September 6, 2016
Letters, Vermont

Against Dairy Air Wind

Against dairy air wind | Caledonian Record | September 5, 2016 | www.caledonianrecord.com

Considering the many reports of damage to domestic animals, i.e.: dairy cows, goats and horses, plus the reported decrease in milk production caused by the proximity of wind turbines to dairy farms, does it make sense to install a wind turbine in a farming community today?

Anyone who does a little bit of browsing on the Internet will find many reports of problems for both humans, domestic and wild animals and birds that these turbines are causing from Europe to the Far East, from Falmouth, Mass. to San Diego, Calif. So, I repeat, does it make sense to install a wind turbine in a dairy farming community?

“Incidences of mass die-offs of farm animals suggest that noise, infrasound and stray voltage may be harmful to live-stock,” reads one such report. “Flexural deformities,” reads another.

This may sound like I am against Green Power. I am not. I believe the electricity generated by wind turbines can lower our dependency on coal and oil and thus eventually halt or lower global warming, but I am against placing them where they can affect the health and well being of humans and the domestic animals that they depend on for their living.

Holland is a nice quiet place to live. We don’t have much commerce here except for home based businesses, no gas station, no bank, no post office, no convenience store, but we do have several dairy farms, vegetable and flower gardens and an Elementary School of which we are very proud.

So, does it really make sense to install one 450 ft. wind turbine in a dairy farming community when there are alternatives such as solar panels on barn roofs and/or one or even more smaller turbines such as other local farmers already have? While these may not provide the surplus electricity and/or renewable energy credits the developer or utilities can sell, they would certainly help the dairy farm’s bottom line.

I see no reason why the owners of Dairy Air Wind can’t install one of these Green Power alternatives which provide electricity at a much reduced cost, for many years to come, without the risk of adverse effects to his family, his animals, neighbors and everyone else in the area.

Raymond Castro

Holland, Vt.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2016/09/06/against-dairy-air-wind/