United States hog inventory up slightly

WASHINGTON, DC | As of Dec. 1, there were 75.0 million hogs and pigs on U.S. farms, up slightly from December 2022 and down slightly from Sept. 1, 2023, according to the Quarterly Hogs and Pigs report published today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).

Other key findings in the report were:

• Of the 75.0 million hogs and pigs, 69.0 million were market hogs, while 6.00 million were kept for breeding.

• Between September 2023 and November 2023, 34.6 million pigs were weaned on U.S. farms, down slightly from the same time period one year earlier.

• From September 2023 through November 2023, U.S. hog and pig producers weaned an average of 11.66 pigs per litter.

• U.S. hog producers intend to have 2.90 million sows farrow between December 2023 and February 2024, and 2.91 million sows farrow between March and May 2024.

• Iowa hog producers accounted for the largest inventory among the states at 24.9 million head. Minnesota had the second largest inventory at 9.10 million head. North Carolina was third with 7.80 million head.

To obtain an accurate measurement of the U.S. swine industry, NASS surveyed 6,341 operators across the nation during the first half of December. The data collected were received by electronic data recording, mail, telephone, and face-to-face interviews.

There will be a question-and-answer session during a live #StatChat on the @usda_nass X account today at 4 p.m. EST to answer questions about the Quarterly Hogs and Pigs report. To ask a question, make sure to include the #StatChat to any questions you may have. The #statchat happens every quarter after the Quarterly Hogs and Pigs Report is released.

The Quarterly Hogs and Pigs report and all other NASS reports are available online at www.nass.usda.gov.

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NASS is the federal statistical agency responsible for producing official data about U.S. agriculture and is committed to providing timely, accurate, and useful statistics in service to U.S. agriculture.

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