State Cheese Production Climbs for Third Straight Month

Wisconsin Ag Connection - Wisconsin cheese plants made more product during March when compared to the same month a year earlier--making it only the third time in the past eight months that year-to-year output rose. According to the latest dairy product summary from the USDA, the state produced 300.5 million pounds of cheese in March. That was 3.9 percent more than last year, and up 13.7 percent higher than this past February (which had less days on the calendar).

Nationally, about 1.18 billion pounds of cheese was produced in the United States in March. That was a 4.8 percent increase from 2020, and a 12.6 percent hike compared to the amount manufactured during the previous month.

Wisconsin's production of American cheese increased as the state produced 95.0 million pounds, about 8.2 percent more than last year, and 10.2 percent above last month's production. Cheddar output also rose 5.7 percent compared to 2020 to total 65.4 million pounds, and went up 10.0 percent from the month earlier. Italian cheese production was at 146.8 million pounds, about 1.5 percent above last year, and 16.1 percent higher for the month. And Mozzarella produced in Wisconsin totaled 98.5 million pounds--up 3.6 percent from March 2020 and 19.7 percent more than February 2021.

Dry Whey output in Wisconsin was recorded at 33.1 million pounds, which was up 29.2 percent from last year, and 27.7 percent higher compared to last month.

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