MD_DA851 Cheese Highlights Report 52 - Released on December 30, 2022 Milk remains available for cheesemakers across the country. Some contacts in the Midwest and West report taking in loads at below Class prices. Cheesemakers are using available milk in the Northeast and West, to run busy production schedules. Some plant operators in the Midwest offered time off to employees last week and even more operators are anticipating having some down time in the coming week. Some Midwestern cheese plants were shut down due to winter storms and are getting back online. Domestic demand for cheese is steady in the Northeast, though contacts in the Midwest and West say cheese sales have been softer ahead of the New Year. Contacts in the Northeast say lower prices for internationally produced loads of cheese are contributing to softening demand. Meanwhile in the West, export demand is steady. In the Northeast and West, loads of cheese are available for spot purchasing. Information for the period December 26 - 30, 2022, issued weekly Secondary Sourced Information: CME: Barrels closed at $1.8575 and 40# blocks at $2.1350. The weekly average for barrels is $1.8588 (+0.1298) and blocks, $2.1513 (+0.1068). 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