October 2, 2008
US state Pennsylvania's swine inventory falls by 50,000 head
As of September 1, 2008, Pennsylvania's hog and pig inventory totalled 1.14 million, down 50,000 head from the previous year and the revised June 1 inventory of 1.19 million, according to the Pennsylvania Field Office of USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).
Market hog inventory fell 40,000 head from June to 1.05 million head, and down 35,000 head from September 2007. Breeding herd inventory at 85,000 head remained level from a year ago, but was down 10,000 head from June.
The June-August 2008 pig crop totalled 365,000 head, down 21 percent on-year. During the quarter, 38,000 sows were farrowed, down 10,000 head on-year and representing 44.7 percent of the breeding herd. Average litter rate was 9.6 pigs saved litter, up from 9.45 in the previous quarter.
Pennsylvania's hog farmers intend to farrow 37,000 sows during the September-November 2008 quarter, down 14,000 in the same period last year. They also intend to farrow 6,000 less sows on-year in the December-February quarter, with the target at 37,000 sows.
