John Reddington, President of USHSLA and Noel White, Senior Group Vice-President, Tyson Fresh Meats, gave presentations during the Hide Summit. Both focused on the current and future market trends in the North American beef and hide business.
The main topics and conclusions from the meeting were that in the future the US will deliver a lower supply of hides but with larger animals, steady demand, and stable pricing are anticipated at current levels. Also that the size of the animal and the drugs being given to increase animal size may be affecting hide quality with a higher incidence of growth lines, zebra lines and fat wrinkles.
The meeting was hosted and moderated by SRL CEO, Robert Moore and was attended by 30 senior executives from top footwear and accessories companies including Coach, Wolverine Worldwide, Genesco and Rockport.
In addition, several members of the GST Autoleather Senior Executive team attended and members of the USHSLA board of directors including Tyson Foods, Cargill, and National Beef.
