The following are the reporting specifications for each dairy product:

(a) Specifications for Cheddar Cheese Prices:

(1) Variety: Cheddar cheese.

(2) Style: 40-pound blocks or 500-pound barrels.

(3) Moisture Content:

(i) 40-pound blocks: Moisture content is not reported. Exclude cheese that will be aged.

(ii) 500-pound barrels: Report weighted average moisture content of cheese sold. AMS will adjust price to a benchmark of 38.0 percent based on standard moisture adjustment formulas. Exclude cheese with moisture content exceeding 37.7 percent.

(4) Age: Not less than 4 days or more than 30 days on date of sale.

(5) Grade:

(i) 40-pound blocks: Product meets Wisconsin State Brand or USDA Grade A or better standards.

(ii) 500-pound barrels: Product meets Wisconsin State Brand or USDA Extra Grade or better standards.

(6) Color:

(i) 40-pound blocks: colored and within the color range of 6-8 on the National Cheese Institute color chart.

(ii) 500-pound barrels: white.

(7) Packaging:

(i) 40-pound blocks: Price should reflect cheese wrapped in a sealed, airtight package in corrugated or solid fiberboard containers with a reinforcing inner liner or sleeve. Exclude all other packaging costs from the reported price.

(ii) 500-pound barrels: Exclude all packaging costs from the reported price.

(8) Exclude: Intra-company sales, resales of purchased cheese, forward pricing sales (sales in which the selling price was set [not adjusted] 30 or more days before the transaction was completed), cheese produced under faith-based close supervision and marketed at a higher price than the manufacturer's wholesale market price for the basic commodity (for example, kosher cheese produced with a rabbi on site who is actively involved in supervision of the production process), sales under the Dairy Export Incentive Program or other premium-assisted sales (for example, export assistance sales through the Cooperatives Working Together program), and cheese certified as organic by a USDA-accredited certifying agent.

(b) Specifications for Butter Prices:

(1) Variety: 80 percent butterfat, salted, fresh or storage.

(2) Grade: Product meets USDA Grade AA standards.

(3) Packaging: 25-kilogram and 68-pound box sales.

(4) Exclude: Unsalted and Grade A butter, intra-company sales, resales of purchased butter, forward pricing sales (sales in which the selling price was set [not adjusted] 30 or more days before the transaction was completed), butter produced under faith-based close supervision and marketed at a higher price than the manufacturer's wholesale market price for the basic commodity (for example, kosher butter produced with a rabbi on site who is actively involved in supervision of the production process), sales under the Dairy Export Incentive Program or other premium-assisted sales (for example, export assistance sales through the CWT program), and butter certified as organic by a USDA-accredited certifying agent.

(c) Specifications for Dry Whey Prices:

(1) Variety: Edible nonhygroscopic.

(2) Age: No more than 180 days.

(3) Grade: Product meets USDA Extra Grade standards.

(4) Packaging or container: 25-kilogram bag, 50-pound bag, tote, or tanker.

(5) Exclude: Sales of Grade A dry whey, intra-company sales, resales of purchased dry whey, forward pricing sales (sales in which the selling price was set [not adjusted] 30 or more days before the transaction was completed), dry whey produced under faith-based close supervision and marketed at a higher price than the manufacturer's wholesale market price for the basic commodity (for example, kosher dry whey produced with a rabbi on site who is actively involved in supervision of the production process), premium-assisted sales, and dry whey certified as organic by a USDA-accredited certifying agent.

(d) Specifications for the Nonfat Dry Milk Prices:

(1) Variety: Non-fortified.

(2) Age: No more than 180 days.

(3) Grade: Product meets USDA Extra Grade or USPH2 Grade A standards.

(4) Packaging or container: 25-kilogram bag, 50-pound bag, tote, or tanker.

(5) Exclude: Nonfat dry milk manufactured using high heat process, sales of instant nonfat dry milk, sales of dry buttermilk products, intra-company sales, resales of purchased nonfat dry milk, forward pricing sales (sales in which the selling price was set [not adjusted] 30 or more days before the transaction was completed), nonfat dry milk produced under faith-based close supervision and marketed at a higher price than the manufacturer's wholesale market price for the basic commodity (for example, kosher nonfat dry milk produced with a rabbi on site who is actively involved in supervision of the production process), sales under the Dairy Export Incentive Program or other premium-assisted sales, and nonfat dry milk certified as organic by a USDA-accredited certifying agent.

[73 FR 34181, June 17, 2008, as amended at 77 FR 8721, Feb. 15, 2012]