Dairy Markets Week in Review

Cash cheese prices started the week on a down note but switched gears and ended Friday with the blocks trading at $1.50 per pound, up 7 cents on the week but 23 3/4-cents below a year ago. Barrel closed at $1.4925, up 6 1/4-cents on the week, but 19 1/4-cents below a year ago. Fourteen cars of block traded hands on the week and none of barrel. The lagging NASS-surveyed U.S. average block price shot up 5.4 cents, to $1.4201. Barrel averaged $1.4290, up 4 cents.

Cash butter jumped 10 3/4-cents on the week, closing Friday at $1.35, but that’s still 40 cents below a year ago. Thirty four cars were sold on the week. NASS butter averaged $1.2209, down a penny.

Cash Grade A nonfat dry milk closed the week at $1.3250 and Extra Grade closed at $1.27, both were up a penny on the week. NASS powder averaged $1.0460, up 3 cents, and dry whey averaged 32.02 cents, up 0.3 cent.

Uncle Sam purchased 132,276 pounds of nonfat dry milk under the price support program this week. He’s not doing holiday baking yet but is testing new bags.

Dairy Export Incentive Program bid acceptances included 1.16 million pounds of Cheddar cheese, 81,570 pounds of Mozzarella, and 2.4 million pounds of butter.

Provided courtesy of Dairyline.