Limited trade was reported for the start of the week. Offering levels were indicated as slightly higher for some items and regions, however, there were no confirmations on higher trading levels as of press time.

For the week ending February 17, 2024, cattle slaughter is forecast at 625,000 head, less than a quarter percent down from 2023 and 0.5 percent higher than last week. Over the next six weeks, cattle slaughter is expected to average 617,500 head per week, 1.3 percent lower than 2023 for the respective time.

Based on the Estimated Weekly Meat Production from the USDA cattle slaughter for week ending February 10 was at 622,000 head, 1.0 percent lower than the respective week in 2023. Year-to-date cattle slaughter was at 3.566 million head, 5.9 percent lower than 2023 for the same time. Production levels, 2024 year-to-date, were at 2.994 billion pounds, 4.3 percent under 2023.

Fig. 1

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