USDA Released The Quarterly Hogs and Pigs Report.
United States Hog Inventory Down 2 Percent
United States inventory of all hogs and pigs on September 1, 2014 was 65.4 million head. This was down 2 percent from September 1, 2013, but up 6 percent from June 1, 2014.
Breeding inventory, at 5.92 million head, was up 2 percent from last year, and up 1 percent from the previous quarter.
Market hog inventory, at 59.4 million head, was down 3 percent from last year, but up 7 percent from last quarter.
The June-August 2014 pig crop, at 29.5 million head, was down 1 percent from 2013. Sows farrowing during this period totaled 2.91 million head, up1 percent from 2013. The sows farrowed during this quarter represented 50percent of the breeding herd. The average pigs saved per litter was 10.16 for the June-August period, compared to 10.33 last year. Pigs saved per litter bysize of operation ranged from 8.00 for operations with 1-99 hogs and pigs to10.20 for operations with more than 5,000 hogs and pigs.
United States hog producers intend to have 2.89 million sows farrow during the September-November 2014 quarter, up 4 percent from the actual farrowingsduring the same period in 2013, and up slightly from 2012. Intendedfarrowings for December-February 2015, at 2.87 million sows, are up 4 percent from 2014, and up 3 percent from 2013.
The total number of hogs under contract owned by operations with over 5,000 head, but raised by contractees, accounted for 46 percent of the total UnitedStates hog inventory, unchanged from last year.
Source: USDA