Cheddar Cheese Prices National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released August 28, 1998, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, U.S. Department of Agriculture. For information on "Cheddar Cheese Prices" call Shawn Clark at (202) 720-9168, office hours 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET. Cheddar Cheese Prices Increase Prices received for US 40 lb. Block Cheddar cheese increased 0.4 cents per pound for the week ending August 21, 1998. This is the fifteenth consecutive week of increasing US 40 lb. Block prices. The price of US 500 lb. Barrels increased 1.8 cents per pound. Data Reliability: The survey collects price information on sales of natural, unaged, Cheddar cheese at the first (wholesale) point of sale. Data are recorded for sales transactions completed during the survey week. A transaction is considered complete when cheese is shipped out or title transfers. The 67 plants reporting account for an estimated 85 percent of natural Cheddar cheese sales. Estimates for the prior 4 weeks are subject to revision. The next "Cheddar Cheese Prices" report will be released at 8:30 a.m. ET on September 4, 1998. Only electronic subscriptions are available for this report. Print copies are available at USDA, Room 5829, SO. Bldg. This report is also available on autofax at (202) 720-2000. For Internet access, go to the NASS Home Page at: http://www.usda.gov/nass/. Da 2-8 (8-98) Cheddar Cheese Prices by Style and Region -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Week Ending Style and Region :----------------------------------------------------------- : Aug 21, : Aug 14, : Aug 7, : Jul 31, : Jul 24, : 1998 : 1998 1/ : 1998 1/ : 1998 1/ : 1998 1/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Dol./Lb. 40 Lb. Blocks : Avg. Price 2/ : MN/WI : 1.6750 1.6691 1.6597 1.6470 1.6374 West 3/ : 1.6279 1.6201 1.5980 1.5995 1.5782 US 4/ : 1.6418 1.6375 1.6197 1.6155 1.5930 : : Pounds Sales Volume 5/ : MN/WI : 1,455,807 1,837,043 2,028,294 1,523,364 1,405,971 West 3/ : 4,229,624 4,204,271 4,435,936 3,900,478 4,704,906 US 4/ : 5,879,481 6,321,110 6,686,979 5,618,418 6,286,801 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Dol./Lb. 640 Lb. Blocks : Avg. Price 2/ : US : 1.6593 1.6105 1.6357 1.6145 1.5968 : : Pounds Sales Volume 5/ : US : 808,910 846,392 461,951 679,724 1,320,815 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Dol./Lb. 500 Lb. Barrels : Avg. Price 2/ : MN/WI : 1.6016 1.6101 1.6112 1.6077 1.6132 Oth : 1.5742 1.5505 1.5537 1.5869 1.6041 US : 1.5862 1.5708 1.5785 1.5958 1.6077 : Price Adj. to : 39% Moisture : MN/WI : 1.5226 1.5265 1.5286 1.5217 1.5300 Oth : 1.4696 1.4481 1.4525 1.4840 1.4959 US : 1.4926 1.4744 1.4851 1.5000 1.5090 : : Pounds Sales Volume 5/ : MN/WI : 3,136,053 2,873,207 3,688,127 3,788,800 3,793,914 Oth : 4,001,853 5,598,579 4,853,888 5,064,175 5,923,743 US : 7,137,906 8,471,786 8,542,015 8,852,975 9,717,657 : : Percent Moisture Content : MN/WI : 35.84 35.66 35.70 35.55 35.68 Oth : 34.66 34.69 34.75 34.77 34.59 US : 35.17 35.02 35.16 35.11 35.01 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Revised. 2/ Prices weighted by volumes reported. 3/ CA, ID, OR, and WA. 4/ "Other Regions" included in U.S. total. 5/ Sales as reported by cooperating manufacturers.