Don’t Stray Away

What farmers need to know about rural stray voltage, EMF, 5G and solar and wind farms — Part One

If you haven’t yet heard about farm or personal health problems from electricity or EMF (electromagnetic frequencies), you will soon. The more you know about it, the scarier it is, yet the more you know, the more you can protect yourself, your family, your livestock and your farm. The problem is that the levels of EMF radiation are growing, even in the most remote areas. 

Forms of Electro-Pollution

There are three main forms of electro-smog pollution that matter: electricity, magnetism and radio frequency. 

Electricity. Many people don’t realize it, but this form of power travels on the outside of the electrical wire — sort of like a halo or aura around the wire itself. Electricity always takes the path of least resistance. If linemen get too close to a high-voltage wire, they don’t even need to touch it to die — just getting in that arc can be enough. 

There is actually a lot of natural electricity in the earth itself. That’s why we have a north and south pole, as well as ley lines and meridians. But this earth form of electricity is never dangerous, as it is basically a DC (direct current) form that is harmonious with all life. Static electricity is also a natural form, even though man can manipulate it. 

One exception to the relative harmlessness of natural electricity would be lightning, which is obviously an extremely concentrated version. These natural earth currents are what we suspect the druids were focusing on and working with when they built stone circles and towers. The ancient Egyptians were possibly building antennae and amplifiers as well. These currents are not fixed in general, and ley lines can shift and move like river beds. Every few thousand years the north and south poles can even switch back and forth; some geologists speculate this could happen again in our lifetimes. 

DC current runs in one direction and powers most batteries, solar cells, computers, LEDs and electric vehicles. However, in the 1800s, when it was promoted (prominently by Thomas Edison), the practical use was somewhat limited because back then there was no way to change to higher or lower voltage. Meanwhile, inventor Nikola Tesla was promoting AC (alternating current) as the way of the future. Edison tried to discredit AC by electrocuting animals with AC in public — including an adult elephant — in order to dramatically show AC’s inherent dangers. AC current switches direction back and forth (60 cycles per second in the US) and is considered by most to be a more dangerous form of electricity than DC. High-voltage transmission lines are a classic example of the danger, often carrying 440,000 volts overhead. We can measure the electrical charges from nearby farms. 

Magnetism. Magnetism is the M in EMF. It travels alongside and concurrent with AC electricity. Whenever there is electric flow, there will be a magnetic corona around it. We have devices that measure magnetism and each other form of radiation. Magnetic radiation is much stronger near the source, such as a transformer. 

Radio frequency. The last — and possibly the most important — form of electro-smog is radio frequency (RF) waves. Like electricity and magnetism, this type of radiation is also invisible. There are two main forms: ionizing (such as an X-ray or the microwave oven) and non-ionizing (including radio, telephone, television and other transmissions). 

RF is a wave that flows through the air from an antenna to a devise without the use of wires. Cellphones typically operate at either 2.4Ghz or, lately, 5Ghz. We all have thousands of radio and TV signals passing through our brains right now, plus cellphone and satellite transmissions. These are easily measured by the use of scientific instruments. 

Power companies, cellphone carriers and radio and TV operators are extremely unwilling to publish any data regarding the potential dangers from any exposure to these waves. However, there is an avalanche of books and videos about the dangers. Possibly the best of these is The Invisible Rainbow by Arthur Firstenberg. It has been demonstrated that any form of man-made RF will have a very deleterious effect upon the chlorophyll centers within all plants, thus leading to lower yields and profits. 

I’ll discuss much more about RF and 5G in Part Two of this series. 

What Is Stray Voltage?

This is a very aptly named problem, in that it applies to any two objects that have an electrical potential between them that ideally should not have any voltage difference between them whatsoever. 

How much voltage does it take for there to be a problem? In general, we are always hoping for zero voltage; however, almost any animal can quite easily feel anything at 0.5 volts or higher. Cattle are extremely sensitive to electricity, as are many other domesticated farm animals. 

We humans could feel it too, but we usually have shoes or boots on and sometimes gloves. However, approximately 1-3 percent of all people are what we call “electro-sensitive” and feel extremely uneasy in areas of electrical pollution. These individuals are prone to chronic diseases, including fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome or even autoimmune diseases. People who specialize in the detection and cure of stray voltage say that they see it all too often — some have even detected it as high as nine volts of current. Just imagine touching your tongue to a nine-volt battery. 

All stray voltage is unintentional and undesirable, yet it is extremely common. In fact, professional inspectors tell us that it would be rare to find a farm or home without stray voltage somewhere — usually not in a good location. Even non-electrified Amish farms are known to be afflicted. 

The main culprit, even though there are several variations of causation, is that all standard 120-volt wiring has only one hot wire, one neutral wire and a ground wire. If the neutral wire is inadequate, or if there is a weak or failed connection, the electrical current arriving on the hot wire must return to the source in some manner. This means it will try to go through any and all other objects that will conduct electricity. This undesirable flow of electrons can be via the earth, metal buildings, metal stanchions, fences or other objects, including human and animal bodies. 

A big part of the problem is that electricians and linemen often think about electricity in a different way than engineers trained in electricity. I’m generalizing here — there are some very knowledgeable technicians, and engineers are frequently so specialized that they don’t understand on-the-ground problems — some have no wiring training at all. But typically, linemen have not been trained in household or farm wiring. In fact, sometimes they can barely visualize the flow at all. Their job is to get power to the site. Electrical engineers, including agricultural engineers, are trained to see electrical current wherever it is — quite like the rest of us might see water flowing. We could hardly expect to see water flowing into a structure without knowing where and how this water will exit. 

