MD_DA830 Cheese - Midwestern U.S. Report 3 - Released on January 19, 2022 Milk availability varies from one area to the next, similarly to last week. Plant managers running fully staffed operations say milk is available, but the discounted prices of $3 and $4 under are no longer being offered. Still, there are plants running lighter lines, as employees, in the plants and in the front offices, are short due to COVID related absences. Cheese sales are slowing, according to some producers. They say market prices moving up around the $2 mark, although they have ebbed since, are the major factor in slowing orders. Barrel producers say inventories are tighter and customers have been active. Thus, barrel prices pushed above decreasing block prices on the CME on Friday. All said, market tones are lacking the bravado of prior weeks. Contacts say tones are uncertain. Midwestern wholesale prices are unchanged for Swiss cuts, up $.0650 for barrels, but down $.0175 for all other types. WISCONSIN WHOLESALE SELLING PRICES: DELIVERED DOLLARS PER POUND(MIXED LOTS (1000-5000 POUNDS)) Blue 5 pounds 2.6400-3.7075 Brick 5 pounds 2.3700-2.7950 Cheddar 40 pound Block 2.0925-2.4925 Monterey Jack 10 pounds 2.3450-2.5500 Mozzarella 5-6 pounds 2.1700-3.1150 Muenster 5 pounds 2.3700-2.7950 Process American 5 pound Loaf 1.9750-2.3350 Swiss 6-9 pound Cuts 2.9700-3.0875 Information for the period January 17 - 21, 2022, issued weekly Secondary Sourced Information: This week, a cooperative export assistance program accepted requests for export assistance on contracts to sell 2.2 million pounds (988 metric tons) of American-type cheese. So far this year, the program has assisted member cooperatives who have contracts to sell 4.9 million pounds of American-type cheeses and 525,000 pounds of cream cheese in export markets. 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