Trading was quiet to start the week. Hog slaughter finished last week at an estimated 2.537 million head, up 13.2 percent from the holiday shortened prior week and down 1.8 percent from last year. The trend of lower hog slaughter relative to the year prior is expected to continue in the near term. Hog slaughter is forecast higher over the next six weeks, averaging 2.546 million head per week, up 5.8 percent from the prior six week average. While the seasonal increase is forecast, the harvest is projected to run 4.5 percent below 2020 levels and 5.1 percent below…