Limited trade was reported to start the week. No adjustments were indicated for animal proteins.

For the week ending August 5th, cattle slaughter is forecast at 630,000 head, a 2.8 percent decrease from 2022 but 1.8 percent higher from last week. Over the next six weeks, cattle slaughter is projected to average 626,670 head per week, a 3.2 and 1.0 percent down from 2022 and 2021, respectively, as head counts remain under prior levels. As of mid-July, slaughter levels have been forecast lower than the prior two years with 640 thousand max head a week for August.

According to the USDA Actual Slaughter Under Federal Inspection for July 15th, average live weights are currently at 1,344 pounds, 15 pounds lower than the start of May and one pound under from the respective period for 2022.

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