Tuesday, July 14, 1998

The Navy's moo cows

The U.S. Naval Academy's dairy farm provides daily milk to the midshipmen and periodic yucks to exposers of government waste. Al Gore, vice president and government efficiency expert, has had considerable fun at the dairy's expense.

No longer. The academy is selling off its 300 cows to save 25 cents a gallon on milk, although, as with so many government reinventions, once the manure is shoveled away there is some doubt whether any actual money will have been saved.

The Navy opened the dairy in 1911 after tainted milk caused an outbreak of typhoid fever at the academy. Last year, Congress finally got around to giving the Navy permission to close the operation.

In an era of supposed anti-government sentiment, you would think that would be a popular move. Not so. The neighbors like the farm and the cows. So do the elected officials of the rapidly urbanizing Annapolis area. The county 4-H club is headquartered at the farm, and the kids are heartbroken at losing the Holsteins.

The government will retain ownership of the land, and the Navy is now looking for someone to run the 865 acres as a farm.

As for effective government programs, consider: In the 87 years the dairy has supplied the academy, there has not been once milk-related case of typhoid fever.