MD_DA840 Cheese - Western U.S. Report 43 - Released on October 21, 2020 Western cheese manufacturers are working hard to keep up with orders. Retail demand is active as stores prepare to fill holiday cheese needs. While some industry contacts suggest food service orders are slowly recovering, restaurants continue to face the challenges of space and operational restrictions. Large volumes of cheese are moving into pizza and government purchases. Current purchases have supported higher prices within the market but have hindered export sales. A few contacts suggest processors have brought in more cheese imports to fill some processed cheese needs. Industry contacts are speculating as to what government purchases and subsequent cheese demand will look like as some government buying may phase out at the end of the month. Currently, block inventories are tight, and to a lesser extent, so are barrel supplies. However, contacts suggest available cheese stocks are increasing. In some cases, buyers are pausing purchases. They are hesitant in taking on cheese at current price levels, should supplies increase and prices relax. Cheese production remains active. Ample milk supplies are keeping processing facilities full. WESTERN WHOLESALE PRICE ADJUSTMENTS In the West, wholesale prices are up $.1625 for process, and up $.0675 for cheddar block, cuts and Monterey Jack. Swiss cut wholesale prices are unchanged from the previous week. WHOLESALE SELLING PRICES: DELIVERED DOLLARS PER POUND(MIXED LOTS (1000-5000 POUNDS)) Cheddar 10 pound Cuts 3.0375-3.2375 Cheddar 40 pound Block 2.7900-3.2800 Monterey Jack 10 pounds 3.0250-3.3000 Process American 5 pound Loaf 2.2750-2.5300 Swiss 6-9 pound Cuts 4.0050-4.4350 Information for the period October 19 - 23, 2020, issued weekly Secondary Sourced Information: CME CLOSE In CME Group trading Wednesday, barrels closed at $2.3075, compared to the weekly average price of $2.1730 from last week. Blocks closed at $2.7400, compared to the weekly average price of $2.7140 from last week. Published by: Dairy Market News - Madison, WI MIKE BANDLI, (608)422-8592 Email: mike.bandli@usda.gov Additional Dairy Market News Information: Dairy Market News (DMN) by Phone: (608)422-8602 DMN Website: https://www.ams.usda.gov/market-news/dairy DMN MARS (My Market News): https://mymarketnews.ams.usda.gov
Cheese - West