MD_DA840

     Cheese - Western U.S.

     Report 16 - Released on April 21, 2021

     This week, demand for cheese for food service has increased, in the West, as more areas
     loosen COVID restrictions. Some contacts report a shift in production focus from retail
     orders, which are and have remained steady, to growing restaurant/food service interests.
     Specifically noted this week was the growth in demand reported by Swiss cheese producers.
     Changes in government programs regarding the purchase of cheese, and dairy products in
     general, have caused some market instability. The market price for cheese barrels has
     surpassed the price of blocks, leaving contacts with a level of uncertainty regarding near
     term market stability. Production schedules are full as there continues to be plenty of milk
     available in the region. Block availability is and has been noted as steady for spot
     purchases, though barrel stocks remain tight.

     WESTERN WHOLESALE PRICE ADJUSTMENTS
     In the West, wholesale prices are up $.1200 for process, but down $.0100 for cheddar block,
     cuts and Monterey Jack. Swiss cut wholesale prices are unchanged from the previous week.
     WHOLESALE SELLING PRICES: DELIVERED
     DOLLARS PER POUND(MIXED LOTS (1000-5000 POUNDS))

     Cheddar 10 pound Cuts               2.1200-2.3200
     Cheddar 40 pound Block              1.8725-2.3625
     Monterey Jack 10 pounds             2.1075-2.3825
     Process American 5 pound Loaf       1.8050-2.0600
     Swiss 6-9 pound Cuts                3.0600-3.4900


     Information for the period April 19 - 23, 2021, issued weekly

     Secondary Sourced Information:

     CME CLOSE
     In CME Group trading Wednesday, barrels closed at $1.8050, compared to the weekly average
     price of $1.7025 from last week. Blocks closed at $1.7950, compared to the weekly average
     price of $1.7890 from last week.


     EXPORT ASSISTANCE
     This week, a cooperative export assistance program accepted requests for export assistance
     on contracts to sell 1.321 million pounds (599 metric tons) of Cheddar and Monterey Jack
     cheese and 304,238 pounds (138 metric tons) of cream cheese. So far this year, the program
     has assisted member cooperatives who have contracts to sell 13.6 million pounds of American-
     type cheeses and 4.7 million pounds of cream cheese in export markets.

     When combined with butter, AMF, cream cheese and whole milk powder, the program has assisted
     members with sales of 642.1 million pounds of milk on a milkfat basis.

     Published by:
     Dairy Market News - Madison, WI
     ROMAN CARAMAN, (608) 422 - 8593
     Email: roman.caraman@usda.gov

     Additional Dairy Market News Information:
     Dairy Market News (DMN) by Phone: (608)422-8602
     DMN Website: https://www.ams.usda.gov/market-news/dairy
     DMN MARS (My Market News): https://mymarketnews.ams.usda.gov