The U.S. Department of Agriculture will announce the Federal Milk Marketing Order "Advanced Prices and Pricing Factors" for January 2011 on December 23, 2010, at 2:00 p.m. Eastern time. These prices are the federal order minimum prices for Class I skim and butterfat and Class II skim and nonfat solids.

Since Friday, December 24, is a federal holiday, USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will publish the weekly "Dairy Products Prices" report at 1:00 p.m. Eastern time on December 23. This report is normally published every Friday at 8:30 a.m. Eastern time.

USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), which oversees the Federal Milk Marketing Order program, is required by statue to use all price information available on or before the 23rd of the preceding month to calculate the pricing for the following month's "Advanced Prices and Pricing Factors." Since the data needed to calculate those prices will be included in the December 23 "Dairy Products Prices" report, AMS must wait until that date to make the announcement. AMS and the regional federal order market administrator offices have announced that the "Advanced Prices and Pricing Factors" will be published at 2:00 p.m. Eastern time, one hour after the NASS "Dairy Products Prices" report is published.

Because Friday, December 31, is also a federal holiday, the NASS "Dairy Products Prices" report usually released that morning will instead be published at 1:00 p.m. Eastern time on Thursday, December 30.. AMS will then announce the data for the December 2010 report "Class and Component Prices," which will include all the Class III and IV minimum prices, as well as the Class II butterfat price and the Class II milk price for the month.

Members with questions may contact Bob Yonkers, IDFA vice president and chief economist, at byonkers@idfa.org or (202) 220-3511.