Inventory of pigs and hogs in U.S.A. up by 2 %

Dec 29, 2014

66.1 million hogs and pigs as of Dec. 1

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) surveyed over 10,000 swine operators across the country; the research revealed the country’s pork inventory is on the rise.

In December 2013 the pork and hog inventory hovered between 61 and 62 million. 2014’s numbers show the numbers have increased to just over the 66 million mark.

Among the findings were:

Of the 66.1 million hogs and pigs accounted for, 60.1 (90%) were market hogs, leaving the other 10% (5.97 million hogs) for breeding.
From September to November 2014, 29.4 million pigs were weaned at U.S. farms. Up 4% from about 28.2 million counted at the same time in 2013.
Hog producers estimate they can have 2.87 million sows farrow between December 2014 and February 2015, and 2.90 million between March and May 2015.
With their 20.9 million hogs, Iowa produced the most inventory in the United States. North Carolina and Minnesota rounded out the top three states with the largest inventories.

Current information shows pork exports to be over $4.7 billion. The top three countries importing U.S. pork are Mexico, Japan, and Canada.

When it comes to countries importing pork into the U.S. markets, Canada, Denmark, and Poland make up the top three.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.