With voltage, if the neutral wire is not fat enough or if the distance is too far, there’s just no way it can keep up with electrical flow. In these cases, current “spills” into other areas in order for it to eventually get back to the source. 

Stray voltage can come from any electrical device that is malfunctioning. Even properly installed wiring or devices can be damaged by moisture, lightning, or mice, squirrels or rats. On farms, the most commonly afflicted devices are barn fans in the summer and water-tank heaters in the winter. There can also be problems coming onto your farm from the utility service. Fence chargers must be professionally installed lest they contribute to the pollution. Wherever the source, proper diagnosis is a critical starting place to achieve cure. 

What are the symptoms of stray voltage? Farmers who are unknowingly experiencing stray voltage often think they must be bad farmers or bad managers. They think they must have poor-quality livestock, not realizing there is a hidden cause. Electricity is essentially invisible, and we are usually focused on visible issues. 

Every farm, ranch, barn, garage or home can have stray voltage problems; we have seen it with dairy, beef, swine, sheep, goats, poultry and horses. But problems are most clear in a dairy. In general, dairy animals drink more water (to make milk) and they are often indoors and being handled, in a place where we can watch them — a place that almost always has metal stanchions, metal drinking cups, lighting and large fans. 

Animals that are plagued with stray voltage frequently manifest specific problems such as mastitis or high somatic cell count (pus in the milk), or they are jumpy when they come into the barn to be milked. In many cases they just will not let down their milk flow. 

Watch your animals when they drink — they will tell you. Frequently they will only drink just enough to satisfy their thirst, but not enough to maintain adequate production, which soon falls off. Instead of taking a steady intake of water, they merely lap at the water, bobbing their heads. 

Humans are more likely to feel the voltage themselves when walking barefoot on wet concrete — even more so when touching plumbing or metal when they are somewhat grounded by being wet. Some farmers, knowing an electric problem exists, have been known to keep a dry rag around so that they can shut off their faucet or irrigation pivot motor without getting a shock! This avoidance of the real problem can eventually even prove fatal.

Diagnosing and Curing Stray Voltage

How can a farmer accurately diagnose a stray voltage problem? Ideally by hiring a pro! Yet the main “tool of the trade” is a simple voltmeter — one that can measure micro-voltage. You can even hold a metal rod in one hand as you explores with the leads from a voltmeter. Most devices generate a signal that emits a buzz if there is current flow. One technician I observed used a plain lightbulb attached to two wires that were stuck into the ground; it was quite eerie when that bulb lit up! 

Metal barns built under powerlines can actually be so electrified that they can be used to tap illegal electricity! Quite often we can instantly spot wiring design errors or find loose connections. By the use of all these devices we can pinpoint sources of the problem. 

Electric fencing is rarely a problem, in general, but if wired wrong it can be devastating. It is of utmost importance to create a grounding system that is as good or better than that of the rest of the farm. The fencer should have its own individual ground, and it should never be attached to any other ground. Place the ground far away from barns or other electrical systems, but also ground the barn or other outbuildings. 

Can stray voltage be cured? Absolutely! However, it may require a professional to diagnose and cure the problem. In some cases, even though no source can be detected, the professionals can build a circular passageway all the way around the farm buildings using highly conductive materials. 

Most of the time, however, it is possible to diagnose and cure the farm within about four hours. Most diagnoses come in the first half hour. Even if the problem is coming from the utility, a power pole / transformer neutral isolator can be installed. Since many problems come from inadequate grounding, and this is a wiring cure that can be rewired in a proper manner and without much cost. With 240-volt wiring there are fewer problems because there are two hot wires and the current will arrive via one hot line and go back to the source via the other hot wire. 

It’s not always that easy to settle disputes if questions arise with regard to the sources of the problem. If the utility will not accept responsibility for causing the problem or for the cost of fixing it, farmers can feel left in the lurch. In fact, many institutions practically deny the existence of the problem, some even insinuating that the farmer must be either crazy or just a whiner. Here in my state of Minnesota alone, there are currently several pending lawsuits between farmers and the utilities, with little hope of resolution in sight. 

However, the tide is slowly beginning to shift toward more accountability and more willingness to admit that the problem exists. Is it worth fighting? One dairy farmer in Minnesota who is suing the power utility estimates the voltage running through his dairy cost him over $700,000 in lost production last year alone. Another Minnesota suit was settled, awarding $3 million to the damaged parties. 

In Part Two, we will explore many of the known pros and cons of rural wifi, 5G, cell phones, smart meters, large transmission lines, cellphone towers, solar and wind farms, and more. We will also discuss how one can get diagnostic help. Most importantly, we will explore many of the ways farmers (and, of course, city people) can shield themselves and protect their livestock, wildlife (birds and pollinator insects are the most impacted species in nature) and even crops. 

Will Winter is a holistic herd health consultant and livestock nutritionist who hangs his hat in Minnesota. He is also a traveling teacher focusing on sustainable agriculture and traditional nutrition. He also coordinates the raising of his own pastured hogs, hair sheep and meat goats. Find him at willwinterdvm@gmail.com or willwinter.com.