The San Andreas No-Fault

The most powerful man in America's dairy industry is Jerry
Kozak, CEO of the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF).
How large is NMPF? They have tens of thousands of members,
including Land 0'Lakes, Agri-Mark, and Dairy Farmers of
America. Kozak has traditionally painted the rosiest of
pictures for America's dairymen, which is why his March
editorial (nmpf.org), which reads like a concession speech,
surprised even me. Kozak refers to the dairy industry's
near-bankrupt condition as a "state of alert." He compares
economic crisis to America's state of "alert" due to war and
terrorism.

Kozak wrote:

"The dairy industry's alert is being sounded as we look at
prices that have collapsed below support levels (as of the
beginning of March), and at futures markets that for the
rest of the year offer no hope of a strong rebound. Cow
numbers and milk production continue to cling to stubbornly
high levels, while demand is mostly flat."

In assessing blame, Kozak admits what I've been writing for
eight years:

"All in all, a very alarming picture, nearly as alarming as
a national security alert about the safety of our homeland.
The difference is that in this case, the threat to the dairy
industry doesn't come from some shadowy cabal of terrorists
from overseas; in this case, the problem is us."

Kozak once worked for the Food and Drug Administration.
During his tenure, the genetically engineered bovine growth
hormone (rbGH) controversy became FDA's biggest headache. In
the early 1990s, Kozak was charged with the task of
overseeing the use of antibiotics in milk. Cows injected
with rbGH developed clinical mastitis, so they had to be
treated with increased amounts of antibiotics. Under Kozak's
command, FDA allowed one hundred times the previous existing
level of antibiotics to be allowed into the milk we drink.
One part per hundred million became one part per million. In
the mid-1990s, consumers Reports and the Wall Street Journal
tested milk in the New York metropolitan area and found
fifty-two different antibiotic residues.

The approval of that hormone, which increased America's milk
supply, has become the dairy industry's nightmare. Kozak's
leadership has doomed his own industry. Perhaps one day,
Kozak will look in the mirror, and write not that the
problem is "us," but come to terms with the truth. The
problem was "Jerry."

In a dream, I see Kozak ask, "Mirror, mirror, on the wall,
who's responsible for milk's downfall? Is it the
Notmilkman?" The mirror responds, "It's you, Jerry."

On September 10, 1998, Jerry Kozak wrote a guest editorial
in the national dairy farm magazine, Hoard's Dairyman. His
words:

"If we required any reminder of the need to defend dairy
products, we have received it in the person of Robert Cohen,
a New Jersey-based real estate developer who has engaged in
a widespread dairy-bashing campaign. Many dairy producers
are aware that Cohen is promoting his recently published
book 'MILK: The Deadly Poison.' Cohen has demonstrated an
ability to take his allegations and spread them to the
public through the Internet and through appearances on local
radio and television programs."

Kozak once wrote editorials about me. He stopped, hoping
that I would fade away. Sorry to disappoint you, Jerry.

Meanwhile...let's examine the latest dairy production
statistics from the United States Department of Agriculture
(USDA).

Click for Yahoo source page

With inventories being at an all-time high, and prices being
at an all-time low, it became appropriate for milk producers
to cut back. In the spirit of cooperation, the state of
Wisconsin did just that. In February of 2002, Wiscowsin was
home to 1,279,000 milking bovines. By February of this year,
that number had decreased to 1,265,000 cows. Sure, it's just
a few drips in the milk bucket, but every less cow helps to
decrease the surplus.

Wisconsin lowered the number of dairy cows in their state by
14,000, while the number of California bovines grew by
57,000 cows to 1,681,000. Interesting trend. In February of
2003, California cows produced 141,000,000 pounds more milk
than they did in February of 2002. California is now the
number one dairy-producing state in America, displacing
cheese-head land. This may not be such a bad thing.

One day soon, all of the cows may be grazing somewhere to
the left of the San Andreas Fault...when that long-awaited
California earthquake puts an abrupt end to America's dairy
industry...

Forgive me now, readers, but by admitting that there are
only dark clouds on dairy's horizon, Kozak seems ready to
give up, and he did compare the plight of his industry to
the existing war on terrorism, so I waste not this
opportunity to share the following with you:

Have you heard about the new NMPF exercise program, inspired
by the Iraqi air force workout manual? Each morning you
raise your hands above your head, and leave them there.

What do Saddam, Kozak, and Miss Muffet have in common? They
all have Kurds in their way.

Do you know of a friend or family member with one or more of these milk-related problems? Do them a huge favor and forward the URL or this entire file to them.