January 26

Leather and Hide Weekly

The new year is off to a busy and exciting start, as LHCA recently launched its 2021 International Student Design Competition, which builds on the success of 2020 contests in mainland China, Taiwan, Italy and the United Kingdom. This year's competition will engage students in additional countries and offers exceptional professional development opportunities for aspiring designers. Also, LHCA joined a diverse coalition of food and agriculture associations in calling for the swift Senate confirmation of Tom Vilsack to serve as secretary of agriculture. More on these and other topics below.

 

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Weekly Hides and Skins Stats 

  • Net sales of cured cattle hides reported for the period ending January 14, 2021, were 367,900 pieces and net sales of wet blues were 198,000 pieces. Reported shipments of cured hides were 396,200 and of wet blues were 134,000. China was the largest buyer of cured hides and wet blues. See more. For historical data, click here. 
  • U.S. Cattle Slaughter was 657,000 last week, up 0.9% from the previous week. Total cattle slaughter in 2021 is 2,028,000 head, down 9.8% from the same period in 2020. See more.
  • USDA AMS Major Packer Hide Price Report provided prices for six types of U.S. hides at seven price points with a spread of $12.50 for branded southwest cows to $37.75 for butt branded steers.  See more.

Industry Updates

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  • LHCA launched its 2021 Real Leather. Stay Different. International Student Design Competition, following the success of contests in Italy, mainland China, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom. This year's competition is truly international in scope, and is coordinated by ArtsThread in partnership with Rollacoaster Magazine. Students participating in this year's competition will be asked to design a product that is composed of 50% or more leather in the categories of apparel, accessories or footwear. The competition winner's design will be professionally made and featured in Rollacoaster Magazine AW21 and promoted in Wonderland. Learn more here about this exciting competition. 
  • APLF is hosting a virtual meeting through February 4, 2021, to convene exhibitors and buyers in the Greater China, India and Africa/Middle East regions. LHCA Vice President for China/Asia Jane Li and Associate Director of International Programs Michael Schumpp will provide updates on the U.S. leather industry and will discuss LHCA's activities in several webinars across the multi-week program. As a reminder, this virtual APLF event does not replace the annual trade show, which will take place July 5-7, 2021, in Hong Kong. To register to attend the virtual event, click here. Webinar registration is available here.   

Latest Updates from Real Leather. Stay Different.

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In his latest blog post for Real Leather. Stay Different., renowned stylist Mike Adler introduces readers to David Mateus, who taught himself how to work with, and develop, stunning leather products during the COVID-19 lockdown. David's skilled craftsmanship and intricate designs, which, unsurprisingly, drew well-deserved attention and praise, led him to launch his own brand, Madstuffs.co.uk. Ready to be inspired? Check out some of David's first leather creations here. Get the latest news from Real Leather. Stay Different. here. And, don't forget to:

 

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Other News

  • LHCA joined nearly 130 leading U.S. food and agriculture organizations in calling for the swift confirmation of Tom Vilsack to serve as secretary of agriculture in the Biden Administration. In a letter sent to the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, the signatories cite Vilsack's vision for meeting the substantial current challenges facing food and agriculture and reference his previous outstanding eight-year service in the same post during the Obama Administration. Vilsack's nomination requires approval by the U.S. Senate. Read the letter here. 

Monthly Data

  • The Monthly Livestock Slaughter Report is now available. December 2020 cattle slaughter totaled 2.78 million head, up 1 percent from December 2019. Get a summary of the data here. 
  • Cattle and calves on feed for the slaughter market as of January 1, 2021, totaled 12 million head. The inventory was slightly above January 1, 2020. Read the report here.

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Leather News

Each week, we will share relevant leather news below. Some of the articles may cover our products, and the industry, unfavorably, but we still believe it is important to share the different ways in which leather is presented in the media. If you find articles that you would like to see included, please send them to mschumpp@meatinstitute.org.