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: Causal Impact Of PRRS Dosing - Dr. Edison Magalhaes

In this episode of The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Edison Magalhaes from Iowa State University presents findings from a large-scale retrospective cohort study evaluating the causal impact of full-dose PRRS immunization on nursery mortality. Using production data and advanced analytical methods, he explains how confounding factors changed the interpretation of results and highlights practical lessons for veterinarians and producers making data-driven decisions. Listen now on all major platforms!

Click here to read the full research article: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles...

"Raw production data can mislead immunization decisions when confounding factors hide the real value of full-dose PRRS protocols."

Meet the guest: Dr. Edison Magalhaes / edison-magalhaes-9b37b812a is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Animal Science at Iowa State University and holds degrees in Veterinary Medicine, Business Administration, and advanced training through MSc and PhD programs. His research applies data science and epidemiological methods to large scale swine production systems, helping transform production records into practical decisions for health and performance. Listen to The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast featuring Dr. Edison Magalhaes on all major platforms.