Commercial American Cheese Stocks are the Lowest Since 2003.
Fri, 23 Nov 2007 13:42:00 GMT
At the end of October, commercial American cheese stocks were were 519.3 million lbs., down 16.2 million lbs. from September.
California Modifies the 4a and 4b Pricing Formulas
Wed, 21 Nov 2007 21:41:00 GMT
The California Department of Food and Agriculture revised its formulas for California’s 4a and 4b prices. In addition to higher make allowances for cheese and NFDM, the department changed the method used to determine the whey value. To view a detailed description of the changes click here. The formula changes are scheduled to go into effect starting with the December prices.
CME Blocks Ties an All-Time Record High Set in April 2004
Wed, 21 Nov 2007 13:29:00 GMT
CME blocks traded a nickel higher yesterday to tie the all-time record of $2.20 set in April 2004. Barrels increased 2¢ to $2.06. Late holiday orders and strong export demand are keeping supplies tight.
Milk Production Continues to Increase Over 2006 Levels
Mon, 19 Nov 2007 16:33:00 GMT
A continued building of the dairy herd and good milk per cow keeps milk production well above year ago levels. For the 23 reporting states, October milk cow numbers were 1.2% higher than a year ago and milk per cow was 2.8% higher resulting in 4.1% more milk production. Cow numbers have been higher than the month before each month beginning with May.
Democrat Senators Hold On To Hope For New Farm Bill This Year
Mon, 19 Nov 2007 16:27:00 GMT
Several Democratic senators gathered Friday to tell reporters that there is still time this year for the Senate to approve its $286 billion 2007 farm bill and then merge it with a House version and send it to the White House.
Democrats and a few Republicans in the Senate who wanted to break a filibuster blocking passage of the 2007 farm bill were delivered a blow Friday when a measure to invoke cloture and force a vote failed.
But Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, reversed earlier pessimistic forecasts, saying, “I want to assure everyone that we have not given up. This is just the first round.”
Earlier Friday, before the cloture vote, Harkin warned: “It won’t happen if we don’t get cloture. If we don’t get cloture, my friends, there probably won’t be any farm bill.”
Later, though, he told reporters a lot of negotiating would be taking place over the Senate’s two-week Thanksgiving break.
“This bill is going to get done,” he said, although he mentioned the possibility that it might “slip into next year” before that happens.
U.S. Border Will Open Today to All Canadian Cattle and Beef Exports
Mon, 19 Nov 2007 16:22:00 GMT
Canadian cattle over 30 months of age will be allowed into the U.S. market starting Monday, despite criticism from some domestic ranchers worried about mad cow disease.
No one knows for sure how the decision will affect U.S. ranchers or foreign markets, which have yet to fully recover from the discovery of an infected cow in 2003.
One cattlemen’s group didn’t wait to find out, filing an emergency request Friday for a temporary restraining order to block the rule from taking effect.
In May 2003, the United States closed the border to cattle imports from Canada after an Alberta cow was confirmed with mad cow disease, known scientifically as bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or BSE.
The border between the world’s largest trade partners reopened for Canadian beef from younger cattle within months of the original ban, and live cattle under the age of 30 months have been allowed to move across the border since July 2005.
But the border has remained closed to older cattle until now. Agriculture officials have said the change is firmly based in science and ensures that U.S. regulators will protect the country against the disease.
Can Whey Be a Viable Alternative in the Manufacture of Ethanol?
Wed, 14 Nov 2007 13:20:00 GMT
Scientists and a former cheese plant manager from Stratford, Wis., are studying the feasibility of making ethanol from whey left over from cheese-making.
6-Digit Trade Data Not Current
Mon, 12 Nov 2007 21:46:00 GMT
As an announcement, the 4 and 10 digit FATUS trade data is current, containing trade data for Sept. There is an error in our code and the 6 digit data is not up to date. We are currently working on the problem.
CME Block Price Still Over $2.00
Thu, 08 Nov 2007 14:06:00 GMT
The CME spot cheese price increased $0.035 to $2.0350 yesterday. This is the 9th straight trading day the price was over $2.00 .
Butter Price Increasing
Thu, 08 Nov 2007 14:02:00 GMT
Over the last 7 trading days, the CME spot butter price has increased $0.06 to $1.3600 .
