MD_DA451 Butter Highlights Report 20 - Released on May 20, 2022 Cream inventories are available in the West, and contacts note that purchasers from other regions are interested in buying loads to meet local production demands. Contacts in the Northeast and Central region relay that local cream spot availability is tighter. Some butter makers in the Northeast say that more cream is being churned this week, though butter production schedules vary across manufacturers. Meanwhile, butter makers in the Central and West regions are running active schedules. Western butter makers say that labor shortages are limiting their ability to run full schedules. Contacts in the Central region report that demand has softened in the past few weeks. Food service demand for butter is stable in the Northeast and West, while retail demand is trending lower. Spot inventories are unchanged in the Northeast, but are becoming more available in the West. Bulk butter overages range from 4 to 15 cents above market, across all regions. Information for the period May 16 - 20, 2022, issued weekly Secondary Sourced Information: CME: Grade AA closed at $2.8500. The weekly average for Grade AA is $2.7960 (+0.1420). 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