C4—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, October 24,1981 NATIONAL OUTLOOK Retail prices gain slowly The slowing rate of gain in milk prices at the lam during January July and stable wholesale prices of dairy products since last fall were reflected in a slowdown of year-to-year retail price increases for milk and dairy products. The July Bureau of Labor Statistics retail price index for dairy products was up only 6.8 percent from a year ago. This compares with a gam of 10.1 percent in the first quarter of this year and 8.2-percent rise in the second quarter. The retail price reported by BLS for a half-gallon ot whole milk was $ 1.118, up 5 percent from a year ago but down Va cent from March. The butter price, f 1.992 a pound, was 7 percent above last year but was also down-from March. The average retail price for ice cream in July was $2,024 a half gallon, up 10.5 percent from last year but the price was unchanged since April. With milk and dairy products likely to be in ample supply, year to-year retail price gains this tall can be expected to be relatively small. For 1981, retail dairy prices are expected to average abut 8 percent higher, neaV the increase expected in the all-food price index. Consumers spend more in 1980 Consumers spent $38.7 billion tor milk and dairy products during 1980, up 12.9 percent from 1979. This compares with a 10.9- percent increase in expenditures for all foods. With consumption of dairy products in 1980 unchanged from 1979, all of the increases was due to higher retail prices. in 1980, dairy tamers recieved about $lB.B billion dollars for the milk they’ve marketed, about 45 ‘ percent of the consumer’s food dollar spent on dairy products nearly unchanged trom the year before. In 1980, wages rose abut 8.7 percent while retail prices of dairy products increased 9.8 percent. As a result, the average wage earner had to work longer to earn the money to purchase dairy products. For example, it took 15.5 minutes to earn the money to buy a pound ot butter in 1980, up from 15.1 minutes in 1979. Similar increases in the required time worked to purchase fresh whole milk, American cheese, ice cream and evaporated milk were also noted. Something NEW cm mmm as m Federal Order No. 2 New York-New Jersey Milk Marketing Area Uniform price increases 15 cents Dairy farmers who supplied milk plants regulated under the New York-New Jersey marketing orders during September will be paid on the basis of a uniform price of |13.83 per hundredweight (29.7 centsperquart;. Market Administrator Thomas A. Wilson also stated that the uniform farm price per hun dredweight was $13.68 in August 1981 and $13.31 in September 1980. The seasonal incentive fund returned a total of $3,848,826.38 or $.450 per hundredweight to the dairy farmers’ uniform price for September. This fund was generated by reducing the uniform price paid to producers during the high production spring months. A total of 17,910 dairy farmers supplied the New York-New Jersey Milk Marketing Area with 856,217,803 pounds of milk during September 1981. This was an in crease of 3.8 percent (about 31 million pounds} from last year. The gross value to dairy farmers for milk deliveries was $119,866,113.70. This included differentials required to be paid to dairy farmers but not voluntary premiums or deductions authorized by the farmer. Handlers utilized 384,852,559 pounds of milk for Class 1, 44.9 percent of the total. The milk is used for fluid milk products such as homogenized, flavored, low test and skim milks. For September 1981, handlers paid $14.78 per hundredweight (31.8 cents per quart) fo» Class 1 milk compared with $13.98 a year ago. The balance, 55.1 percent, was used to manufacture Class II products including butter, cheese, ice cream and yogurt. For this milk, handlers paid $12.52 per hundredweight. The uniform price is based on milk containing 3.5 percent but terfat. For September 1981, a differential of 17.1 cents was ap plied to the price for each one-tenth of one percent that the milk tested above or below the 3.5 percent standard. All prices quoted are for bulk tank milk received within the'2ol - mile zone from New York City. Federal Order No. 4 Mid-Atlantic Marketing Area BASE MILK PRICE $13.99 FOR SEPTEMBER Middle Atlantic Order Market Administrator Joseph D. Shine announced a September 1981 base milk price of $13.99 per him- dredweight and an excess milk price of $12.41. The September weighted average price was $13.98 and the butterfat differential for the month was 17.1 cents. The base milk price was up 14 cents from August, while the weighted average price in creased 13 cents. The September base price was 52 cents higher than last year. The advertising withholding rate, which is deducted from the base and excess milk price and not the weighted average price, was 13 cents a hundredweight and the amount withheld totaled $612,508.93. The gross value of producer hulk during September, was $65.6 million compared to $62.3 million a year ago. Shine said that producer milk receipts totaled 471.2 million pounds during September, a drop Your gutter cleaner haa to work day after day, yaar after yaar. Batter make sura you can dapand on it. Pate gives you ovar 30 yaara of quality and de pendability in every gutter cleaner we make. We’re tire ones with the proven forged steel hook-end-eye link ... the aacrat to Pate performance. You can easily remove or replace links and flltoa without toola. Your Pate gutter cleaner bacomaa a wise Invest ment for you over the years because it’s built to last. The all-steel slide and one-piece steel Hites with wear shoes are engineered to withstand tha rugged wear of every day operation. And Pete guttar cleaner* ara adapt able to many layouts. Talk to your Pete dealer. Ha’ll show you how Patz performance means fewer problems for you. And that gives you more time to manage your livestock operation lor greater profit. TERRE HILL SILO CO. INC. ot 1.6 percent from August, but up 7.7 million pounds or 1.7 percent from a year ago. This was, however, the smallest year-to-year increase since January 1980. Class 1 producer milk totaled 237.5 million pounds and accounted for 50,41 percent of total receipts. A year ago Class I producer milk totaled 255.4 million pounds and represented 55.11 percent of total milk receipts. Base milk accounted for 91.44 percent of total monthly produc tion. There were 7,245 producers supplying pool handlers during the month, a decline of 76 from the previous month. The average daily delivery per producer was 2,168 pounds in. September, a drop of 13 pounds , from August, but 59 pounds or 2.8 percent above fast September. The average butterfat test of producer milk was 3.57 percent compared to -941 Heavy-duty link (top) and extra heavy-duty link (bottom) tor long chains and Heavy toads PH: 215-445-6736 TERRE HILL, PA 17581 Salesman - James Esbenshade - 717-464-2090 3.49 in August and 3.53 last Sep tember. A total of 68 handlers were included in the September pool, 5 more than in August. Middle Atlantic order pool handlers reported Class I in-area milk disposition of 202.8 million pounds during September, a drop of 3.3 percent from a year earlier, after adjustment to eliminate variation due to calendar com position. State production increases Milk production in Pennsylvania during September 1981 totaled 728 million pounds, up four percent from a year earlier according to the Pennsylvania Crop Reporting Service. The number of milk cows in the Commonwealth during September averaged 714,000 head, the same as a year ago. Milk production per (Turn to Page C 5) m Adapts to rsrisd installation layouts.