US animal protein prices were steady on Thursday November 21. Limited trade was reported from market sources due to the proximity of the extended Thanksgiving holiday weekend in the US starting on November 28.

October commercial cattle, hog slaughter
Commercial cattle slaughter for October was at 2.86 million head, based on the USDA’s Livestock Slaughter report released on November 21. This was up 1.13% year on year and by 11.10% month on month.

Cattle slaughter for the first ten months of 2024 totaled 26.72 million head, down by 2.88% from the corresponding period in 2023 and below the three-year average by 5.01%, or 1.41 million head, for the respective period.

Commercial cattle weights for October were at an average of 1,418 lbs, a record high in live cattle weights since the introduction of the report in 1964.

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