Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) has accepted 35 requests for export assistance from Bongards, Dairy Farmers of America, Darigold, Foremost Farms, Land O'Lakes, Upstate-Niagara subsidiary O-AT-KA and United Dairymen of Arizona to sell a total of 1,707 metric tons (3.763 million pounds) of Cheddar cheese and 1,547 metric tons (3.411 million pounds) of butter to customers in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. The product will be delivered February through June 2012.

In 2012, CWT has assisted member cooperatives in making export sales of Cheddar, Monterey Jack and Gouda cheese totaling 17.0 million pounds and butter totaling 14.4 million pounds to 14 countries on four continents.

Assisting CWT members through the Export Assistance program positively impacts producer milk prices in the short-term by reducing inventories that overhang the market and depress cheese prices. In the long-term, CWT's Export Assistance program helps member cooperatives gain and maintain market share, thus expanding the demand for U.S. dairy products and the farm milk that produces them.

CWT will pay export bonuses to the bidders only when delivery of the product is verified by the submission of the required documentation.

The Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) Export Assistance program is funded by voluntary contributions from dairy cooperatives and individual dairy farmers. The money raised by their investment is being used to strengthen and stabilize the dairy farmers' milk prices and margins. For more information about CWT, visit www.cwt.coop.

02.07.2012