Overview
Uncontrolled electricity is a constant underground current that runs through the soil and is detectable on barn floors, through metal feeders or stabling structures, delivering unwanted electrical currents that can cause serious harm to livestock.
In rural Ontario, electricity that uses the ground as its return path back to its source (rather than the primary neutral) is a concern, causing unintended and often unpredictable consequences. If left undetected, uncontrolled electricity, sometimes referred to as stray voltage, can result in serious issues for farmers and has plagued rural livestock farms for the last five decades.
OFA has been working in partnership with Hydro One to address and resolve ground current challenges impacting Ontario farm businesses since 2013. In 2016, the Farm Rapid Response Team was developed by Hydro One in partnership with OFA to deal with issues including stray voltage, ground current and power quality. The purpose of the partnership is to help identify, assess, and mitigate on-farm electrical issues.
The Farm Rapid Response Team is the outcome of the Uncontrolled Electricity Working Group, made up of livestock and electricity stakeholders including Hydro One and OFA. Hydro One’s collaboration with OFA and their commitment to this serious issue are important steps to resolving these issues that can cause serious problems on Ontario farms
For more information on uncontrolled electricity, visit:
- Farm & Food Care Ontario http://www.farmfoodcareon.org/uncontrolled-electricity/
- Hydro One Stray Voltage, including a simplified form to initiate Uncontrolled Electricity Investigation through a dedicated Farm Rapid Response Team – https://www.hydroone.com/request-a-service/stray-voltage
- Uncontrolled Electricity Farm Rapid Response Team Information – https://ofa.on.ca/get-involved/corporate/uncontrolled-electricity-presentation
- Uncontrolled Electricity fact sheet – https://ofa.on.ca/issues/fact-sheet/understanding-uncontrolled-electricity
OFA Position
OFA believes uncontrolled electricity situations should be addressed. OFA has been working in partnership with Hydro One to address and resolve ground current challenges impacting Ontario farm businesses since 2013.