Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) member cooperatives accepted 34 offers of export assistance this week that pushed the milk equivalent of CWT assisted export sales in 2021 over one half billion pounds. The sales contracts captured this week include 1.368 million pounds (621 metric tons) of Cheddar, Gouda, and Monterey Jack cheese, 699,417 pounds (317 metric tons) of butter, 1.636 million pounds (742 metric tons) of anhydrous milkfat (AMF), 335,103 pounds (152 metric tons) of cream cheese, and 4.409 million pounds (2,000 metric tons) of whole milk powder. The product is going to customers in Asia, Central and South America, the Middle East, North Africa, and Oceania. It will be delivered during the period from March through July 2021.

CWT-assisted member cooperative year-to-date export sales total 11.206 million pounds of American-type cheeses, 8.347 million pounds of butter (82% milkfat), 3.649 million pounds of AMF, 13.541 million pounds of whole milk powder, and 3.865 million pounds of cream cheese. The products are going to 23 countries in six regions. These sales are the equivalent of 519.5 million pounds of milk on a milkfat basis.

Assisting CWT members through the Export Assistance program positively affects all U.S. dairy farmers and dairy cooperatives by strengthening and maintaining the value of dairy products that directly impact their milk price. It does this by helping member cooperatives gain and maintain world market share for U.S dairy products. As a result, the program has significantly expanded the total demand for U.S. dairy products and the demand for U.S. farm milk that produces those products.

The amounts of dairy products and related milk volumes reflect current contracts for delivery, not completed export volumes. CWT pays export assistance to the bidders only when export and delivery of the product is verified by required documentation.

All dairy farmers and dairy cooperatives should invest in CWT. Membership information is available on the CWT website.