Cattle slaughter finished last week at 640,000 head, up 31 percent from a year ago and down 0.2 percent relative to the week prior. Slaughter is forecast to increase over the next six weeks at an average of 656,700 head per week. The next six weeks are projected at 3.3 percent over the prior six week average and 1.6 percent over the the 2018-2019 average for the same weeks. The increased supply could add down pressure to the ruminant markets, but the strong…