Danny McMahon has spent two-thirds of his life working with cows, supporting his family off the cows and resting his head on the same plot as his dairy cows.
But McMahon, owner and operator of 41-year-old Mickey’s Cash & Carry Dairy on Coors Boulevard in Albuquerque’s South Valley, says at this rate, his diary will only operate for another year or so.
The South Valley has seen an increase in both commercial and residential growth during the past two decades. The urbanization has been more prevalent during the past seven years, including the addition of a Super Wal-Mart less than a mile from Mickey’s.
For some South Valley residents, this growth is a positive sign of progress and economic growth. For McMahon, it has meant downsizing and slim to nonexistent profit margins. “We used to produce 1200 gallons of milk a day and over 200 head of cattle, now we’re down to 250-300 gallons a day and just over 60 head of cattle,” McMahon said. “We can’t compete with those prices, we just can’t.”
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