Nearby Cattle Slaughter Tempered by Shutdowns

Cattle slaughter finished last week at an estimated 536,000 head, down 16 percent from last year and 14 percent compared to the week prior. Slaughter is forecast out at 560,000 head this week. Downtime at the Greeley, CO; Tama, IA; and Souderton, PA plants are contributing to the lower numbers. Slaughter is projected to rebound in early May, averaging 668,300 head per…