Do Feedlot Cattle Hides Make Inferior Leather?

[bruce johnson]

Terry,

I worked labor in a hog slaughter plant for several years going through college, but never worked a cow kill. Two of my uncles were/are cattle buyers and my dad was a hog buyer. Yep, it is a pretty fast process. One uncle buys for IBP and he said they do some hide processing themselves. I don't know how far they carry it or where their hides go from there. Out here one of our clients had a hide business. They sourced hides from small to medium packing plants and rendering plants. They had a warehouse of salted hides that were palleted. I think most were packed into containers and went to Asian tanneries. I never really dealt with anyone on that side of their business to find out how it all worked.

My brother graded/sorted carcasses in a beef plant. At that time, some went to the high end restaurant trade, some to other markets, and then the normal boxed beef channels. At least in the hog plant when I was working by-products were a big deal and the make or break deal. They used to say the glands out of the hogs paid for the kill floor labor and the by-products paid the operating labor costs. They harvested the replacement heart valves there sometimes too. What I mostly know about the hide sales comes from the hide report in ShopTalk. There are categories and classifications of hide grades but I don't know who does it and where in the process. If weight is part of the criteria you'd think it is done at the plants. WC has ties to the Canadian plant. HO used to say they get eastern hides because they have less brands and insect problems. I don't know which plants they get them from or whether they go through brokers to get what they want.

[DoubleAdobe]

Interesting subject. I have been in and around the cow business most of my life and have a few observations.

I worked as a Livestock Officer, otherwise known as a brand inspector for many years here in Arizona. It was state law and still

is for range livestock to be branded with a fire brand. Occasionally, there was some push back from the slaughter industry trying to

convince the ranchers that they would receive more money for their cattle if they wouldn't mar the cattle with brands. Trust me when

I tell you that the price received on the hoof is not appreciably more for cattle that are not branded. In theory it should work, but in the

West, every one has to brand, with the exception of calves still on their mothers, unweaned, and certain exemptions for dairy cattle

that aren't turned out to graze.

Anyway, this "you guys are killing my profit margin" deal that was coming from the slaughter industry was a pain in the neck to us..

From my knowledge of the cattle industry, the amount that the average hide brings, of a slaughter steer, mature cow, or even bull is a

pretty negliglble amount when penciled out.

I can't recall the exact amounts, but in the early 90's, there was a place in Phoenix, not a half mile south of the capitlol building, that

processed hides from all over the state, and if IIRC California as well. SouthWest Hide or something, may well be in business but I doubt it.Dirty, noisy, filthy and hot. I went and watched some of there process there for a while one morning. They evidently didn't do the tanning there but prepared the hides for the tanning process and bought hides from all over, ran them through some kind of process then put them on pallets and sent them somewhere.

[bruce johnson]

When Shoptalk was running the hide price deal routinely the hides were bringing $50-60 and brands were discounted some, but it wasn't a huge amount. It sure wasn't enough to discourage branding. Southwest Hide was part of the place I did some vet work for 20 some years ago although I never dealt with the owners. They had a hide warehouse in Ripon CA and the palletized salted hides were loaded into containers. We are pretty close to the ports here and I am sure they went to Asian tanneries. The warehouse is something else now and I am not sure if they are still in the hide business somewhere else or not.

[Ken Nelson]

When Shoptalk was running the hide price deal routinely the hides were bringing $50-60 and brands were discounted some, but it wasn't a huge amount. It sure wasn't enough to discourage branding. Southwest Hide was part of the place I did some vet work for 20 some years ago although I never dealt with the owners. They had a hide warehouse in Ripon CA and the palletized salted hides were loaded into containers. We are pretty close to the ports here and I am sure they went to Asian tanneries. The warehouse is something else now and I am not sure if they are still in the hide business somewhere else or not.

Where I grew up, on the northern plains, the older men used to tell me that cattle had to be mature to make good leather. I remember when most of the cattle in the Nebraska Sandhills, South of I-90 in South Dakota and a lot of Eastern Wyoming went to the feedlot as long yearling cattle. I even remember when a few outfits run big steers (long two year olds). Cattle were fed longer, most of them were of strong hereford influence. There were no implants and few or no chemicals fed to these cattle. I also suspect the tanning process was different then.

A lot of people ate their own grass fat cattle back then. They were often close to 3 years old and BIG. Hides brought $2.50. Maybe fed a little grain for a month or two. I doubt most consumers would eat it today. In fact, I bought a quarter of beef a couple of years ago like that, I loved it but most of my guests thought it was less than good.

I get disquested with fat wrinkles in leather these days and the fact they run off more than they used to. I also get some really good hides. I think most of our suppliers do a good job with what they have to work with. I guess most things change over time and we will adjust or just Quit. A few thoughts, Ken

[catskin]

Having tanned a few cow hides myself I think Ken hit this one dead on. And the others are all pretty close. I strongly believe that once the hair is off, the hides with the fewest imperfections on the suface get sorted into the garment and upholstery line. So the saddlery and other types get the next level down.