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Dairy product production down from January, but higher than ‘23

Dairy product production in February was down from January, but still higher than last February.

USDA says total cheese output was 1.13 billion pounds, three percent more than a year ago but down 5.6% from the previous month.

American-type cheese production was down on the month and the previous year with 438 million pounds produced.  Italian-type cheeses totaled 479 million pounds, 4.4% above last year but 6.2% below January figures.  In February, producers made more than 373 million pounds of Mozzarella, 304 million pounds of Cheddar, and 132 million pounds of other American-type cheeses.

Butter production totaled 198 million pounds, down 9% from January but still 5.6% more than February 2023.

USDA says nonfat dry milk production dropped 19.3% compared to February 2023.  Skim milk powder was down 2.6% from a year ago with 36.2 million pounds produced.  Whey protein concentrate production rose 4.2% to 38.7 million pounds compared to last year.

Frozen products including ice cream, sherbet, and frozen yogurt all had lower February production compared to last year, with sherbet production down 32.7%.