Wisconsin cheese production in April 2022 was down from the year before, but the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association says compared to a “normal” or non-pandemic-affected year, the numbers are up.
Looking at Wisconsin, American cheese styles were off 4.5 percent in April compared to April 2021, according to WCMA. Cheddar in April was down 3.6 percent compared to the previous year, according to USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. Meanwhile, Mozzarella production in April was 0.8 percent lower than April 2021.
WCMA says contact with some members producing American type cheeses — cheddar, Colby, jack — found small increases in April volume. Two manufacturers reported slight declines, with one noting that tightness in the labor market has plants running fewer shifts. April data may be revised when May data is released in July.
“It’s useful to compare current cheese production data to a ‘normal’ or non-pandemic-affected year,” says WCMA Executive Director John Umhoefer. “When Wisconsin cheese production this spring is compared to the spring of 2019, for example, Wisconsin is making 2.7 percent more cheese through April this year. And even the month of April alone is higher than April 2019.”
The following numbers were provided by WCMA:
Wisconsin Cheese Production Through April 2019 vs. April 2022 (1,000 pounds)
January 2019: 276,493 2022: 286,721
February 2019: 260,992 2022: 270,685
March 2019: 293,214 2022: 300,568
April 2019: 279,687 2022: 282,785 +1.1%
Total 2019: 1.11 million 2022: 1.14 million +2.7%
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