Commentary: September 2007 USDA Hogs and Pigs Report

US - Dr Mike Brumm, Extension Swine Specialist, University of Nebraska comments on the latest USDA Hogs and Pigs report.
calendar icon 3 October 2007
clock icon 3 minute read

With continued profits, albeit at a lower level than many would desire, the US pork industry continues its slow, steady expansion. However, the expansion is not occurring in all states equally.

Table 1: Ranking of all states with all hogs and pigs inventories greater than 1 million head, September 1, 2007.

In Nebraska, the recent growth has been in the share of the US kept for market inventory that is remaining in the state for growth to slaughter. While Nebraska still sends quite a few of the pigs farrowed in the state to Iowa and Minnesota for growth to slaughter, this September 1 report showed 440,000 more pigs kept for market than the recent low point on March 1, 2005. On September 1, Nebraskans had 5.94 per cent of the US breeding herd and 4.85% of the kept for market inventory.

In Illinois, the trend is the other way. While the breeding herd has shown cautious growth, the percentage of the US inventory fed Illinois grain to slaughter continues to decline. Long thought of as state that grew a large number of pigs to slaughter weight, Illinois is rapidly becoming a state that transports weaned pigs to other states for growth to slaughter. Illinois has 7.32 per cent of the breeding herd and 6.07 per cent of the kept for market inventory. This difference in inventory percentages between the categories versus the Nebraska differences suggests that Illinois now exports more weaned pigs than Nebraska, a historic weaned pig export state.

Primary destination
Iowa and Minnesota remain the primary destination states for weaned and feeder pigs, both from other states in the US and Canada. Iowa has 28.6 per cent of the kept for market inventory versus 17.4 per cent of the breeding herd. Minnesota has 10.92 per cent of the kept for market inventory and 9.93 per cent of the breeding herd. Iowa remains the dominant destination for Canadian feeder pigs.

There have been many reports in the popular press regarding the ravages of PCVAD in North Carolina finishing facilities this past year. The uptick in the kept for market category for North Carolina is most likely due to the successful use of PCVAD vaccines. Because the size of the industry is fixed due to a state wide moratorium on facilities, a sudden change in the kept for market inventory is not due to new facilities and suggests the successful and widespread adoption of this technology.

Further Reading

- To view the full article and graphics, please click here. (PDF 12 pages)
- To read the September 2007 Quarterly Pigs and Hogs report, please click here.
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