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Stray voltage remains a problem for some farms

Stray electrical voltage has caused serious problems for some Wisconsin dairy farms.

Bryanna Handel and her husband operate a dairy near Barnaveld, Wisconsin. She says, “Back in December, we noticed that our cows were acting very agitated, and coincidentally the same day, they turned on the new substation a half mile from our farm.”

Handel says the utility, Alliant Energy, tested and found stray voltage on their farm, but below the levels allowed by the Wisconsin Public Service Commission, and below the amount of electrical current that studies say affects cows.  She says the PSC needs to stop using the old data and guidelines. “They used that data from the 1980s when they did a bunch of testing that’s been found falsified as to what a cow can actually feel.”

Ten days after the new substation began operating, the herd’s milk production dropped from 57 pounds of milk per day to just 45 pounds adding up to $125,000 in lost milk revenue.  The utility installed isolation devices, which cost the family $935 plus $35 per month, but Handel says they still have cows with symptoms.  She says milk production is about back to normal, but they’re having to service them five or six times to get them pregnant.

Handel says the problem started when they were milking 67 Holsteins but they’re down to 52 after shipping some cows that showed severe stress symptoms. “They won’t get better, which is really hard for me because we want to save every cow, right? But, it’s probably better just to ship them once they start showing signs of being affected by the stray voltage.”

Sarah Sarbacker with FarmFirst Dairy Cooperative says the Handel farm and another in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin alerted them about their stray voltage problems. “As their cooperative, I stepped in and we started, I started helping contact legislators to help them get connected with these producers so they could tell their story and hopefully get some action going on this issue.” Sarbacker says they also have members dealing with stray voltage problems in Illinois and a Minnesota farmer that has had success bringing changes to her state’s regulations is working with the cooperative on this issue.

Handel wants a new USDA backed study to get accurate stray voltage data to replace what the Public Service Commission is using to regulate electrical utilities.

Audio: Bryanna Handel discusses her farm’s problems with stray voltage with Brownfield’s Larry Lee

Audio: Sarah Sarbacker discusses FarmFirst Cooperative’s involvement in the stray voltage issues some of their members are experiencing with Brownfield’s Larry Lee.

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