Pennsylvania cheese production up 5 percent

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Production of all-cheese in Pennsylvania, excluding cottage cheese, totaled 427 million pounds in 2013, up 5.3 percent from the previous year, according to the Northeastern Regional Field Office of the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistical Service.

The Keystone State’s Italian varieties, with 261.6 million pounds, were 5.1 percent above 2012 production and accounted for 61.3 percent of total cheese in 2013.

Mozzarella, at 228.7 million pounds, accounted for 87.4 percent of the Italian production. Butter production in Pennsylvania during 2013 totaled 89.2 million pounds, 6.4 percent above 2013.

Butter production

Pennsylvania accounted for 4.8 percent of the U.S. butter production. Regular ice cream production totaled 36.5 million gallons, down 4.3 percent from 2012. Low fat ice cream production, at 8.9 million gallons, was 38.5 percent below the 2012 production level.

U.S. Summary

Total cheese production, excluding cottage cheeses, was 11.1 billion pounds, 2.0 percent above 2012 production. Wisconsin was the leading State with 25.7 percent of the production.

Italian varieties, with 4.74 billion pounds were 2.2 percent above 2012 production and accounted for 42.7 percent of total cheese in 2013. Mozzarella accounted for 78.1 percent of the Italian production followed by Provolone with 7.6 percent and Parmesan with 6.8 percent.

California was the leading State in Italian cheese production with 30.8 percent of the production.

American-type cheese production was 4.42 billion pounds, 1.5 percent above 2012 and accounted for 39.8 percent of total cheese in 2013. Wisconsin was the leading state in American -type cheese production, with 19 percent of the production.

Butter production in the United States during 2013 totaled 1.86 billion pounds, 0.2 percent above 2012. California accounted for 34.1 percent of the production.