MD_DA851 Cheese Highlights Report 47 - Released on November 20, 2020 Cheese markets remained in a bearish raincloud this week. Barrel prices have held at the $1.40 mark, while block prices have slipped daily. Customers are in wait-and-see mode as they await for prices to find a bottom. Cheese inventories have begun to loosen as a result. Milk availability is growing. Spot milk prices ranged from $2 to $5 under Class in the Midwest spot market. Additionally, some contacts report spot offers at even lower discounts than the reported prices. Midwestern cheese plant managers continue to report working through staffing issues as employees are quarantined and/or other COVID-19 related absences. Still, cheese production remains steady in most of the country. Information for the period November 16 - 20, 2020, issued weekly Secondary Sourced Information: The weekly average price for CME barrels is $1.4045, compared to $2.0030 last week. CME blocks’ weekly average is $1.7145, compared to $2.1505 last week. 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