MD_DA451 Butter Highlights Report 11 - Released on March 17, 2023 Cream volumes have begun to tighten in the East and Central regions amid strengthening demand from cream cheese and ice cream makers. Cream is available in the West, while demand remains steady to light in the region. Some butter makers in the East say they are operating seven-day production schedules, despite tightening regional cream availability. In the West, some butter makers say production is steady to strong, while others say downtime for plant maintenance is negatively affecting butter output. Demand for butter varies from region to region: in the Central region, contacts note strengthening demand ahead of spring holidays, particularly to retail customers. In the East, food service demand is steady, though current retail prices are contributing to lighter purchases from consumers. Western contacts report light retail sales and steady to lighter bulk butter demand. Bulk butter overages range from 0 to 10 cents above the market, across all regions. Information for the period March 13 - 17, 2023, issued weekly Secondary Sourced Information: CME Grade AA closed at $2.4000. The weekly average for Grade AA is $2.3880 (+0.0510). Published by: Dairy Market News - Madison, WI ROMAN CARAMAN, 608-422-8593 Email: roman.caraman@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