Highlights of the latest U.S. swine census report released by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) on December 23:
- As of December 1, there were 73.1 million pigs on U.S. farms, down 2% from December 2021 and down 1% from last September.
- Of the 73.1 million pigs, 67.0 million were market pigs, while the remaining 6.15 million were breeding pigs, the number of which is 0.5% higher compared to December 2021 (6.13 million) and very similar to the September 2022 total.
- Between September and November 2022, 33.7 million piglets were weaned, 1% less than in the same period of the previous year. An average of 11.22 piglets were weaned per litter.
- U.S. hog producers intend to have approximately 2.95 million sows farrowing between December 2022 and February 2023, and 2.98 million between March and May.
- Iowa accounted for the largest census with 23.6 million head. Minnesota consolidated the second largest inventory with 8.6 million while North Carolina was third with 8.2 million.
333 Staff with information from USDA - NASS Quarterly Hogs and Pigs (December 2022).