Saturday, October 22, 2022

The US is Facing a Butter Shortage Ahead of Holidays

 As we saw in 2016's "Commodities: A Look At Butter":

There are very few pure-play butter equities (none) and the futures trade by appointment.
The cash market is where it's at if you want exposure.

From the New York Post, October 3:

America is facing a butter shortage right before the holiday season.   

According to data from the United States Department of Agriculture, the amount of butter sitting in US storage facilities in August fell 10% month-over-month. However, it was down 22% compared to the same time a year ago.

For example, there was over 282 million pounds of butter in warehouses last month, down from over 362 million pounds in August 2021, according to data compiled by the USDA.

The Agriculture Marketing Service’s recent Dairy Market News report shows supplies are tight around the nation. In the report, officials say demand is outpacing supplies in the West, where producers are running reduced production schedules. 

Meanwhile, butter makers in the Midwest say “spot loads of cream are very tight to unavailable” and “in the Northeast, retail butter demand is picking up, but tight inventories are causing some producers to regulate supplies across existing orders,” according to the report. 

As supplies dwindle, the price for butter has surged, outpacing all other food on the Consumer Price Index.....

....MUCH MORE