Cheese - West
MD_DA840

     Cheese - Western U.S.

     Report 43 - Released on October 21, 2020

     Western cheese manufacturers are working hard to keep up with orders. Retail demand is
     active as stores prepare to fill holiday cheese needs. While some industry contacts suggest
     food service orders are slowly recovering, restaurants continue to face the challenges of
     space and operational restrictions. Large volumes of cheese are moving into pizza and
     government purchases. Current purchases have supported higher prices within the market but
     have hindered export sales. A few contacts suggest processors have brought in more cheese
     imports to fill some processed cheese needs. Industry contacts are speculating as to what
     government purchases and subsequent cheese demand will look like as some government buying
     may phase out at the end of the month. Currently, block inventories are tight, and to a
     lesser extent, so are barrel supplies. However, contacts suggest available cheese stocks are
     increasing. In some cases, buyers are pausing purchases. They are hesitant in taking on
     cheese at current price levels, should supplies increase and prices relax. Cheese production
     remains active. Ample milk supplies are keeping processing facilities full.

     WESTERN WHOLESALE PRICE ADJUSTMENTS
     In the West, wholesale prices are up $.1625 for process, and up $.0675 for cheddar block,
     cuts and Monterey Jack. Swiss cut wholesale prices are unchanged from the previous week.

     WHOLESALE SELLING PRICES: DELIVERED
     DOLLARS PER POUND(MIXED LOTS (1000-5000 POUNDS))

     Cheddar 10 pound Cuts               3.0375-3.2375
     Cheddar 40 pound Block              2.7900-3.2800
     Monterey Jack 10 pounds             3.0250-3.3000
     Process American 5 pound Loaf       2.2750-2.5300
     Swiss 6-9 pound Cuts                4.0050-4.4350


     Information for the period October 19 - 23, 2020, issued weekly

     Secondary Sourced Information:

     CME CLOSE
     In CME Group trading Wednesday, barrels closed at $2.3075, compared to the weekly average
     price of $2.1730 from last week. Blocks closed at $2.7400, compared to the weekly average
     price of $2.7140 from last week.




     Published by:
     Dairy Market News - Madison, WI
     MIKE BANDLI, (608)422-8592
     Email: mike.bandli@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