The dairy industry's Catch-22 By Tom Murphy News-Chronicle As prices paid Wisconsin dairy farmers finally reach a level that will help keep them in business, the current level of $20 to $22 per 100 pounds carries a Catch-22. A big Catch-22. Run the price up to where a dairyman can pay his bills and set aside something for a new tractor or corn planter or even a rainy day (which, literally speaking, he doesn't need) and one risks losing more cheese business to California. By someone's fiat (unfortunately we can't blame all of this one on Vermont Sens. Patrick Leahy or Jim Jeffords - or even the crazies at Ben & Jerry's), California's system is outside the realm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In fact, it's outside reality as far as the rest of the continental U.S. is concerned. It was California's population booms that eventually placed it ahead of Wisconsin in milk production. Cheaper cost of production (no heat required, confined housing, low feed costs, captive markets, etc.) encouraged growth of herd sizes. Improved genetics, 3x daily milking, cheap imported labor and a booming market aided and abetted the rise to No. 1. It wasn't long before Los Angeles County replaced our own Marathon County as the nation's top milk producer. We welcome improved prices to dairy farmers. And the dairy farmers continuing ability to provide Wisconsin cheesemakers with milk of better taste and quality than Caifornia. Let's just hope we can avoid Catch-22. STROKES FOR GOOD FOLKS A couple of long-standing and deserving golf outings are scheduled for NorthBrook Country Club in Luxemburg in June. ASPIRO (formerly Brown County Association for Retarded Citizens) golfers return on June 21. The very next day it's the inaugural Irv Vincent Memorial Golf Challenge. It's sponsored by, and for the benefit of, East Shore Industries of Algoma. East Shore accommodates the developmentally disabled in Kewaunee and adjacent counties in much the same manner as ASPIRO works in Brown County. Both are subcontractors for generous and far-sighted industries across Wisconsin. For ASPIRO, the event is the 28th Annual Clancy Caper. It's named in honor of the late Don Clancy, the longtime city of Green Bay treasurer. The Irv Vincent Challenge formerly was the ESI Tournament. The name was changed this year to honor Irv Vincent, an organizer of the tournament and founder, president and CEO of NEW Plastics in Luxemburg. He died of cancer last year. ReNEW, a plastics recycler, is a sister company. Golfers interested in playing in the Clancy Caper, or supporting the cause in another monetary manner, should contact ASPIRO at 1673 Dousman St., Green Bay, or at 494-9271. For ESI's Irv Vincent event, contact Amber at East Shore Industries in Algoma; 487-3541. John Hickey of Green Bay, a longtime organization activist and officer of ASPIRO/BARC, said the events always have been held back-to-back despite their obvious connections and similarity. "We nurtured them it's been great to watch ESI grow. It's all the same cause and great group of volunteers and contributors/donors that makes for successful day-to-day operations," Hickey said. "Both organizations are very, very worthy of the support they receive, both in-kind and monetary, from events like the golf outings. They are fun days." ALSO IN LUXEMBURG The 160-plus employees of NEW Plastics will not be affected by the closing of the plant in Coleman, vice president Lonny Vincent said recently. Nor will operations of ReNEW. ReNEW manufactures "lumber" for benches, docks, piers, decks, furniture and many other products---all from recycled plastics, said Steve Drab of the company sales staff. Both companies were founded by the above mentioned Irv Vincent. NEW Plastics, in 1968, came first. The company amkes virgin plastic blow-molded products for the food, chemical, cosmetic and medical industries. Some of the 51 employees in Coleman will be offered jobs in Luxemburg, Lonnie Vincent said. His brother, Vern, succeeded Irv as president.