Da 2-8 (6-98) Cheddar Cheese Prices National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released June 26, 1998, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, U.S. Department of Agriculture. For information on "Cheddar Cheese Prices" call Shawn Clark at (202) 720-9168, office hours 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET. Cheddar Cheese Prices Show Large Increase Prices received for 500 lb. Barrel Cheddar cheese increased 7.4 cents per lb. for the week ending June 19, 1998. This is the fifth consecutive week of increasing US 500 lb. Barrel prices. The price of US 40 lb. Blocks increased 8.3 cents per pound. This is the sixth consecutive week of increasing US 40 lb. Block prices. Data Reliability: The survey collects price information on sales of natural, unaged, Cheddar cheese at the first (wholesale) point of sale. Data are recorded for sales transactions completed during the survey week. A transaction is considered complete when cheese is shipped out or title transfers. The 67 plants reporting account for an estimated 85 percent of natural Cheddar cheese sales. Estimates for only the current month are subject to revision. The next "Cheddar Cheese Prices" report will be released at 3:00 p.m. ET on July 2, 1998. Only electronic subscriptions are available for this report. Print copies are available at USDA, Room 5829, SO. Bldg. This report is also available on autofax at (202) 720-2000. For Internet access, go to the NASS Home Page at: http://www.usda.gov/nass/. Cheddar Cheese Prices by Style and Region -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Week Ending Style and Region :----------------------------------------------------------- : Jun 19, : Jun 12, : Jun 5, : May 29, : May 22, : 1998 : 1998 1/ : 1998 : 1998 : 1998 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Dol./Lb. 40 Lb. Blocks : Avg. Price 2/ : MN/WI : 1.5049 1.3946 1.3111 1.2760 1.2440 West 3/ : 1.4526 1.3667 1.2860 1.2121 1.1927 US 4/ : 1.4593 1.3762 1.2929 1.2265 1.2033 : : Pounds Sales Volume 5/ : MN/WI : 768,369 1,323,180 1,178,518 1,226,367 893,539 West 3/ : 4,322,695 4,335,355 4,474,782 5,155,958 4,462,936 US 4/ : 5,577,231 5,933,378 6,330,358 6,921,596 5,848,762 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Dol./Lb. 640 Lb. Blocks : Avg. Price 2/ : US : 1.4104 1.3646 1.2810 1.2333 1.2259 : : Pounds Sales Volume 5/ : US : 1,783,445 2,119,925 2,210,033 1,296,610 1,436,599 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Dol./Lb. 500 Lb. Barrels : Avg. Price 2/ : MN/WI : 1.5594 1.4847 1.3526 1.2770 1.2642 Oth : 1.5294 1.4462 1.3411 1.2819 1.2795 US : 1.5419 1.4604 1.3453 1.2799 1.2734 : Price Adj. to : 39% Moisture : MN/WI : 1.4805 1.4210 1.2939 1.2134 1.2030 Oth : 1.4194 1.3418 1.2454 1.1852 1.1828 US : 1.4445 1.3704 1.2629 1.1962 1.1906 : : Pounds Sales Volume 5/ : MN/WI : 4,118,989 3,488,819 3,632,427 3,507,960 4,055,420 Oth : 5,775,468 5,983,869 6,233,152 5,356,446 6,189,050 US : 9,894,457 9,472,688 9,865,579 8,864,406 10,244,470 : : Percent Moisture Content : MN/WI : 35.75 36.26 36.23 35.80 35.90 Oth : 34.27 34.25 34.31 34.03 34.01 US : 34.89 34.99 35.02 34.73 34.76 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Revised. 2/ Prices weighted by volumes reported. 3/ CA, ID, OR, and WA. 4/ "Other Regions" included in U.S. total. 5/ Sales as reported by cooperating manufacturers.