Iowa farms had 19.2 million hogs and pigs as of June 1, the state’s lowest hog inventory since March 2011, according to the Iowa Pork Producers Association. The June 1 inventory was down three per cent from March 2014 and down four per cent from a year ago.

Across the nation as of June 1, the hog and pig inventory was 62.1 million head, the lowest level since 2007.

Iowa’s March-May quarterly pig crop was 4.98 million head, USDA said. A total of 470,000 sows farrowed during this quarter, down five per cent from the previous quarter. The average pigs saved per litter was 10.60 for the March-May quarter, rebounding from 9.90 the previous quarter.

As of 1 June, Iowa pig farmers planned to farrow 495,000 head of sows and gilts in the June-August 2014 quarter. Farrowing intentions for the September-November 2014 quarter are estimated at 485,000.

With 19.2 million head, Iowa had the largest inventory among the states. Minnesota and North Carolina had the second and third largest inventories, with 7.8 million and 7.7 million head, respectively.

While the national swine inventory has decreased since June 2013, growers in Texas, South Dakota and Michigan increased the number of hogs and pigs in their states.

Further Reading

You can view the USDA 'Hogs & Pigs' report by clicking here.