Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) has accepted 26 requests for export assistance from Bongards Creameries, Dairy Farmers of America, Land O’Lakes, Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative Association, Michigan Milk Producers Association, Northwest Dairy Association and Tillamook County Creamery Association to sell 4.006 million pounds (1,817 metric tons) of Cheddar, Gouda and Monterey Jack cheese, 1.645 million pounds (746 metric tons) of 82% butter and 180,779 pounds (82 metric tons) of whole milk powder to customers in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. The product will be delivered in February through June 2014.

Year-to-date, CWT has assisted member cooperatives in selling 16.389 million pounds of cheese, 5.396 million pounds of butter and 698,865 pounds of whole milk powder to 18 countries on four continents. These sales are the equivalent of 272.9 million pounds of milk on a milkfat basis.

In the long-term, assisting CWT members through the Export Assistance program helps member cooperatives gain and maintain market share, thus expanding the demand for U.S. dairy products and the U.S. farm milk that produces them. This, in turn, positively impacts U.S. dairy farmers by strengthening and maintaining the value of dairy products that directly impact their milk price.

CWT will pay export assistance to the bidders only when delivery of the product is verified by the submission of the required documentation.

The Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) Export Assistance program is funded by voluntary contributions from dairy cooperatives and individual dairy farmers. The money raised by their investment is being used to strengthen and stabilize the dairy farmers’ milk prices and margins. For more information about CWT, visit www.cwt.coop.