Dairy Markets Week in Review

Cash cheese prices continued to move higher early in the third week of March but ended on a down note. The block price crept up to $1.3050 but closed Friday at $1.2925 per pound, still 4 1/4-cents above the previous week, but 50 3/4-cents below that week a year ago. Barrel hit $1.37 on Thursday but plunged 7 1/4-cents Friday, to close at $1.2975, down two cents on the week, and 47 3/4-cents below a year ago. Twenty two cars of block traded hands on the week and 12 of barrel. The NASS-surveyed U.S. average block price slipped to $1.2233, down 3 cents. Barrel averaged $1.2308, down 2.7 cents.

Butter closed Friday at $1.1825, down a quarter-cent on the week and 20 1/2-cents below a year ago. Only two cars were sold all week. NASS butter averaged $1.1281 per pound, up 1.2 cents. NASS nonfat dry milk averaged 81.56 cents, up 0.1 cent, and dry whey averaged 16.49 cents, up 0.3 cent.

Provided courtesy of Dairyline.