MD_DA230 Fluid Milk and Cream - Central U.S. Report 53 - Released on January 03, 2019 Special Announcement: ***NOTICE: This should read Report 1, all other information is correct On the first week of the year, a number of Midwestern contacts suggest milk production increased in the second half of December, as somewhat mild winter weather spurred cow comfort levels. Presumably, cream and milk availability for all uses was plentiful in the Central region. In most of the region, bottling is still slow to come back to life, and cheese producers are so full they have begun to decline even heavily discounted loads. Even South-Central bottlers, who have been drawing on Midwestern milk loads into late 2018, have yet to pick up their pace. The Class III spot milk price range ran from $2 to $4 under, and contacts say late last week brought even lower prices. Cream is making its way into butter churns at a clip, while multiples are unchanged from the last week of 2018. Those butter plants that are fully functional, as some have had some untimely maintenance hiccups during peak churning season, are receiving an increasing amount of cream offers both locally and from the Western region. Some suggest cream will be even more available into next week. Both fluid milk and cream contacts, among others in the dairy industry, continue to relay concerns over trucking shortages and freight costs. National Retail Report Dairy ± Fluid Milk Summary Advertised Prices at Major Retail Supermarket Outlets ending during the period of 12/28/18 to 1/3/2019 Half Gallon, All Fat Tests Weighted Average Price National This Period Last Week Last Year Organic $3.88 $4.57 $3.20 Conventional $1.18 $2.60 $2.27 Regional (Conventional) Wtd. Ave. Low High Midwest $0.77 $0.77 $0.77 South Central $1.89 $1.89 $1.89 Regional (Organic) Wtd. Ave. Low High Midwest $3.99 $3.99 $3.99 South Central n.a. n.a. n.a. Gallon, All Fat Tests Weighted Average Price National This Period Last Week Last Year Organic $4.99 $5.21 $5.99 Conventional $2.43 $2.61 $3.22 Regional (Conventional) Wtd. Ave. Low High Midwest $1.99 $1.99 $1.99 South Central $1.77 $1.77 $1.77 Regional (Organic) Wtd. Ave. Low High Midwest n.a. n.a. n.a. South Central n.a. n.a. n.a. Midwestern U.S., F.O.B. Cream Multiples Range - All Classes: 1.1000 - 1.1800 Price Range - Class II; $/LB Butterfat: 2.5437 - 2.6100 Multiples Range - Class II: 1.1500 - 1.1800 Information for the period December 31, 2018 - January 4, 2019, issued weekly Published by: Dairy Market News - Madison, WI ISRAEL WEBER, 608-422-8601 Email: israel.weber@ams.usda.gov Additional Dairy Market News Information: Dairy Market News (DMN) by Phone: (608)422-8602 DMN Website: http://www.ams.usda.gov/market-news/dairy DMN Database Portal: http://www.marketnews.usda.gov/mnp/da-home