About this episode
<p>There’s something rotten in the cows of Denmark. And Minnesota. And Wisconsin. And Idaho. What could cause a previously thriving herd of majestic dairy cattle to stop drinking water and start drinking … urine? A Danish farmer calls a special investigator, who takes one look at his farm and nopes the heck out of there, refusing to return, citing “bad energy” coming from something nearby … a big building covered in Viking runes. </p> <p>It’s not magic. It’s an invisible force that’s far more common. And yet deeply mysterious.</p> <p>This episode plunges producers Matt Kielty and Simon Adler knee-deep in a decades-old dairy farm controversy, rooted in a fundamental suspicion of the invisible streams of electrons that keep our world humming.</p> <p><i>Special thanks to Dr. Liz Brock</i></p> <p><br><strong>EPISODE CREDITS: </strong><br> Reported by - Matt Kielty and Simon Adler<br> with help from - Clara Grunnet and Rebecca Rand<br> Produced by - Matt Kielty<br> with help from - Maria Paz Gutierrez<br> Original music from - Jeremy Bloom and Matt Kielty<br> Sound design contributed by - Jeremy Bloom<br> Mixed by - Jeremy Bloom<br> Fact-checking by - Angely Mercado and Sophie Samiee<br> and Edited by - Pat Walters</p> <p><strong>EPISODE CITATIONS:</strong></p> <p>Books -</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262052122/the-great-energy-transition/" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Great Energy Transition: America from 1876 to 1929</a> (<a href="https://zpr.io/3PStsDgidpj5" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://zpr.io/3PStsDgidpj5</a>), by David Nye</li> <li><a href="https://www.press.jhu.edu/books/title/12690/powering-american-farms?srsltid=AfmBOopJDVRjXw6RkfucrLvRtDjQVPboO3U5yLww8P2aybml2ZtU3glI" rel="noopener noreferrer">Powering American Farms: The Overlooked Origins of Rural Electrification</a> (<a href="https://zpr.io/GdQ4pMCy4DAV" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://zpr.io/GdQ4pMCy4DAV</a>), by Richard Hirsch</li> <li><a href="https://www.vacaresources.com/index.php/online-store/books-by-doc-sanders/beyond-the-barn-detail" rel="noopener noreferrer">Beyond the Barn – Dodging Cow Patties for 50 Years by a Country Vet</a> (<a href="https://zpr.io/S8qS9HLEQBJe" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://zpr.io/S8qS9HLEQBJe</a>), by Don Sanders a memoir about his long career.</li> </ul> <p><i>Signup for our newsletter!! It includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show. </i><a href="https://radiolab.org/newsletter" rel="noopener noreferrer"><i>Sign up</i></a><i> (https://radiolab.org/newsletter)!</i></p> <p><i>Radiolab is supported by listeners like you. Support Radiolab by becoming a member of </i><a href="http://members.radiolab.org" rel="noopener noreferrer"><i>The Lab</i></a><i> (https://members.radiolab.org/) today.</i></p> <p><i>Follow our show on </i><a href="http://instagram.com/radiolab" rel="noopener noreferrer"><i>Instagram</i></a><i>, </i><a href="http://twitter.com/radiolab" rel="noopener noreferrer"><i>Twitter</i></a><i> and </i><a href="http://facebook.com/radiolab" rel="noopener noreferrer"><i>Facebook</i></a><i> @radiolab, and share your thoughts with us by emailing </i><a href="mailto:radiolab@wnyc.org" rel="noopener noreferrer"><i>radiolab@wnyc.org</i></a><i>.</i></p> <p><i>Leadership support for Radiolab’s science programming is provided by the Simons Foundation and the John Templeton Foundation. Foundational support for Radiolab was provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.</i></p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>