Hide trading carried over from the weekend was active, with prices mostly at higher price levels from Friday’s close. Butt branded steers traded $1 higher for the light weight category and $0.50 higher for the regular weight. Native heifers and branded heifers were reported respectively $3 and $1.50 higher than the last reported trades. Heavy Texas steers were traded $0.50 down than Friday’s levels. There is a lot of uncertainty in the market amongst hide buyers and sellers due to the ongoing war in Ukraine, inflation and supply chain issues. 

For the week ending March 19^th, 2022, cattle slaughter is forecast at 644,000 head, a 0.7 percent drop from 2021, a 1.5 percent decline from the previous week but a 0.5 percent increase over 2020. According to the USDA Actual Slaughter Under Federal Inspection for February 26^th, average live weights are currently at 1,394 pounds, 10 pounds down from the start of January and 20 pounds higher than the…