Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) has accepted 5 requests for export assistance from Dairy Farmers of America and Tillamook County Creamery Association to sell 2.714 million pounds (1,231 metric tons) of Cheddar and Gouda cheese to customers in Asia and the Middle East. The product will be delivered September 2014 through January 2015.

Year-to-date, CWT has assisted member cooperatives in selling 88.917 million pounds of cheese, 48.188 million pounds of butter and 33.171 million pounds of whole milk powder to 43 countries on six continents. These sales are the equivalent of 2.152 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.