Da 2-8 (4-98) Cheddar Cheese Prices National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released April 9, 1998, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, U.S. Department of Agriculture. For information on "Cheddar Cheese Prices" call Shawn Clark at (202) 720-4448, office hours 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET. Cheddar Cheese Prices Continue Decline Prices received for 500 lb. Barrel Cheddar cheese decreased 2.4 cents per lb. for the week ending April 3, 1998. Barrel prices have declined each of the last six weeks. The price of US 40 lb. Blocks decreased 1.7 cents per pound. This is the seventh consecutive week of decreasing US 40 lb. Block prices. Data Reliability: The survey collects price information on sales of natural, unaged, Cheddar cheese at the first (wholesale) point of sale. Data are recorded for sales transactions completed during the survey week. A transaction is considered complete when cheese is shipped out or title transfers. The 65 plants reporting account for an estimated 85 percent of natural Cheddar cheese sales. Estimates for only the current month are subject to revision. Only electronic subscriptions are available for this report. Print copies are available at USDA, Room 5829, SO. Bldg. This report is also available on autofax at (202) 720-2000. For Internet access, go to the NASS Home Page at: http://www.usda.gov/nass/. Cheddar Cheese Prices by Style and Region -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Week Ending Style and Region :----------------------------------------------------------- : Apr 3, : Mar 27, : Mar 20, : Mar 13, : Mar 6, : 1998 : 1998 1/ : 1998 1/ : 1998 : 1998 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Dol./Lb. 40 Lb. Blocks : Avg. Price 2/ : MN/WI : 1.3684 1.3968 1.4064 1.4097 1.4108 West 3/ : 1.3334 1.3507 1.3574 1.3647 1.3700 US 4/ : 1.3443 1.3611 1.3679 1.3744 1.3785 : : Pounds Sales Volume 5/ : MN/WI : 1,194,530 858,304 855,993 1,073,059 906,109 West 3/ : 3,908,043 4,416,779 4,527,418 4,807,291 4,828,143 US 4/ : 5,399,137 5,691,987 5,792,291 6,170,203 5,982,523 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Dol./Lb. 640 Lb. Blocks : Avg. Price 2/ : US : 1.3766 1.3891 1.3895 1.3706 1.3877 : : Pounds Sales Volume 5/ : US : 651,557 639,581 1,519,954 1,616,637 1,781,131 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Dol./Lb. 500 Lb. Barrels : Avg. Price 2/ : MN/WI : 1.3801 1.4153 1.4524 1.4716 1.4902 Oth : 1.3710 1.4016 1.4490 1.4592 1.4850 US : 1.3746 1.4068 1.4504 1.4639 1.4873 : Price Adj. to : 39% Moisture : MN/WI : 1.2954 1.3199 1.3595 1.3772 1.3884 Oth : 1.2654 1.2903 1.3385 1.3513 1.3686 US : 1.2773 1.3014 1.3470 1.3611 1.3772 : : Pounds Sales Volume 5/ : MN/WI : 3,722,923 3,933,371 3,862,602 3,555,279 3,816,217 Oth : 5,588,204 6,469,280 5,648,343 5,741,804 4,921,249 US : 9,311,127 10,402,651 9,510,945 9,297,083 8,737,466 : : Percent Moisture Content : MN/WI : 35.01 34.59 34.83 34.82 34.53 Oth : 33.91 33.74 33.97 34.13 33.81 US : 34.35 34.06 34.32 34.39 34.12 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Revised. 2/ Prices weighted by volumes reported. 3/ CA, ID, OR, and WA. 4/ "Other Regions" included in U.S. total. 5/ Sales as reported by cooperating manufacturers.