Lovington, NM (population 9471) is a county seat town in a county that is approximately 40 miles wide by 110 miles long (4393 sq. mi.), four times bigger than Rhode Island. It is a BIG county. It started as a ranching town, boomed when oil was found in the 20s, but is always going thru the busts that inevitably occur in the oil patch. It’s starting to boom again. Retail sales are up over 40% from two years ago.
In the past several years dairies have become an emerging cluster for the region. Goff Dairy, a locally owned family operation has been milking for over 40 years. Its success has encouraged other dairies from ND, NE, CA and even overseas to move here. Dairy farms are much larger here than found in WI, which I wrote about March 30th, ranging from 400 to 4500 cows (Goff Dairy).
These new dairies have resulted in resurgence in agricultural production, with farmers raising feed for the cows. A cheddar cheese plant was moved here from the Dakotas in the 90s. Several other service businesses have sprung up due to all of the cows and diaries. It is a classic case of how a cluster can impact an area.
Brian Urlacher, the Chicago Bear All-Pro Linebacker, is from Lovington and gives back in excess of $100,000/year to the local school system. It’s nice to see that he hasn’t forgotten his roots.
If you’re in Lovington on the 4th of July be sure to attend their “World’s Greatest Lizard Race.” They race ‘em all, small geckos to giant iguanas. It’d be a hoot to see.
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