CWT logoCooperatives Working Together (CWT) has accepted 12 requests for export assistance from Dairy Farmers of America, Northwest Dairy Association (Darigold), Michigan Milk Producers, Niagara-O-AT-KA, and Tillamook County Creamery Association who have contracts to sell 2.090 million pounds (948 metric tons) of Cheddar, Gouda and Monterey Jack cheese, 1.323 million pounds of butter (600 metric tons), and 396,832 pounds (180 metric tons) of whole milk powder to customers in Asia, Central America, the Middle East and Oceania. The product has been contracted for delivery in the period from January through July 2016.

In 2015, CWT assisted member cooperatives who have contracts to sell 57.1 million pounds of cheese, 25.8 million pounds of butter and 49.9 million pounds of whole milk powder to thirty-five countries on six continents. The amounts of cheese, butter and whole milk powder in these sales contracts represent the equivalent of 1.473 billion pounds of milk on a milkfat basis.

Assisting CWT members through the Export Assistance program, in the long-term, helps member cooperatives gain and maintain market share, thus expanding the demand for U.S. dairy products and the U.S. farm milk that produces them. This, in turn, positively impacts all U.S. dairy farmers by strengthening and maintaining the value of dairy products that directly impact their milk price.

The amounts of dairy products and related milk volumes reflect current contracts for delivery, not completed export volumes. CWT will pay export assistance to the bidders only when export and 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.
Return to Industry Buzz.

1.22.2016