It's a matter of ethics...

...as in the California Milk Advisory Board don't have none.

In a deposition obtained from PETA, Domenic Carinalli, owner of Domenic Carinalli Dairy & Vineyard in Sebastopol and member of the California Milk Advisory Board, said that, to his knowledge, the milk board hasn't received any information to verify its claim that "California dairy producers care deeply about the health, comfort and safety of their cows." He said at the board meetings he attended the health of cows was never discussed.
Carinalli also said he was unaware that the board was prohibited from making false marketing claims.
-- Merced Sun-Star, March 28, 2012

Perhaps an explanation for why the dairy industry labors under such ethical disadvantage is provided by the article below signed by a prominent Merced County dairyman. One says "signed" because it involves a new dairy-price formula and, as the dairyman's father once explained to this reporter, there are very few dairymen who actually understand the price structure of their own industry. The article is a propaganda piece from some national dairy organization claiming that reforms are being made.

That new program reorients federal dairy programs from an emphasis on price to a focus on maintaining adequate margins -- the difference between what it costs to produce milk and what farmers get when they sell it. -- Veldhuis

To put it bluntly, the likelihood that this guaranteed income for dairymen is going to save taxpayers money is not proven by the rest of the article. Why the public should provide income insurance for dairymen -- we mean beyond the various guarantees the larger and more powerful dairy corporations already enjoy -- is beyond us. But, it's agriculture and more, it's the dairy industry. How could mere taxpayers dare question the Holy Cow?

The plan repeals the current failing safety net and establishes what amounts to an insurance program to protect farmers' incomes when margins shrink to dangerous levels. To prevent steep declines in farm milk prices or prolonged low-margin situations, a standby program would limit production for short periods if milk supplies greatly exceeded demand.
 

Beneath this economic claptrap, what appears is a situation that is going to be very hard on cows but great for auctioneers and McDonalds.
Badlands Journal editorial board
3-28-12
Merced Sim-Star
California cows happy? PETA demands more evidence
Milk board testimony not satisfying concerns raised by animal rights group.
By JOSHUA EMERSON SMITH
http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2012/03/28/2286582/california-cows-happy-peta-demands.html
Animal rights advocates say dairy farmers continue to provide no evidence to justify their Happy Cows campaign.
Under court order, dairy farmers on the California Milk Advisory Board gave testimony under oath over recent months about their advertising campaign, which promotes the industry as ethical.
"They have not produced one single page that would come close to suggesting the cows are healthy or anything to refute the studies that suggest there are serious problems," said Martina Bernstein, senior litigation counsel for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. "I thought these board members would have made some valiant efforts to defend the ad campaign. But they've basically said, 'We only know what goes on our own farms.' " 
 The milk board and the California Department of Food and Agriculture both declined comment on continuing litigation.
The milk board is one of the largest commodity boards in the country, providing public relations and advertising for the industry.
PETA, a national animal rights organization, filed a legal challenge in Sacramento County Superior Court last summer asking the commodity board to provide evidence to support its claims that cows are comfortable, safe and happy.
PETA maintains that without evidence to substantiate those claims, the milk board violated the California Milk Marketing Order. In turn, the California Department of Food and Agriculture, which approved the campaign, violated the California Marketing Act.
In a deposition obtained from PETA, Domenic Carinalli, owner of Domenic Carinalli Dairy & Vineyard in Sebastopol and member of the California Milk Advisory Board, said that, to his knowledge, the milk board hasn't received any information to verify its claim that "California dairy producers care deeply about the health, comfort and safety of their cows." He said at the board meetings he attended the health of cows was never discussed.
Carinalli also said he was unaware that the board was prohibited from making false marketing claims.
Board members Richard Michel, Margo Souza, Tony Machado, Essie Bootsma and Carinalli have all given testimony.
Board members Henry Vander Poel and Perry Tjaarda will be deposed today in Bakersfield. Board member James Ahlem is expected to be deposed in Modesto within the next few weeks.
The judge in the case, Lloyd G. Connelly, is scheduled to hear oral arguments May 25. In this case, the judge must decide whether to issue a writ of mandate directing the milk board to take action about the campaign.
3-26-12
Ray Veldhuis: Bipartisan dairy reform cuts deficit, helps state
We all know that Congress is in a desperate search to find ways to cut the federal deficit.
http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2012/03/26/2283646/ray-veldhuis-bipartisan-dairy.html?story_link=email_msg
What you may not know is that the nation's agricultural producers are offering major policy reforms that would significantly cut federal spending.
Among the first to propose major reforms were the nation's dairy farmers, who have advanced a plan that would save taxpayers at least $100 million over five years. What's more, for California's dairy industry, approving those cuts would help -- rather than hurt -- our state's 1,600 dairy farms that lead the nation in milk production. 
 All Congress has to do is approve a series of reforms to the federal dairy program that have been proposed by the farmers themselves and sponsored by two influential House members, one from each party.
The dairy reform plan grew out of devastating losses milk producers suffered in 2009, when plummeting milk prices and sky-high feed costs forced some out of business. The rest of us still dairy farming in California are facing a similar price crunch as 2012 gets under way.
The events of 2009 made clear that the current federal dairy program isn't working -- not for farmers, not for consumers and not for taxpayers. It also prompted the National Milk Producers Federation to launch a yearlong effort to fashion a new program that responds to the needs of today's farmers.
That new program reorients federal dairy programs from an emphasis on price to a focus on maintaining adequate margins -- the difference between what it costs to produce milk and what farmers get when they sell it.
The plan repeals the current failing safety net and establishes what amounts to an insurance program to protect farmers' incomes when margins shrink to dangerous levels. To prevent steep declines in farm milk prices or prolonged low-margin situations, a standby program would limit production for short periods if milk supplies greatly exceeded demand.
This program would be voluntary. Those who do not want to participate can opt out. Everyone gets a choice between going it alone or opting for a government safety net that, in rare cases, could limit how much milk they can sell.
These reforms allow for growth and assure an abundant supply of milk for consumers. And because they save tax dollars compared with the current program, they have been picking up bipartisan support since they were introduced as legislation late last year by former House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson, D-Minn., and House Appropriations and Budget Committee member Mike Simpson, R-Idaho.
Dairy farming adds jobs and nearly $6 billion in income to California's economy. But dairy farmers can't afford a repeat of what happened three years ago. We need a safety net that addresses today's problems.
The Peterson-Simpson bill protects producers, allows for growing markets both domestically and internationally, assures an abundant supply of milk for consumers and saves taxpayer dollars. It is also the only comprehensive dairy reform plan on the table as Congress settles down to write a new farm bill this year. It deserves support from California's House and Senate delegations and quick, favorable action by Congress.
Veldhuis is a dairy farmer from Winton.