Da 2-8 (6-98) Cheddar Cheese Prices National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released June 19, 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) 720-9168, office hours 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET. Cheddar Cheese Prices Show Large Increase Prices received for 500 lb. Barrel Cheddar cheese increased 10.8 cents per lb. for the week ending June 12, 1998. This is the fourth consecutive week of increasing US 500 lb. Barrel prices. The price of US 40 lb. Blocks increased 8.3 cents per pound. This is the fifth consecutive week of increasing US 40 lb. Block prices. Both Block and Barrel prices showed their largest weekly increase since this price series began. 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. The next "Cheddar Cheese Prices" report will be released at 8:30 a.m. ET on June 26, 1998. 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 :----------------------------------------------------------- : Jun 12, : Jun 5, : May 29, : May 22, : May 15, : 1998 : 1998 1/ : 1998 : 1998 : 1998 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Dol./Lb. 40 Lb. Blocks : Avg. Price 2/ : MN/WI : 1.3946 1.3111 1.2760 1.2440 1.2159 West 3/ : 1.3667 1.2860 1.2121 1.1927 1.1829 US 4/ : 1.3762 1.2929 1.2265 1.2033 1.1912 : : Pounds Sales Volume 5/ : MN/WI : 1,323,180 1,178,518 1,226,367 893,539 1,431,414 West 3/ : 4,335,355 4,474,782 5,155,958 4,462,936 4,355,258 US 4/ : 5,933,378 6,330,358 6,921,596 5,848,762 6,135,519 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Dol./Lb. 640 Lb. Blocks : Avg. Price 2/ : US : 1.3646 1.2810 1.2333 1.2259 1.2280 : : Pounds Sales Volume 5/ : US : 2,119,925 2,210,033 1,296,610 1,436,599 1,281,217 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Dol./Lb. 500 Lb. Barrels : Avg. Price 2/ : MN/WI : 1.4847 1.3526 1.2770 1.2642 1.2653 Oth : 1.4462 1.3411 1.2819 1.2795 1.2733 US : 1.4604 1.3453 1.2799 1.2734 1.2702 : Price Adj. to : 39% Moisture : MN/WI : 1.4210 1.2939 1.2134 1.2030 1.2029 Oth : 1.3418 1.2454 1.1852 1.1828 1.1780 US : 1.3704 1.2629 1.1962 1.1906 1.1874 : : Pounds Sales Volume 5/ : MN/WI : 3,488,819 3,632,427 3,507,960 4,055,420 4,579,020 Oth : 5,983,869 6,233,152 5,356,446 6,189,050 7,278,495 US : 9,472,688 9,865,579 8,864,406 10,244,470 11,857,515 : : Percent Moisture Content : MN/WI : 36.26 36.23 35.80 35.90 35.83 Oth : 34.25 34.31 34.03 34.01 34.07 US : 34.99 35.02 34.73 34.76 34.75 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.