April Class III steady, but II, IV lower

USDA’s Ag Marketing Service announced April 2012 federal order manufacturing milk class prices on May 2:

• Class II: $16.20/cwt., down 39¢ from March 2012 and $3.46 less than April 2011 ($19.66/cwt.).

• Class III: $15.72/cwt., unchanged from March, but $1.15 less than April 2011 ($16.87/cwt.). It is $2.29 more than California’s comparable 4b cheese milk price.

• Class IV: $14.80/cwt., down 55¢ from March and $4.98 less than April 2011 ($19.78/cwt.).

Through the first four months of 2012, the Class II price average is $16.85/cwt., down $1.46 from the same period in 2011; the Class III price average is $16.14/cwt., down 55¢ from a year earlier; and the Class IV price average is $15.66/cwt., down $2.84 from January-April 2011.