USDA Releases September 2024 Hogs and Pigs Report: Key Takeaways for the Swine Industry

Sep 30, 2024

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has published its latest Hogs and Pigs report for September 2024, providing critical data on inventory levels and key production trends in the swine industry. The following are the main highlights of the report:

Inventory Overview

The total inventory of hogs and pigs in the United States as of September 1, 2024, was 74.8 million head, reflecting a slight decrease of 1% compared to the same period last year.
The breeding inventory was reported at 6.13 million head, also down 1% from the previous year.
Market hog inventory reached 68.7 million head, down 1% from 2023.

Breeding and Farrowing Intentions

The report indicates that the number of sows farrowing during the June-August 2024 period totaled 2.92 million head, which was 2% below the same period a year earlier.
The number of pigs saved per litter was reported at an average of 11.3, relatively unchanged from the previous year.

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Video: Stress as a Nutrient Thief - Dr. Sarah Pearce

In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Sarah Pearce, Research Animal Physiologist with USDA ARS, explains why stress can act as a nutrient thief in pigs. She discusses gastrointestinal health, barrier integrity, inflammation, feed efficiency, stress interactions, and emerging biomarkers that may help predict performance challenges before they occur. Listen now on all major platforms!

Click here to read the full research article: https://academic.oup.com/af/article/1...

"Stress can steal calories and nutrients because energy normally used for growth is redirected toward immune activation, gut repair, and other costly survival responses."

Meet the guest: Dr. Sarah Pearce / sarah-pearce-phd-3a5881a5 earned her M.S. and Ph.D. in Nutritional Sciences from Iowa State University and currently serves as a Research Animal Physiologist with the USDA Agricultural Research Service. Her research focuses on gastrointestinal physiology, nutrition, stress biology, immune function, and productivity in pigs and poultry. Learn more from Dr. Sarah Pearce on the Swine Nutrition Black Belt Podcast, available on all major platforms.