Hog numbers in US experience a gentle boost

Oct 02, 2023

There's some positive news from the farm front. The US has recorded a gentle boost in its hog and pig tally. According to the most recent findings by the USDA's NASS, as of September 1, there were about 74.3 million hogs and pigs on US farms. Interestingly, this number is a notch above last September's count and a 2% hike from June 2023.

Let's dive deeper. Of this total, 68.2 million are market-ready hogs and the rest, a solid 6.08 million, are breeding stock. Between June and August 2023, US farms welcomed a 34.2 million piglets, averaging 11.61 pigs in each litter.

Our hog producers are on the ball, 2.93 million sows are expected to fall from September to November and another 2.91 million between December and February 2024.

Which state boasts the most hogs? Iowa proudly tops the list with 24.4 million, trailed by Minnesota and North Carolina.

Source : wisconsinagconnection

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.