Stray voltage is a natural phenomenon. It is a voltage that can develop on a grounded neutral system of either a farm's wiring or a utility's distribution system. If an animal touches grounded metal equipment under certain conditions, voltage on the neutral system can cause a small current to flow through the animal into the ground.

Stray voltage is often misunderstood. Over the past 40 years, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and other federal, state, utility and dairy organizations have conducted studies on stray voltage. According to these authorities, stray voltage can be kept at levels where dairy livestock health and production are not affected.