Introduction

This document aims to pull together, in one place of reference, all the various information generated by the USDA Quarterly report. This document includes:

• USDA Quarterly Report: March 2010
• What It All Means - Expert Commentary
• In the News - What the Media Says
• Graph Data from the Report
• Hog Inventories by State (external link - select State and navigate to file)

For a PRINTABLE VERSION of the full 23-page report in PDF format, including all the tabular data which is not shown in this article, please click Here

USDA Quarterly Pigs and Hogs Report: March 2010

US Hog Inventory Down Three Per Cent

US inventory of all hogs and pigs on 1 March 2010 was 64.0 million head. This was down three per cent from 1 March 2009 and down two per cent from 1 December 2009.

Breeding inventory, at 5.76 million head, was down four per cent from last year and down two per cent from the previous quarter. Market hog inventory, at 58.2 million head, was down three per cent from last year and down two per cent from last quarter.

The December 2009-February 2010 pig crop, at 27.9 million head, was down two per cent from 2009 and down 2 per cent from 2008. Sows farrowing during this period totalled 2.90 million head, down four per cent from 2009 and down six per cent from 2008. The sows farrowed during this quarter represented 50 per cent of the breeding herd. The average pigs saved per litter was a record high 9.61 for the December 2009-February 2010 period, compared to 9.48 last year. Pigs saved per litter by size of operation ranged from 7.40 for operations with 1 to 99 hogs and pigs to 9.70 for operations with more than 5,000 hogs and pigs.

US hog producers intend to have 2.90 million sows farrow during the March-May 2010 quarter, down four per cent from the actual farrowings during the same period in 2009 and down five per cent from 2008. Intended farrowings for June-August 2010, at 2.89 million sows, are down two per cent from 2009 and down six per cent from 2008.

The total number of hogs under contract owned by operations with over 5,000 head, but raised by contractees, accounted for 44 per cent of the total US hog inventory, down from 45 per cent last year.

Revisions

All inventory and pig crop estimates for March 2009 through December 2009 were reviewed using slaughter, death loss and current import and export data. Based on this review, adjustments of less than one half of one per cent were made to the June-August 2009 pig crop and September 2009 total inventory. An adjustment of less than one per cent was made to the December 2009 total inventory.

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What the commentators and industry thinkers read into this data:

Ron Plain and Glenn Grimes Grimes & Plain on the Hogs and Pigs Report USDA's March Hogs and Pigs report was more bullish than the pre-release trade forecasts, write Glenn Grimes and Ron Plain.

Steve Meyer, Paragon Economics, Inc Hogs & Pigs Report: Finally Some Good News Economist Steve Meyer writes, "After two years in which about any light at the end of the tunnel turned out to be an oncoming freight train, pork producers have every right to be encouraged by the USDA’s Quarterly Hogs and Pigs report issued last Friday."

Chris Hurt, Purdue University Pork Outlook Brightens Chris Hurt comments on the latest USDA Hogs and Pigs report

More to follow soon...

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In The News - What The Media Says

• Highlights of March Hogs and Pigs Report - CME
• Hogs and Pigs Report Seen as Positive for Smithfield - Meatingplace
• March Hogs and Pigs Report More Bullish - AgEBB
• Pork Prices Increase as Herd Numbers Decline - DesMoinesRegister.com

More to follow soon....

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Graph Data from the Report

Reliability of 1 March Hogs and Pigs Estimates

To review this information, including the Survey Procedures, Estimation Procedures, Revision Policy and Reliability, please download the PDF

Quarterly Hogs and Pigs Report, March 2010 - USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service

March 2010