Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) has accepted 11 requests for export assistance from Dairy Farmers of America, Foremost Farms, Michigan Milk Producers Association, Northwest Dairy Association (Darigold), and Tillamook County Creamery Association to sell 1.166 million pounds of Cheddar cheese, 551,156 pounds (250 metric tons) of 82% butter and 1.047 million pounds of whole milk powder to customers in Asia, Africa, Central America, the Middle East, and South America. The product will be delivered May through November 2014.

Year-to-date, CWT has assisted member cooperatives in selling 51.535 million pounds of cheese, 42.647 million pounds of butter and 8.856 million pounds of whole milk powder to 35 countries on six continents. These sales are the equivalent of 1.492 billion pounds of milk on a milkfat basis.

Assisting CWT members through the Export Assistance program, in the long-term, 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 the 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.