MD_DA440  
DA                                                         
MD DA440 BUTTER - WEST                           

MADISON, WI.  March 11, 2015 (REPORT 10)
 
WEST BUTTER:

Butter production to meet Easter season demand is said to be 
keeping print butter churning volumes strong.  Bulk butter 
manufacturing is also strong.  Both factors are seasonally 
expected.  The demand for cream is causing supplies to tighten, 
with cream moving into California from Idaho and Arizona to keep 
churns supplied.  So far, increasing volumes of cream from 
standardization of increasing milk supplies is helping sustain 
cream available for churns and reduce the factor of cream needs 
for other uses of cream such as ice cream, cream cheese, and 
sour cream.  Butter inventories are generally balanced.  The DMN 
National Retail Report-Dairy ads for the week of March 6 -12, 
shows the U.S. weighted average advertised retail price for a 
one pound pack of butter at $3.02, up $.25 from last week and 
$.11 higher than one year ago.  Butter ad prices averaged $3.88 
in the Southwest, with a price range $2.50-$5.49, and $3.11 in 
the Northwest, with a price range $2.99-$3.29.  This week a 
cooperative export assistance program accepted requests for 
176,370 pounds of butter.  The Grade AA butter price at the CME 
Group on Wednesday closed at $1.7050, down $.0450 from a week 
ago. 

1530CT eric.graf@ams.usda.gov 608.278.4153
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