Today, regular-weight heavy native steers traded $0.50 higher than yesterday but were steady with price levels from the start of the week. Overall market sentiment is pessimistic given the continued negative pressure on prices from buyers. Current market hide prices are tracking at historic lows while global economic activity is weak. Leather has lost significant market share to alternate materials.

The Jacobsen Hide Index (JHI) closed at $23.74, down 5.4 percent from the year prior.

Actual Slaughter by Classification

Table 1. 

…