MD_DA830 Cheese - Midwestern U.S. Report 15 - Released on April 08, 2020 Many cheese plants in the Midwest are continuing to run in the midst of the pandemic. Some contacts say they have a handful of employees who have stepped aside for health concerns, but most are fully staffed and running somewhat normally, if not more busily. Milk availability is reported as plentiful to excessive. Cheese plant managers say they are processing as much milk as possible. Food service demand lulls have more loads heading into cold storage. Plant managers report working to manage production schedules/inventories with the mounting amount of milk and affected cheese demand due to food service account slowdowns. Spot milk is exclusively reported at notable discounts at this point in the week. Cheese markets are resolutely bearish. Last week's precipitous price declines on the CME were unprecedented. At this point, cheese contacts are simply hopeful for a positive food service response during and following the upcoming spring holidays. Midwestern wholesale prices are down $.2575 for Swiss cuts, down $.2150 for process and down $.4550 for all other types. WISCONSIN WHOLESALE SELLING PRICES: DELIVERED DOLLARS PER POUND(MIXED LOTS (1000-5000 POUNDS)) Blue 5 pounds 1.9375-3.0075 Brick 5 pounds 1.6700-2.0950 Cheddar 40 pound Block 1.3925-1.7925 Monterey Jack 10 pounds 1.6450-1.8500 Mozzarella 5-6 pounds 1.4700-2.4150 Muenster 5 pounds 1.6700-2.0950 Process American 5 pound Loaf 1.2850-1.6450 Swiss 6-9 pound Cuts 2.8675-2.9850 Information for the period April 6 - 10, 2020, issued weekly Secondary Sourced Information: The CME Group March 2020 monthly average price for barrels was $1.4399, compared to $1.5470 in February; blocks’ average price was $1.7550, compared to $1.8343 in February. 2020 U.S. CHEESE AND CURD IMPORTS (USDA-FAS) (Imports for Consumption) 2020 Imports % Change From February Imports (Million Lb.) 1 Year Ago TOTAL Cheese and Curd (H.S. Code 0406) 34.6 + 29 Cheese, Except Fresh (H.S. Code 040690) 30.8 + 32 Fresh Cheese (H.S. Code 040610) 1.5 + 50 Cheese, Processed (H.S. Code 040630) 1.4 - 4 Cheese, Blue-Veined (H.S. Code 040640) 0.7 - 2 2020 Imports % Change From (Million Lb.) 1 Year Ago TOTAL, JAN-FEB 62.9 + 15 Imports - Country of Origin 1 Italy 17.6 + 49 2 France 6.5 + 3 3 Netherlands 5.2 + 30 4 Spain 3.8 + 25 5 Nicaragua 3.5 + 7 2020 U.S. CHEESE AND CURD EXPORTS (USDA-FAS) 2020 Exports % Change From (Million Lb.) 1 Year Ago February 68.2 - 5 TOTAL, JAN-FEB 129.9 - 2 Exports – Destination Country 1 Mexico 40.0 + 23 2 South Korea 20.0 - 24 3 Japan 9.4 - 24 4 Australia 9.0 - 16 5 Chile 4.6 + 1 DAIRY PRODUCTS REPORT – CHEESE SUMMARY Released April 2, 2020, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Cheese Production – United States: February 2019 and 2020 Monthly Production (1000 pounds) Percent Change from Total Cheese 1 Feb Jan Feb Feb Jan Region 2019 2020 2020 2019 2020 United States 991,346 1,110,515 1,028,069 3.7 -7.4 Atlantic 117,515 140,167 119,365 1.6 -14.8 Central 450,479 503,427 477,811 6.1 -5.1 West 423,352 466,921 430,893 1.8 -7.7 Monthly Production (1000 pounds) Percent Change from American Cheese 2 Feb Jan Feb Feb Jan Region 2019 2020 2020 2019 2020 United States 391,027 437,451 415,025 6.1 -5.1 Atlantic 25,544 29,928 26,960 5.5 -9.9 Central 194,895 216,802 208,695 7.1 -3.7 West 170,588 190,721 179,370 5.1 -6.0 Monthly Production (1000 pounds) Percent Change from Italian Cheese Feb Jan Feb Feb Jan Region 2019 2020 2020 2019 2020 United States 441,082 485,398 449,242 1.8 -7.4 Atlantic 53,274 58,473 56,195 5.5 -3.9 Central 176,821 195,955 184,555 4.4 -5.8 West 210,987 230,970 208,492 -1.2 -9.7 Cheese Production – Cumulative Production January - February Cumulative Production Percent Change (1000 pounds) from Cheese Type 2019 2020 2019 Total cheese 1 2,089,699 2,138,584 2.3 American Cheese 2 830,310 852,476 2.7 Italian Cheese 921,216 934,640 1.5 1/ Excludes cottage cheese. 2/ Includes cheddar, colby, washed curd, stirred curd, Monterey and jack. Published by: Dairy Market News - Madison, WI ISRAEL WEBER, 608-422-8601 Email: israel.weber@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