Block cheese price fell 7 cents closing at $1.83 with 5 loads traded. Barrel cheese price slipped 0.25 cent ending at $1.5725 with 8 loads traded. The weakness of blocks of this magnitude is a surprise. The influence of the Food Box program seems to have run its course. The influence from the USDA pre-solicitation announced Wednesday for dairy purchases and the hope for more support for dairy from the proposed new stimulus after the new administration takes office, is being overshadowed by actual supply and demand. The cash market is the determining factor of market prices. Butter slipped a penny nearly eliminating the gain of Thursday. Price closed at $1.29 with 13 loads traded. Grade A nonfat dry milk remained steady at $1.20 with 13 loads traded. Dry whey gained 2 cents with 53 cents with one load traded. Class III futures are 1-25 cents higher. Class IV futures are 2 cents to 12 cents higher. Butter futures are 0.55 cents lower to 3.57 cents higher. Dry whey futures are 1.00 cent to 1.52 cents higher.
