Da 2-8 (5-98) Cheddar Cheese Prices National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released May 8, 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 2.0 cents per lb. for the week ending May 1, 1998. Barrel prices have declined each of the last ten weeks. The price of US 40 lb. Blocks decreased 4.4 cents per pound. This is the eleventh consecutive week of decreasing US 40 lb. Block prices. This is only the second time since this price series began that the US 500 lb. Barrel Cheddar cheese price has been above the US 40 lb. Block Cheddar cheese price. 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 :----------------------------------------------------------- : May 1, : Apr 24, : Apr 17, : Apr 10, : Apr 3, : 1998 : 1998 1/ : 1998 : 1998 : 1998 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Dol./Lb. 40 Lb. Blocks : Avg. Price 2/ : MN/WI : 1.2442 1.2918 1.3135 1.3633 1.3684 West 3/ : 1.2028 1.2485 1.2908 1.3224 1.3338 US 4/ : 1.2126 1.2567 1.2999 1.3335 1.3459 : : Pounds Sales Volume 5/ : MN/WI : 780,161 914,538 1,341,810 1,129,092 1,194,530 West 3/ : 4,441,197 5,016,692 4,659,435 4,338,671 3,963,932 US 4/ : 5,638,401 6,444,673 6,453,516 5,964,480 5,570,411 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Dol./Lb. 640 Lb. Blocks : Avg. Price 2/ : US : 1.2812 1.3175 1.3485 1.3655 1.3766 : : Pounds Sales Volume 5/ : US : 666,726 698,107 790,241 794,294 651,557 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Dol./Lb. 500 Lb. Barrels : Avg. Price 2/ : MN/WI : 1.3258 1.3191 1.3482 1.3485 1.3801 Oth : 1.3087 1.3238 1.3365 1.3453 1.3710 US : 1.3127 1.3222 1.3412 1.3466 1.3746 : Price Adj. to : 39% Moisture : MN/WI : 1.2381 1.2525 1.2702 1.2764 1.2954 Oth : 1.2101 1.2288 1.2365 1.2386 1.2654 US : 1.2165 1.2368 1.2498 1.2543 1.2773 : : Pounds Sales Volume 5/ : MN/WI : 1,991,877 3,722,696 3,564,922 3,993,563 3,722,923 Oth : 6,575,662 7,090,972 5,333,636 5,485,613 5,588,204 US : 8,567,539 10,813,668 8,898,558 9,479,176 9,311,127 : : Percent Moisture Content : MN/WI : 34.68 35.76 35.26 35.55 35.01 Oth : 34.03 34.28 34.06 33.75 33.91 US : 34.18 34.79 34.54 34.51 34.35 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.