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Dairy product production still leaning toward cheese

The USDA says August dairy product production saw mixed results as skim milk powder and butter declines were offset by more nonfat dry milk and cheese production.

Total cheese production totaled more than 1.15 billion pounds, fractionally down on the month and above the prior year. Italian cheese production was up slightly on the month and nearly two percent on the year while American cheese was down more than two percent on the year and nearly three percent for the month.

Butter production totaled 144 million pounds, down two percent from the prior year and five percent from the last month.

Nonfat dry milk was up more than 10 percent from 2021 while skim milk powder was down nearly 23 percent. Dry whey production was up more than four percent while lactose was slightly above three percent on the year.