Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) has accepted 28 requests for export assistance from Dairy Farmers of America, Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative, Michigan Milk Producers Association, Northwest Dairy Association, and Upstate-Niagara/O-AT-KA to sell 2.993 million pounds (1,817 metric tons) of Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese and 11.678 million pounds (746 metric tons) of 82% butter to customers in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. The product will be delivered in January through July 2015.
These CWT-assisted sales by these member cooperatives are going to nine countries on four continents. The sales are the equivalent of 290.535 million 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 U.S. dairy farmers by strengthening and maintaining the value of dairy products that directly impact their milk price.
CWT will pay export assistance to the bidders only when 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. 1.12.2015