Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) has accepted 14 requests for export assistance from Dairy Farmers of America, Michigan Milk Producers Association, Northwest Dairy Association (Darigold), and Tillamook County Creamery Association who have contracts to sell 3.515 million pounds (1,595 metric tons) of Cheddar, Gouda and Monterey Jack cheese, and 9.215 million pounds (4,180 metric tons) of whole milk powder to customers in Asia, the Middle East, Oceania and South America. The product has been contracted for delivery in the period from January through July 2016.Year-to-date, CWT has assisted member cooperatives who have contracts to sell 57.109 million pounds of cheese, 25.847 million pounds of butter and 49.930 million pounds of whole milk powder to thirty-five countries on six continents. The amounts of cheese, butter and whole milk powder in these sales contracts represent the equivalent of 1.473 billion 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 all U.S. dairy farmers by strengthening and maintaining the value of dairy products that directly impact their milk price. Renewing this important program for 2016 through 2018 is currently underway. Cooperatives and individual dairy farmers interested in investing in their future can find membership application at www.cwt.coop under the membership tab.
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.
1.4.2016