Cow and heifer slaughter still strong but declining.

While beef cow slaughter is down thus far...down 12.0% year over year in the first six months of the year...the current pace suggests a herd culling rate over 12% for the year. The beef replacement heifer number in the upcoming report will be of keen interest and is likely to show a still smaller number compared to last year but could show a slight increase year over year if heifer retention has begun. [Extracted from the article]