This way, it will free us up to walk around the field and to do more checking.” One unit, many uses Another advantage, Mosbey says, is the units are portable. You can use the transmitter during the season on your wells watering your fields, then move it to your bins when you’re drying rice. Mosbey used a unit on 13 grain bins this winter that were about 18 miles from his farm shop. He tied the bins altogether on one transmitter. “Instead of driving out there twice a day, we went twice a week, unless it notified us things had changed,” he says. “A couple of times I thought it lied to me, but I’d go out and the last one I’d check, it would be off.” Other applications include monitoring fast-rising water levels in streams or monitoring gate openings and closings. As with other electronics, Mosbey says technology is constantly changing. “Since this is new technology, we have no shortage of enhancements that we are planning for this system,” he says. Contact Vicky Boyd at (209) 571-0414 or vlboyd@att.net.
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