Dec 1, 2005 9:07 AM, from staff and wire reports

California-based Hilmar Cheese Co, the world's largest single-site cheese and whey products producer, will construct a $190 million production plant in Dalhart TX.

A contract between the Texas Enterprise Fund and Hilmar promises some 2,000 new jobs for the Panhandle area, according to a spokesperson for Texas Gov Rick Perry. The plant will have more than 350 employees, and commitments to new independent milk producers and dairies will create another 1,600 positions in the next 10 years.

The Dalhart plant will supply $750 million to nearby Amarillo in the next 10 years, says the Amarillo Economic Development Corp. A $5 million grant from that corporation to the Hilmar CA firm is part of a bigger incentive package. This package includes $7.5 million from the Texas Enterprise Fund and more money for workforce training and transportation improvements.