Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) has accepted 13 requests for export assistance from Dairy Farmers of America, Michigan Milk Producers Association, Northwest Dairy Association (Darigold) and Tillamook County Creamery Association to sell 1.989 million pounds (902 metric tons) of Cheddar cheese, and 55,116 pounds (25 metric tons) of butter to customers in Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, South America and the South Pacific. The product will be delivered August 2014 through January 2015.

Year-to-date, CWT has assisted member cooperatives in selling 80.301 million pounds of cheese, 48.050 million pounds of butter and 18.290 million pounds of whole milk powder to 43 countries on six continents. These sales are the equivalent of 2.021 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.