Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) member cooperatives accepted nine offers of export assistance from CWT that helped them capture contracts to sell 557,770 pounds (253 metric tons) of Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese, 119,050 pounds (54 metric tons) of butter, and 1.819 million pounds (825 metric tons) of whole milk powder. The product has been contracted for delivery in Asia, the Middle East, and Oceania for the period from August through February 2019.
CWT-assisted member cooperative 2018 export sales total 46.701 million pounds of American-type cheeses, 12.645 million pounds of butter (82% milkfat) and 33.349 million pounds of whole milk powder to 31 countries on five continents. These sales are the equivalent of 959.000 million pounds of milk on a milkfat basis. Totals have been adjusted to reflect bid cancellations.
This activity reflects CWT management implementing the strategic plan approved by the CWT Committee in March. The changes are enhancing the effectiveness of the program and member export opportunities.
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 affects 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.
