Dairy Markets Week in Review
Block cheese closed today at $1.3250 per pound, up a half-cent on the week, but 10 1/2-cents below a year ago. Barrel closed at $1.29, unchanged on the week, but 11 cents below a year ago. Nothing traded all week. The latest NASS-surveyed block price dropped to $1.3384, down 4.2 cents. Barrel averaged $1.3247, down 6.5 cents. The cheese market is pretty balanced although holiday school closings are sending more milk into manufacturing. That is helping the tightness in cheese but the strong powder price is drawing milk into the dryers and churns.

Butter closed Friday at $1.23 per pound, down 2 1/2-cents on the week, and 10 1/2-cents below a year ago. Thirteen cars were sold. NASS butter averaged $1.2418, down 0.4 cent. Cash Grade A nonfat dry milk dropped a dime, to $1.55, while Extra Grade remained at $1.45. The NASS nonfat dry milk price averaged $1.0160, down 1.3 cents, and dry whey averaged 41.01 cents, up 0.9 cent.

Provided courtesy of Dairyline.