April 2, 2007

US swine count climbs 1 percent
 

Data from the US Department of Agriculture show that inventory of all hogs and pigs as of March 1 was 61.1 million head, up 1 percent from a year earlier, but down 2 percent from December 1, 2006.

Breeding inventory at 6.08 million head, was up 1 percent from last year, but down slightly from the previous quarter. Market hog inventory, at 55.0 million head, was up 1 percent from last year, but down 2 percent from last quarter.

The number of heads in December 2006-February 2007 is pegged at 26.1 million, up 2 percent from 2006 and up 3 percent from 2005. Sows farrowing during this period totalled 2.87 million head, up 1 percent from both 2006 and 2005. The sows farrowed during this quarter represented 47 percent of the breeding herd. The average pigs saved per litter was 9.08 for the December 2006-February 2007 period, compared to 9.03 last year. Pigs saved per litter by size of operation ranged from 7.60 for operations with 1-99 hogs and pigs to 9.20 for operations with more than 5,000 hogs and pigs.

US hog producers intend to have 2.91 million sows farrow during the March-May 2007 quarter, down slightly from the actual farrowings, but up 1 percent from 2005. Intended farrowings for June-August 2007, at 2.92 million sows, are virtually unchanged from both 2006 and 2005.

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