Milk Money: Cash, Cows, and the Death of the American Dairy Farm

Acknowledgments

Ac k n o w l e d gm e n t s I first uttered my idea for this book to my friend Tom Zoellner on a quiet evening on the Dartmouth quad. An author himself, he paid no mind to the fact that I’d never before written a book. Instead he talkedme through it,gavemeencouragementandtechnicaladvice, and,mostimportant,believedinme.Thisbookmightnothavebeen possible without Tom’s help. Another person who believed in me was my agent, Jennifer Griffin . Throughout the process she’s been kind, straight-talking, and tenacious. I can’t thank her enough. I’m also grateful for the patience and fine counsel of my editor at UPNE, Stephen Hull. He’s one more person who, perhaps against the odds, believed I could write this book. Along the way, lots of friends, family, and colleagues have offered crucial support in numerous ways. These people have included Joe Olshan, Deidre Heekin, Joni Praded, Alan Weisman, John Seabrook, Bill McKibben, Garret Keizer, Barry Estabrook, Chad DeChow, Doug and Patty Reaves, Todd and Carole Stall, JaneKardashianandVatcheSoghomonian,PaulandSherryDoton, Elizabeth Reaves, Michael Zsoldos, Theo Padnos, Ephraim Camacho and the people at California Rural Legal Assistance, and Lupe Martinez, Brent Newell, and the people at the Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment. 232 Acknowledgments I owe the largest debt of gratitude to my wife, Kate, for giving me the time and encouragement I needed to write this book. She’s been a saint. Finally,I’dliketothankmyparentsfor,well,justabouteverything imaginable. ...