In agriculture, electricity is utilized to control the environment and maintain the life of livestock, poultry and plants, and to prevent food spoilage, avoid financial loss due to failures in harvesting and sorting, and as security of the farm capital investments. A standby power system should be considered as a form of insurance, with the cost of installation and maintenance compared with the potential loss as a result of an extended power outage. A properly sized, installed and maintained standby electric power system can eliminate most of the financial losses and inconveniences resulting from a power outage.