MD_DA440  
DA                                                         
MD DA440 BUTTER - WEST                           

MADISON, WI.  January 28, 2015 (REPORT 4)                         

WEST BUTTER 
  
The butter market is slightly firm at midweek.  The market 
undertone remains on the unsettled side.  Production is active 
with available cream supplies and the desire by butter makers to 
build stocks.  Demand is uneven with better interest for retail 
print packages.  Bulk interest is light to moderate and mainly 
centered on contracts.  Bulk pricing is in the range of 1 to 4 
cents under the CME Group with various averages and timeframes 
used.  Western butter manufacturers are finding it difficult to 
clear butter to international buyers. Some AMF is being made for 
later internal usage.  Cream markets are active with a good pull 
from ice cream producers rebuilding stocks in a more favorable 
pricing structure.  DMN's National Retail Report-Dairy shows 
this week's U.S. weighted average advertised retail price for a 
pound of butter was $3.52, up $.52 from last week and $.67 
higher than a year ago.  Butter ad prices averaged $4.56 in the 
Southwest and $2.99 in the Northwest.  According to NASS, cold 
storage holdings of U.S. butter on December 31, totaled 98.6 
million pounds, 2% lower that November and 12% less than a year 
earlier.  Butter prices at the CME Group on Wednesday closed at 
$1.6375, up $.0875 from a week ago. 
   

1530CT butch.speth@ams.usda.gov 608.278.4152
USDA/AMS/Dairy Market News, Madison, Wisconsin
Dairy Market News website: www.ams.usda.gov/dairymarketnews
Dairy Market News database portal: 
http://www.marketnews.usda.gov/mnp/da-home