US hog inventory down slightly in March

On March 1, US inventory of all hogs and pigs totalled 64 million heads, down 3% from March 1, 2009, and off 2% from December 1, 2009according to the USDA'S National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Down 4% from the last year is the breeding inventory, at 5.76 million heads. This total was down 2% from the previous quarter. Market hog inventory, at 58.2 million heads, was down 3% from last year and down 2% from the last quarter.

Totaling 27.9 million heads, the December 2009-February 2010 pig crop was down 2% from 2009 and down 2% from 2008. Sows farrowing during this period totalled 2.90 million heads, down 4% from 2009 and down 6% from 2008.

Sows farrowed during this quarter represented 50% 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.

During the March-May 2010 quarter, US hog producers intend to have 2.90 million sows farrow, which will be down 4% from the actual farrowings during the same period in 2009 and down 5% from 2008. The number for intended farrowings for June-August 2010, at 2.89 million sows, is down 2% from 2009 and down 6% from 2008.

Hogs under contract owned by operations with more 5,000 heads, but raised by contractees, accounted for 44% of the total US hog inventory, which was down from 45% last year.