Blimling and Associates Blog

China Pulls More Melamine-Tainted Milk Products from Store Shelves

Federal Antitrust Suit Targets Dean Foods' Acquisition of Dairy Plants

Kenya: Milk Glut Hurting Farmers

Drought "Starting to Bite" Says Fonterra

Suicide Highlights Dairy Farmer's Tough Situation

India: Milk Procurement Price for Amar Dairy Hiked

Dairy Land for Sale in New Zealand 

According to the USDA/NASS Cold Storage Report, published at 2:00pm CT today:

December 31 AMERICAN-TYPE CHEESE stocks @ 586.8 million pounds, up 9.0% year-over-year and up 0.6% versus November 2009 (that compares to an average November-to-December increase of 1.4% over the previous five years).

December 31  TOTAL CHEESE stocks @ 966.9 million pounds, up 13.5% year-over-year and up 0.5% versus November 2009 (that compares to an average November-to-December increase of 2.5% over the previous five years).

December 31  BUTTER stocks @ 133.7 million pounds, up 12.4% year-over-year and down 6.3% versus November 2009 (that compares to an average November-to-December decrease of 3.3% over the previous five years).

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Block cheddar cheese closed at $1.4800/lb, up $0.0150/lb with no trades.

Barrel cheese closed at $1.5050/lb, up $0.0150/lb with 1 trade.

Butter closed at $1.4675/lb, down $0.0125/lb wih no trades.

Grade A NDM closed at $1.3000/lb with no trades.

Extra Grade NDM closed at $1.3000/lb with no trades.

DCI Cheese Company Donates $45,000 to American Red Cross for Haitian Relief

Justice of the Peace Acquits Dairyman in Raw Milk Case

India: Panel Suggests Reforms in Dairy Sector

Dairy cow slaughter for the week ending January 9 was 56,577 head, down 21.1% from the same week last year.

Currency valuation is a two-way street. That is, price can be dictated by forces affecting either side of the currency pair. Strength of the US Dollar versus the Euro could be as much about Euro-zone weakness as it is about US economic strength. The former appears to be the case presently, as concerns about financial conditions in Greece, Ireland and elsewhere are weighing heavily on the Euro. Indeed, the Euro has fairly crashed in recent days, with the market dropping from over 1.45 versus the USD to near 1.40. That is huge currency movement in just five or six trading sessions. 

Strength in the USD has weighed on commodity pricing this week, as have actions taken by China to stem inflationary pressures. The comparatively small, comparatively insular US dairy markets can sometimes stand to the side, somewhat insulated from forces that affect, say, crude oil. Yet it is perhaps not entirely coincidental to see some downward pressure in the US dairy space this week and a significant downtick in prices for European butter.

Block cheddar cheese closed at $1.4650/lb, unchanged with no trades.

Barrel cheese closed at $1.4900/lb, unchanged with no trades.

Butter closed at $1.4800/lb, down $0.0100/lb with 6 trades.

Grade A NDM closed at $1.3000/lb, unchanged with no trades.

Extra Grade NDM closed at $1.3000/lb, unchanged with no trades. 

Italian Buffalo Mozzarella Probe as Tests Find Cow Milk

Milk Prices Showing Recovery

Cadbury Takeover Raises Doubts Over Kraft's Business Ethics

Cost of Pork, Dairy Skyrockets

Australia:  Holstein Cattle Sale Sees Record Prices

Starbucks Enters Ready-to-Drink Coffee Category in Europe with Arla Foods

Dairy Aid Package Won't Help UK Farmers, Critics Say  

Block cheddar cheese closed at $1.4650/lb, up $0.0100/lb with no trades.

Barrel cheese closed at $1.4900/lb, up $0.0100/lb with no trades.

Melamine Scare Prompts China to Boost Milk Imports

Diving Milk Prices Cut WI State Farm Income By More than Half

India Facing Milk Shortage

Global Milk Price Drop in the Cards

Cadbury: From Grocery Store to Global Giant

Cadbury Boss Set to Collect £12 million Payoff as Unions Fear Takeover Jobs Bloodbath

Dairy Business Deal Leads to Arrest

Dairy Industry Donates to Haiti Earthquake Relief

Investors Sue New Frontier Bank's Former Officers, Board Members

EU Supports Promotion of Dairy Products with €18 million