I’m working at a fairly interesting research facility this week. I can’t tell you the name of my client, but let’s say they test and research high-voltage components and scenarios. The guy I am working with was telling me of a time when they did an experiment with cows.
Apparently, some dairy farmers were trying to lay to rest the question of whether or not dairy cows (Holsteins) produced less milk in the presence of high-voltage wires. Now, before you go thinking that they electrocuted a bunch of cows it was nothing of the sort.
They rented (yes rented) some cows and stuck them in a field with some high voltage lines. It took them a little while, but what they figured out is that the hooves of the bovines not only conduct electricity, but also act as a collector. So the cows would roam around the field and build up a charge. When they bent their heads to eat the grass they would ground themselves out and receive a mild electric shock for their efforts.
As far as they could tell, this didn’t really hurt the cows but it discouraged them from eating in the same quantities they would have had there not been any electricity around. Thus, it turned out it was true that cows which were in proximity to high-voltage lines produced less milk….just not for the reasons people were thinking.
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