D6-lancasttr Farming, Saturday, May 8,1993
USD A
Official
to Speak
At
College
UNIVERSITY
PARK (Centre Co.)
Dr. K. Jane Coulter, de
puty administrator of
the Cooperative Slate
Research Service in the
U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA),
will address graduates
of Penn State’s College
of Agricultural Sci
ences during the col
lege’s spring com
mencement.
The ceremonies will
take place May 15 at 9
a.m. in Eisenhower
Auditorium.
Coulter is the key
policy official responsi
ble for managing
USDA ’s role as the lead
federal agency for high
er education in the food
and agricultural sci
ences.
She serves on numer
ous committees and
boards, including the
White House Office of
Science and Technolo
gy Policy’s Committee
on Education and Hu
man Resources, the
Federal Interagency
Committee on Educa
tion, the Interdepart
mental Minority Health
Sciences Career Coor
dinating Committee, the
U.S. Department of
Education’s Mathemat
ics and Science Review
Board, and NASA’s
Space Grants Program
Review Board.
Coulter is widely
credited for the launch
of several new higher
education competitive
grants programs and has
been instrumental in the
development of the first
national computerized
online information sys
tem providing data on
U.S. higher education in
the food and agricultur
al sciences.
Coulter has won
numerous awards, in
cluding the highest hon
or given by USDA, the
Distinguished Service
Award.
Tl MILK
CHECK
1 THOMAS JURCHAK
* Lackawanna County
(Editor’s Note: This was written based on data available as of
April IS, 1993. Last week’s article was run in error. We appologize
for the inconvenience.)
SCRANTON (Lackawanna Co.) In the last month cheese prices
have gone into orbit reaching a height unheard of in such a short time
and from ail indications may set a new record in acceleration at blast off.
Taking nearly everyone by surprise, block and barrel prices advanced
19 cents a pound in the last month and 23 cents since Feb. 26 when they
started this flight and are still headed for higher altitudes.
In last month’s report there was caution from me about “too much,
too soon” when prices went up 4 cents in two weeks. Since then it has
been weekly increases of 3, 4 and 5 cents but the week before Easter
really shook the market.
On Thursday barrel prices jumped 5 cents for the third consecutive
week but block price zoomed 7 cents for a total of over 15 cents to match
the barrel price. Even the Easter holiday didn’t slow the pace with milk
diverted from fluid to processing.
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Cheese production was down in most states as well as the upper Mid
West but it was the demand pull by dealers anxious to rebuild their
inventories that did the trick. Only the demand was ahead of the supply
and prices rose.
It isn’t unusual for cheese prices to rise in the spring in fact it’s
expected but this time it happened sooner and faster.
Just last year cheese prices went from a low of $ 1.15 in early March to
a high of $ 1.39 in July for an increase of 23 cents. But that took 20 weeks
before they started down again and bottomed out in January of this year.
Now we’re looking at an increase of 23 cents again but starting in
February and doing it in six weeks with more increases expected before
summer.
The question is how much higher can they go? Right now in mid
April they are up to last year’s high of $1.38 in July and 11 cents higher
than in April last year. This is what makes this year unusual.
We’re almost up to record highs and it’s only April. Even nonfat
powder prices have strengthened because of a demand for powder to
improve cheese yields as milk solids drop.
Of course the key to all this is the milk production expected this
spring and summer.
It would appear that dealer inventories have been seriously depleted
and most are not willing to gamble on getting more milk this summer so
they’re paying now to get the cheese supplies they need.
If there’s another reason, I haven’t heard.
Farm Price
The best news of course is what this does to farm prices. The Minne
sota - Wisconsin Price Series for March has already gone up 28 cents to
$11.02 just on the strength of cheese price increases in early March.
When you add the 19-cent increase in cheese prices in April you
should see another dollar or more added to the M-W by May 3 and more
again on June 5.
So far, butter and powder prices have been steady and not hurt the
M-W price but if we can get some exports started they may even add
support to the M-W price. In any case, it’s about as volatile as dairy
market prices can get so hang on and see how high this ride can take you.
“Some things
are just built
tougher than
others.”
TWI2O/144
m
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An Alamo Group Company
P.O. Box 712, Seguin, Texas 78156
210-372-3080
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PA DEALERS
C.B. HOOBER & SON
Intercourse, PA
(717) 7884231
C.H. WALTZ &
SONS, INC.
Cogan Station, PA
(717)435-2121
CHARLES SIEPIELA
Honesdale, PA
(717) 253-3334
DUGAN TRACTOR, INC.
Ulysses, PA
(814) 848-7575
ECKROTH BROS. FARM
EQUP. INC.
New Rinngold, PA
(717) 843-2131
ERB * HENRY EQUIP.
New Berlinville, PA
(215) 387-2189
JIMMACHMERY CO. INC.
Graensburg, PA
(412) 888-7850
UARRIC
INTERNATIONAL INC.
Everett, PA
(814)8524101,
RAW EQUIPMENT CO.
Carlisle, PA
(717)243-2686
MD DEALERS
CERESVILLE FNH, INC.
Frederick, MD
(NO) 331-0122
GIBSON FARM
EQUIP, INC.
Ingleside, MD
(410) 750-0202
RIO DEL MAR
ENTERPRISES
Easton, MD
(410) 922-9960
NJ DEALERS
FRANK RYMON &
SONS, INC.
Washington, NJ
(901) 619-1464
MID-STATE
EQUIP. CO. INC.
Titusville, NJ
(609) 737-7400
PONIATOWSKI BROS.
EQUIP. CO.
Clinton, NJ
(201) 735-2149
RODIO TRACTOR
SALES, INC.
Hammonton, NJ
(609) 561-0141