NOT COWED BY FAME PIRU HOLSTEIN MILKS ROLE AS RULER DA-IRY.

Byline: ERIC LEACH Staff Writer

PIRU -- Georgia the cow is moooooo-vin' on up.

The lumbering Holstein seen heading from the snowy Midwest for sunny California in one of a series of ``Happy Cow'' TV commercials has forced Wisconsin's cheeseheads to look at the Golden State as serious dairy competition.

Now Georgia, who spends most days grazing at Phil's Animal Rentals Ranch in Piru, is hitting the silver screen.

The black-and-white bovine will walk the white carpet today at the Cinespace entertainment complex in Hollywood to promote the latest ``Got Milk?'' commercials, set to be screened at 600 movie theaters in California.

She stars as ``Da-Iry,'' a cow abducted by aliens. In the ad, alien scientists from outer space come to Earth in search of the source of a ``miracle elixir.'' They take Georgia, believing she is Da-Iry, the Earth's ruler.

Feh Tarty co-wrote the ``Got Milk'' Da-Iry ad campaign and is bullish on Georgia.

``She's a very nice cow,'' he said. ``If any cow is going to rule over Earth, it should be Georgia.''

Unlike her svelte human counterparts in the entertainment industry, Georgia's talent lies in her girth, trainer Nicholas Toth said.

``The reason Georgia worked out for the `Got Milk' ad was she was huge,'' Toth said. ``She also had just had a calf, so her udders were full.''

And stardom hasn't gone to her head.

``She's very nice, as well,'' he said. ``She has no problems traveling, no problems being around people. ... She's a busy cow, and she's a good mom and very gentle.''

Her talent was inherited -- the 8-year-old's mother, Pearl, also was a television star.

Georgia is ``one of the best cows I've ever had,'' owner Phil Smith said.

``Georgia was raised in the industry,'' said Toth, who owns Cougar Hill Ranch in Palmdale and figures Georgia's calves will be celebrities as well.

Georgia hits her mark

Toth has trained other animals, including bears and mountain lions, and said it is a pleasure to work with Georgia. For the commercials, he trained her to stand in one spot and look in a certain direction.

He is particularly proud of his work with her because the cow's advertising campaigns have been so successful in promoting California milk and cheese, and are a good example of how the entertainment industry can help the state's farmers.

``Advertising works. That's why people spend so much for it,'' Toth said. ```Got Milk' works and the cheese ads work. I see these ads on TV all the time and it's really nice to be part of it.''

While the ``Got Milk'' and ``Happy Cows Come from California'' cheese campaigns starring Georgia are produced by different industry groups and advertising agencies, both are credited with helping boost California's dairy industry.

The state's cheese production is expected to exceed Wisconsin's, possibly as soon as next year.

George Belch, a professor of marketing at San Diego State University, wrote about the happy cows commercials in his textbook ``Advertising and Promotion'' and said the ads produced by the Deutsch Inc. advertising agency for the California Milk Advisory Board have been remarkably successful.

He said using cows such as Georgia helped the advertisers overcome the ``cheese is cheese'' attitude of some people who couldn't distinguish California cheese from Wisconsin varieties.

``The California cheese production numbers have grown dramatically since they started this campaign,'' Belch said. ``They really succeeded in making the cows personality figures.''

Michelle Greenwald, a professor at Columbia University's Graduate School of Business, also studied the cheese ad campaign and called the growth of the California cheese industry over the past 20 years ``a tremendous success story.''

Growth industry

Since 1985, when California's cheese production was about 374 million pounds, it has grown steadily each year to around 2.14 billion pounds in 2005, and is expected to reach 2.85 billion pounds by 2015.

``It's more than doubled since 1995, when it was 973 million,'' said Nancy Fletcher, vice president of communications at the California Milk Advisory Board.

She said per-capita cheese consumption in the United States has also increased dramatically, from 22.5 pounds a year in 1985 to 31.4 pounds last year.

She noted, however, that people in France and Greece eat more than 50 pounds of cheese a year, ``so we still have a long way to go.'' Fletcher said it's hard to overstate the contribution of entertainment industry cows such as Georgia.

``I think consumers are really drawn to animals in advertising,'' she said. ``I think the cows capture their attention. The reason we have a great dairy state is because we have happy cows.'' She said while California is poised to take the cheese production title from Wisconsin in the near future, she doesn't see it as a competitive situation.

``Per-capita cheese production is growing every year, and we would like to see more throughout the United States. It's great for the industry all over the country.''

But clearly, happy cows come from Piru.

eric.leach(at)dailynews.com

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CAPTION(S):

4 photos, map

Photo:

(1 -- color) Georgia, a real California cow, is seen at home in Piru. Georgia is famous for her work in TV commercials for California cheese.

(2) Georgia is prepared for a walk by owner Phil Smith. Georgia, who lives on a ranch in the Ventura County community of Piru, is famous for her work in TV commercials promoting California cheese.

(3) Georgia is taken for a walk through green pastures in Piru by owner Phil Smith at his ranch. Georgia is best-known for her work in TV commercials for California cheese.

David Crane/Staff Photographer

(4 -- color) In one of her new commercials, Georgia is Da-Iry, taken into space aboard an alien spacecraft in search of a ``miracle elixir.''

Map:

Phil's Animal Rentals Ranch

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