Clearly, milk production in California has wrought concerns for marketers in the region and throughout the country. Recently, though, as processors have been running lighter holiday schedules, milk and cream have been more available in the Golden State.
In the Southwest, cooler weather has improved recent milk output numbers.
Pacific Northwestern farmers are continuing to see steady to strong farm milk production.
In the mountain states of Idaho, Utah and Colorado, milk production is noted as hearty. Class I demand has regained some steam in the region, but contacts say previous weeks were slower due to the holiday downtime. Some contacts say Class I supply and demand were somewhat more stable this holiday season than in years' past.
Cream in the region is widely available. Some contacts say they have never seen cream volumes at this level and at multiples this low (reported as low as .70 this week into butter production.) Contacts expect steady milk demand moving into 2025, while cream markets are less than stable moving forward. In the mountain states, cream availability is ample. Whereas in the coastal areas, it is somewhat steady when compared to previous weeks.
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