E-mail: nass-ny@nass.usda.gov
(518) 457-5570

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact: Bryan Combs
Friday, May 29, 2009

www.nass.usda.gov/ny

                    NEW YORK CHEESE PRODUCTION DECLINES

Total cheese production in New York, excluding cottage cheese, totaled 716
million pounds in 2008 according to Stephen Ropel, Director of USDA’s
National Agricultural Statistics Service, New York Field office.  This is a
3.0 percent decrease from the previous year.  Italian cheese, which
accounted for 55 percent of New York’s total cheese output, at 385 million
pounds, was down 1.3 percent.  Total cottage cheese production at 271
million pounds was down 6.8 percent from 2007.

Total U.S. cheese production for 2008 totaled 9.93 billion pounds
(excluding cottage cheese), up 1.6 percent from a year earlier.  Italian
cheese varieties accounted for 41.9 percent of total cheese production in
2008 at 4.16 billion pounds.  American type cheese production was 4.07
billion pounds, 5.0 percent above 2007 and accounted for 41.0 percent of
total cheese production in 2008.

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5-29-09