MD_DA440  
DA 
MD DA440 BUTTER - WEST 

MADISON, WI.  December 23, 2015 (REPORT 51)

WEST BUTTER

Holiday butter sales have finished. Manufacturers say there was a good draw down of 
butter stocks for the season. With the peak demand for butter and seasonal cream 
favorites waning, processors are finding cream more available. Some butter makers expect 
to run full production schedules over the holidays to absorb the inexpensive cream and 
rebuild their inventories. Most of the butter production is focused on making bulk 
butter, with print made only for immediate needs. The DMN National Retail Report-Dairy 
for the week of December 18-24 found that the U.S. weighted average advertised price of 1 
pound butter is $3.10, down $.09 from one week ago and down $.22 from one year ago. In 
the Southwest, the weighted average advertised price for 1 pound butter was $3.34 with a 
price range of $1.97-$3.99, and in the Northwest, $3.22 with a price range of $2.50-
$4.00. The NASS Cold Storage report noted U.S. butter stocks as of November 30, 2015, 
were 132.7 million pounds, down 26% from last month. Butter stocks in all warehouses were 
107.6 million pounds last year at this time. Bulk butter pricing in the West this week is 
4 cents under market to 2 cents above, based on the CME Group with various time frames 
and averages used. The Grade AA butter price at the CME Group on Wednesday closed at 
$2.0425, down $.0350 from a week ago.

1200CT Mike.Bandli@ams.usda.gov 608.557.7010
USDA/AMS/Dairy Market News, Madison, Wisconsin
Dairy Market News website: http://www.ams.usda.gov/market-news/dairy
Dairy Market News database portal: http://www.marketnews.usda.gov/mnp/da-home