U.S. inventory of all hogs and pigs on June 1 was 65.8 million head, up 1 percent from June 1, 2011, and up 1 percent from March 1, 2012, according to the latest U.S. Department of Agriculture report.
Breeding inventory, at 5.86 million head, was up 1 percent from 2011 numbers, and up 1 percent from the December–February quarter. Market hog inventory, at 60 million head, was up 1 percent from 2011 and up 1 percent from the December–February period.
The March–May 2012 pig crop, at 29.4 million head, was up 1 percent from 2011. Sows farrowing during this period totaled 2.92 million head, up slightly from 2011. The sows farrowed during this quarter represented 50 percent of the breeding herd. The average pigs saved per litter was a record high 10.09 for the March–May period, compared to 10.03 in 2011. Pigs saved per litter by size of operation ranged from 7.5 for operations with 1-99 hogs and pigs to 10.2 for operations with more than 5,000 hogs and pigs, according to the USDA.
U.S. hog producers intend to have 2.9 million sows farrow during the June–August 2012 quarter, down 1 percent from the actual farrowings during the same period in 2011 and down 1 percent from 2010 numbers. Intended farrowings for September–November 2012, at 2.89 million sows, are down 1 percent from 2011, but up slightly from 2010.
The total number of hogs under contract owned by operations with over 5,000 head, but raised by contractees, accounted for 47 percent of the total U.S. hog inventory, up from 45 percent in 2011.
