US finished pig numbers are up 38 per cent.

Standing at 6.16 million head, the number of breeding pigs was up one percent from last year, and up slightly from the previous quarter. The market hogs inventory calculated 59.0 million head, and was up five per cent from last year, but down one per cent from the last quarter.

The September-November 2007 pig crop, at 28.0 million head, was up four per cent from 2006 and up seven per cent from 2005. Sows farrowing during this period totaled 3.03 million head, a rise of three percent from 2006 and up four per cent from 2005.

The sows farrowed during this quarter represented 49 per cent of the breeding herd. The average pigs reared per litter was 9.24 for the September-November 2007 period, compared to 9.11 last year. Pigs reared per litter by size of operation ranged from 7.40 for operations with 1-99 hogs and 9.30 pigs per litter for operations with more than 5,000 hogs and pigs.

US pig producers intend to have 2.98 million sows farrow during the December 2007-February 2008 quarter. This shows an increase of two per cent from the actual farrowings during the same period in 2007, and up five percent from 2006.
Intended farrowings for March-May 2008, are at 3.04 million sows, again up slightly from 2007 and up four percent from 2006.

The total number of finished pigs raised under contract on owned operations with over 5,000 head, accounted for 39 percent of the total US hog inventory, that number has increased from 38 percent last year.

Further Reading

To view the USDA Quarterly Pigs and Hogs Report: December 2007 click here.