Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) has accepted 11 requests for export assistance from Foremost Farms USA, Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative Association, Northwest Dairy Association (Darigold) and Tillamook County Creamery Association to sell 782,641 pounds of Cheddar cheese and 3.142 million pounds of 82% butter to customers in Asia, Central America, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. The product will be delivered in March through June 2014.

Year-to-date, CWT has assisted member cooperatives in selling 26.072 million pounds of cheese, 10.418 million pounds of butter and 698,865 pounds of whole milk powder to 19 countries on four continents. These sales are the equivalent of 475.3 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 impacts 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.