California milk production is flat but following typical seasonal patterns. Contacts say that supplies are meeting current dairy manufacturing needs. Bottling sales are unchanged. Class II and III orders are steady to higher. Forecasted heavy rain over the next week is expected to bring some much-needed moisture to the state. However, sources indicate the precipitation won’t be enough to end the drought, and residents in some areas have been cautioned to prepare to evacuate in the event of severe flash flooding.
Farm level milk output in Arizona is flat to higher. Bottling demand is perking up as schools resume instruction following scheduled fall breaks. Class III sales are steady as cheesemakers work through available milk supplies.
Milk production is up in New Mexico, and stakeholders expect output will continue to increase over the next few weeks. Balancing plants are active; holdover numbers are higher but coming down to more manageable quantities. Class I demand is lower while Class II orders are steady to stronger.
Pacific Northwest milk production is following seasonal trends, but Washington’s output falls short of handler forecasts by several percentage points. Some contacts are not anticipating a full rebound after this summer’s heat. Class I sales are steady, but some bottling operations are running under capacity, on abbreviated schedules, due to labor issues. Class III demand is high, and some cheese plants are staffed to operate at maximum capacity.
Milk production throughout the mountain states of Idaho, Utah, and Colorado is stable. Bottling is steady. Class II and III demand is level to higher.
Some contracted customers have temporarily reduced condensed skim order volumes due to planned downtime for plant maintenance. Cream availability is reportedly sufficient for current production demands. Internal cream supplies are meeting the needs of some end users. Ahead of the holiday season, production is steady to increasing for butter and cream cheese. Western cream multiples are steady.
Western U.S., F.O.B. Cream
Multiples Range - All Classes: 1.0500 - 1.3500
Information for the period October 18 - 22, 2021, issued weekly
Secondary Sourced Information:
CALIFORNIA MARKET ORDER
Milk pooled on the California Order 51 totaled 1.904 billion pounds in September 2021. Class I utilization was 396.5 million pounds and accounted for about 20.8 percent of producer milk. The Statistical Uniform Price for milk delivered to plants in Los Angeles County, CA was $16.91, up $0.32 from August 2021, and $2.44 above the same month a year ago.
MONTHLY MILK PRODUCTION
The NASS Milk Production report noted September 2021 milk production in the 24 major states was 17.3 billion pounds, 0.4 percent higher than a year ago. Milk cows in the 24 selected states totaled 8.93 million head, 48,000 head more than a year ago. The following table shows western states included in the report and the monthly milk production changes compared to a year ago:
September 2021 Milk Production, (USDA-NASS)
(Million Pounds) % Change From
1 Year Ago
Arizona 362 - 1.9
California 3285 + 0.2
Colorado 429 0.0
Idaho 1335 - 0.2
New Mexico 579 - 12.5
Oregon 211 - 0.9
Utah 185 + 2.8
Washington 515 - 7.9
