MD_DA440 Butter - Western U.S. Report 48 - Released on November 30, 2022 In the West, cream is becoming more available as milk production is improving in the region. Cream availability is outpacing strong demand and contributing to lower cream multiples. Some processors say tanker and labor shortages are making it difficult to obtain and process increased volumes of cream. Butter makers say they are actively churning to work through available cream supplies. Some butter makers say labor shortages are preventing them from operating full schedules. Butter demand is strong in the West from both food service and retail customers. Spot inventories of butter are available, but some tightness persists. Contacts note they are booking loads of butter to ship into Q1 and Q2 of next year, though some purchasers are requesting loads at lower overages compared to what they paid at the same time in 2022. Bulk butter overages range from 5.0 to 15.0 cents above the market value. Prices for: Western U.S., All First Sales, F.O.B., Grade AA, Conventional, and Edible Butter Bulk Basis Pricing - 80% Butterfat $/LB: +0.0500 - +0.1500 Information for the period November 28 - December 2, 2022, issued weekly 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