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: June 2008 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, Click Here

USDA Quarterly Pigs and Hogs Report: June 2008

U.S. Hog Inventory up 6 Percent

U.S. inventory of all hogs and pigs on June 1, 2008 was 67.7 million head. This was up 6 percent from June 1, 2007, and up 1 percent from March 1, 2008.

Breeding inventory, at 6.07 million head, was down 1 percent from last year, and down 1 percent from the previous quarter. Market hog inventory, at 61.6 million head, was up 7 percent from last year, and up 1 percent from last quarter.

The March-May 2008 pig crop, at 29.0 million head, was up 4 percent from 2007 and up 9 percent from 2006. Sows farrowing during this period totaled 3.09 million head, up 2 percent from 2007 and up 6 percent from 2006. The sows farrowed during this quarter represented 51 percent of the breeding herd. The average pigs saved per litter was 9.38 for the March-May 2008 period, compared to 9.20 last year. Pigs saved per litter by size of operation ranged from 7.70 to 9.40.

U.S. Quarterly Hogs and Pigs Inventory: June 1

U.S. hog producers intend to have 3.07 million sows farrow during the June-August 2008 quarter, down 2 percent from the actual farrowings during the same period in 2007, but up 5 percent from 2006.

Intended farrowings for September-November 2008, at 3.05 million sows, are down 4 percent from 2007 but up 3 percent from 2006.

The total number of hogs under contract owned by operations with over 5,000 head, but raised by contractees, accounted for 41 percent of the total U.S. hog inventory, up from 39 percent last year.

Revisions

All inventory and pig crop estimates for June 2007 through March 2008 were reviewed using final pig crop, official slaughter, death loss, and updated import and export data. Based on the findings of this review, adjustments of slightly less than two percent were made to the December 2007 and March 2008 total inventory along with an adjustment of less than three percent to September-November 2007 pig crop.

Adjustments of less than one percent were made to June-August 2007 pig crop, December 2007- February 2008 pig crop, and September 2007 total inventory.

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What It All Means - Expert Commentary

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 June Hogs and Pigs inventory report came in more bearish than the average of the trade estimates, write Glenn Grimes and Ron Plain.

Dr Mike Brumm, Brumm Swine Consultancy Commentary: Dr Mike Brumm on latest Hogs and Pigs Report By now, readers of this commentary will have had time to review the market impacts of this report. In general, the large inventories of pigs in the kept for market category suggest pressure on hog prices into next spring as a minimum.

Steve Meyer, Paragon Economics, Inc Hogs & Pigs Report 'Disheartening' The report may not be devastating, but it is certainly disappointing, says Economist Steve Meyer.

Jim Long Pork Commentary: USDA Hogs and Pig Report Not Good News The USDA June 1st Hogs and Pigs Report was released last Friday. It was far from good news for hog producers, writes Jim Long.

Shane Ellis, Iowa State University June Hog and Pig Report Summary Inventories indicate a change of direction in swine production, writes Shane Ellis.

-->More to follow soon...

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In The News - What The Media Says

• Hogs and Pigs Report "Bearish" - CME
• USDA Hogs and Pigs Report a Surprise - Farm Futures
• CME: Productivity Status of US Herd - CME

More to follow soon...

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Graph Data from the Report

Reliability of June 1 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, June 2008 - USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service

June 2008