Farmer Wins $4.5 Million In Stray Voltage Case

A state court in Wisconsin has awarded $4.5 million to a dairy farmer who claimed stray voltage from the Xcel Energy power grid caused problems for his cows, resulting in decreased production and lost profits over a period of years.The lawsuit alleged that Xcel knew there was excessive current in one of the farmer’s barns in 1993 but failed to address it until after the plaintiff retained his own consultant in 2011. Stray voltage is a common phenomenon known to affect fences, feeding troughs and other equipment on farms, but it can be mitigated. Excel argued the plaintiff’s problems resulted from poor farming practices and overexpansion of his business, and that the case “teeters on the false premise that their herd should have produced milk at levels exceeding state and local averages.” If the court finds the actions of the defendant were willful, wanton or reckless, the award will be tripled to $13.5 million, which according to the plaintiff’s attorney would make it the largest stray voltage award ever in Wisconsin and the second largest nationally.