U.S. hog contraction still ahead

Oct 11, 2023

The USDA Quarterly Hogs and Pigs report was released by the National Agricultural Statistics Service on September 28, 2023. Overall, estimates were higher than expected for all categories, except for farrowings. Inventory of all U.S. hogs and pigs on September 1, 2023 was estimated at 74.3 million head, up 0.3% or 194,000 head from September 1, 2022, and up 2% from June 1, 2022.

"The driver behind the higher inventories is productivity," explains Ann Boyda, provincial livestock market analyst with the Alberta government. "Pigs per litter were an average of 11.61 which is up from 11.13 for September 1, 2022. The higher pigs per litter offset the decline in breeding stock.

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Video: 2026 T.K. Cheung Lecture in Animal Science - Dan Weary

T.K. Cheung Lecture in Animal Science: "Using science to assess and improve the welfare of dairy cattle"

Dan Weary is a Professor at the University of British Columbia. Dan did his BSc and MSc at McGill and Doctorate at Oxford before co-founding UBC’s Animal Welfare Program where he now co-directs this active research group. His research focuses on understanding the perspectives of animals and applying these insights to develop methods of assessing animal welfare and improving the lives of animals. His work has helped drive changes in practices (including the adoption of higher milk rations for calves and pain management for disbudding) and housing methods (including the adoption of social housing for pre-weaned calves). He also studies cow comfort and lameness, social interactions among cows, and interactions between cows, human handlers and technologies like automated millking systems that are increasingly used on farms. His presentation will outline key questions in cattle welfare, highlight recent UBC research addressing them, and showcase innovative methods for improving the lives of cattle and their caretakers.