The US hide market began the holiday week with the winter storms scattered throughout the country. The storms have forced a few closures and trucking delays for meatpacking plants in the Mid-West and South. Business in Asia is fairly quiet due to the holiday with the exception for a few sales for automotive upholstery leather tanners. 

Cattle slaughter finished last week at 608,000 head, down 6.9 percent from the week prior. Weather last week slowed production and it’s forecasted to impact production this week as well. The cattle harvest is projected out at 630,000 head this week and at an average of 640,000 head over the next six weeks. The 640,000 head is down 1 percent from the prior six weeks and 1.3 percent compared to the same time period last year.

Figure 1.

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