Trading was active to start the week for some sellers that had negotiations carry into the weekend. Packer Branded Heifers (BH) traded up $1/piece from the last reported trade, but steady for the parties involved in today’s action. There is limited availability of heifer hides available in the market at this time of year.
Tanners in China have begun their Lunar New Year (LNY) holiday closings even though the official holiday is scheduled for February 9th to the 16th. Buyers will monitor the US hide market despite the holiday down time in case hides are offered at attractively low prices.

Cattle Slaughter Forecast

Cattle slaughter is forecast by The Jacobsen at 625,00 head this week, which is up 1.13 percent from last week and down 1.90 percent from last year. Cattle slaughter finished last week at an estimated 618,000 head, relatively unchanged from the week prior and down 5.39 percent from last year. Over the…