Wind Farms,any info?

[Australian Cattleman]

Any info about wind farms in the US and Canada. Wind farms with turbines are sprouting up in many areas of Australia. We have feasibility studies going on, on two of our properties at the present. There are about 6 other landholders next to us that are involved as well.
We have heard about adverse effects with stock loss caused by wind turbines and "stray voltage" causing deaths of dairy cattle in the mid west of the US.
It will be a good money earner for us as we could very well have about 10 turbines on our properties which we get paid per turbine each year and as well a percentage of power sold into the state electricity grid. Our area is a fairly windy one especially from July to November.
Any info greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Colin

 

[Craig-TX]

There are plenty of them along the ridges in west Texas. When you're driving down the highways those turbines look big from a few miles away. If you get up close it's amazing how big they really are. I've never heard of them causing any harm to livestock but I don't know anybody with turbines on their land.

http://www.awea.org/

http://www.infinitepower.org/ (see FAQ)

Craig-TX

 

[sidney411]

They have 1 at the dairy farm at Tarleton S.U. The 1 turbine powers the entire dairy and also has electricity left over which they push back down the line. I have not heard of any problems with stray voltage though. I guess if there was some sort of malfunction something could happen, but I would say that would be a rare case.

 

[Farmhand]

There are a bunch of wind turbines north of us. I have not heard of any problems with livestock. They have been there for several years so would imagine hearing about any problems. A lot of them appear to be out in crop land and don't know how much livestock have wintered around them though.

 

[Arnold Ziffle]

Colin --- if the turbines would be on land that you plan to keep indefinitely in your ag operation (as opposed to selling off and/or subdividing) I'd be inclined to go for it if I were you. But carefully consider how long you would be committed to having the turbines on your land. FWIW, I've never read or heard any account of wind farms causing health related problems for cattle. Of course, every now and then there is somebody trying to prove that living in close proximity to high voltage lines causes any number of maladies to humans and, I would suppose, animals.

Based strictly on what I've read, a lot of rachers in the windy areas of north and west Texas think the windfarms are somewhat of a godsend, since they get a pretty nice royalty payment and the "footprint" for the turbines is not all that large, considered in the grand scheme of things in those areas. Also, I know they've had large wind farms near Livermore, California for over 30 years and cattle graze those hills, I assume with no adverse consequences.