Drum roll...
The big Hilmar Cheese news that I mentioned last week is that they plan to build an additional plant in Texas. They made the public announcement yesterday.

And since everything is bigger in Texas it will be about five times larger than the existing site in Hilmar -- which means the existing site will become the second-largest largest cheese-producing facility in the world.

UPDATE: My original information was based on a press release which originated in Texas. Apparently it had a little Texas exaggeration in it. The new plant will only be about half the size of the Hilmar plant.

The new plant will be in Dalhart, 65 miles northeast of Amarillo. (I didn't know that there was anything 65 miles northeast of Amarillo -- except Oklahoma -- and Dalhart isn't too far from the border).

The main reason that Hilmar Cheese is shifting their focus from their California site is the business and regulatory climate here. Realistically speaking, it would be tough to expand in our area -- especially since the Bay Area is moving our direction rapidly and those folks haven't had a chance to develop an appreciation for the sweet scent of dairy lots.

Our loss is Texas' gain. It will be interesting to see how many of the local dairy farmers actually end up moving to Dalhart to run operations there. I've heard of a few who are giving it serious thought.