Hide prices remain unchanged today after the holiday break. Buyers are still showing interest in the automotive and furniture leather businesses, while footwear is slowly increasing. The week is expected to be very quiet with the New Year holiday at the end of the week.

The Jacobsen slaughter forecast for this week is 500,000 head, and if realized, will be 49,800 head less than the same week last year when it was 549,800.

Cattle slaughter finished last week 419,000 head, down 12 percent from a year ago. Over the next six weeks, slaughter is forecasted at an average of 605,000 head, up an average of 11.3 percent from the prior six weeks and down 2.9 percent compared to last year. 

Figure 1. 

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