Milk Powder Production Up 24.4 Per Cent
US - Nonfat dry milk (NDM) production posted a record 170.7 million pounds in February 2012. Combined with skimmed milk powder (SMP) production of 18.2 million pounds in February, NDM/SMP production increased 24.4 per cent (adjusted for Leap Day) vs. February 2011, according to USDA’s “Dairy Products” report released this afternoon, writes Mary Ledman, Sara Dorland, Sarina Sharp and Karen Endres.February’s SMP production
was 56 per cent less than January’s production on a daily average basis. This, coupled
with a sharp rise in NDM stocks, signals a
slow down in exports.
Daily Dairy Report
expects production of NDM/SMP to continue
to outpace the prior year due to ample milk
supplies and additional processing capacity
that is expected to come on line in May 2012.
Butter production was also up 10.0 per cent vs.
February 2011, according to the report.
Total cheese production in February 2012
reached 857.8 million pounds, up 2.6 per cent
(adjusted for Leap Day) vs. last year. Higher
total cheese production was driven by a 2.0 per cent year-over-year increase in American
cheese production and a 1.6 per cent gain in
mozzarella production. It is important to track
Cheddar cheese production because it’s the
only type of cheese sold on the CME spot
cheese markets and used in the California
4b and Federal Order Class III milk pricing
formulas. Production of Cheddar cheese was
up 2.5 per cent vs. February 2011.
CME cash Cheddar block and barrel cheese
markets settled unchanged at $1.49/lb. and
$1.4625/lb., respectively with a single barrel
bid left on the board. The spot butter market
closed at $1.4375/lb. down 1.75¢ on a bid.
TheMeatSite News Desk