Cheddar Cheese Prices National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released January 9, 1998, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, U.S. Department of Agriculture. For information on "Cheddar Cheese Prices" call Greg Thessen at (202) 690-3347, office hours 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET. Barrel Prices Increase Marginally Prices received for 500 lb. Barrel Cheddar cheese increased 0.5 cents per lb. for the week ending January 2, 1998. Block prices decreased 0.2 cents per pound. This is the fifth consecutive week that the US 40 lb. block price has averaged greater than $1.41 per lb. 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 :----------------------------------------------------------- : Jan 2, : Dec 26, : Dec 19, : Dec 12, : Dec 5, : 1998 : 1997 1/ : 1997 1/ : 1997 : 1997 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Dol./Lb. 40 Lb. Blocks : Avg. Price 2/ : MN/WI : 1.4474 1.4406 1.4670 1.4586 1.4494 West 3/ : 1.4054 1.4085 1.4113 1.4001 1.3983 US 4/ : 1.4153 1.4174 1.4216 1.4141 1.4135 : : Pounds Sales Volume 5/ : MN/WI : 1,322,061 981,693 1,013,256 855,082 1,507,475 West 3/ : 4,773,229 3,420,843 4,850,594 3,978,541 4,597,908 US 4/ : 6,284,826 4,640,388 5,943,903 5,228,557 6,489,190 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Dol./Lb. 640 Lb. Blocks : Avg. Price 2/ : US : 1.4337 1.4414 1.4424 1.4327 1.4210 : : Pounds Sales Volume 5/ : US : 1,320,727 1,124,196 1,274,528 963,174 1,723,836 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Dol./Lb. 500 Lb. Barrels : Avg. Price 2/ : MN/WI : 1.3794 1.3743 1.3779 1.3862 1.4008 Oth : 1.3546 1.3462 1.3654 1.3761 1.3833 US : 1.3629 1.3592 1.3702 1.3801 1.3906 : Price Adj. to : 39% Moisture : MN/WI : 1.2942 1.2816 1.2921 1.3056 1.3176 Oth : 1.2553 1.2475 1.2620 1.2685 1.2783 US : 1.2682 1.2632 1.2734 1.2830 1.2944 : : Pounds Sales Volume 5/ : MN/WI : 3,653,352 3,708,440 3,451,523 3,635,541 3,259,798 Oth : 7,280,336 4,320,676 5,638,084 5,550,584 4,618,128 US :10,933,688 8,029,116 9,089,607 9,186,125 7,877,926 : : Percent Moisture Content : MN/WI : 34.99 34.59 34.95 35.23 35.15 Oth : 34.18 34.17 34.00 33.83 33.99 US : 34.45 34.36 34.36 34.39 34.47 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.