Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) has accepted 10 requests for export assistance from Dairy Farmers of America, Foremost Farms USA, Michigan Milk Producers Association, Upstate Niagara Cooperative (O-AT-KA) and Tillamook County Creamery Association to sell 220,462 pounds of Cheddar cheese, 2.535 million pounds of 82% butter and 1.268 million pounds of whole milk powder to customers in Africa, Central America, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. The product will be delivered March through June 2014.

Year-to-date, CWT has assisted member cooperatives in selling 27.205 million pounds of cheese, 14.309 million pounds of butter and 2.573 million pounds of whole milk powder to 20 countries on five continents. These sales are the equivalent of 573.4 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 in rapidly growing world dairy markets. 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.