Higher hog inventory in Indiana

Indiana producers had a total inventory of 3.60 million hogs and pigs on March 1, 2010, up 1% from a year earlier.

Market hogs, at 3.31 million heads were 1% above last year. Breeding inventory, at 290,000 heads, was up 7% from last year. Sows farrowed totalled 140,000 during the December 2009 - February 2010 quarter, unchanged from the same period a year earlier.

Pig crop, at 1.32 million heads, increased 1% from last year with a litter rate averaging 9.40, up 1% from the same period in 2009. Indiana producers intend to farrow 140,000 sows during the March - May 2010 period, and 150,000 sows during the June - August 2010 period.

If realised, farrowings during the March-May 2010 period would be up 5,000 (4%) and farrowings during the June-August period would be up 15,000 (11%) from 2009.

US inventory of all hogs and pigs on March 1, 2010 was 64.0 million heads. This was down 3% from March 1, 2009 and down 2% from December 1, 2009. Breeding inventory, at 5.76 million heads, was down 4% from last year and down 2% from the previous quarter. Market hog inventory, at 58.2 million heads, was down 3% from last year and down 2% from last quarter. The December 2009-February 2010 pig crop, at 27.9 million heads, was down 2% from 2009 and down 2% from 2008.

Sows farrowing during this period totaled 2.90 million heads, down 4% from 2009 and down 6% from 2008. The 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.

US hog producers intend to have 2.90 million sows farrow during the March-May 2010 quarter, down 4% from the actual farrowings during the same period in 2009 and down 5% from 2008. Intended farrowings for June-August 2010, at 2.89 million sows, are down 2% from 2009 and down 6% from 2008.