Steer prices moved up today, with the upholstery tanners still in strong demand for material. The overall market is slower for a typical Tuesday, but more business is anticipated for the coming days. 

The US Department of Commerce Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA) report shows US imports for rubber and plastic footwear increased $2.3 billion from 2014 to 2019 while US imports for leather footwear declined $2.0 billion from 2014 to 2019. Both markets have seen decreases through 2020 tied to COVID-19 disruptions in the marketplace. The increase in rubber and plastic footwear imports is further evidence of a demand shift from the leather market into synthetic materials, including rubber and plastic footwear. The leather footwear market, in terms of imports, is much larger than the rubber and plastics. However, the trend away from leather footwear has been evident in the price direction of cattle hide prices over the last five years. Fashion trends…