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Breeding inventory, at 5.78 million head, was down 1 percent from last year, but up slightly
from the previous quarter. Market hog inventory, at 58.5 million head, was down 1 percent from last year, and down 2 percent from last quarter.
The September-November 2010 pig crop, at 28.2 million head, was down slightly from 2009.
Sows farrowing during this period totaled 2.85 million head, down 2 percent from 2009. The sows farrowed during this quarter represented 49 percent of the breeding herd. The average pigs saved per litter was a record high 9.89 for the September-November 2010 period, compared to 9.70 last year. Pigs saved per litter by size of operation ranged from 7.70 for operations with 1-99 hogs and pigs to 10.00 for operations with more than 5,000 hogs and pigs.
United States hog producers intend to have 2.86 million sows farrow during the December
2010-February 2011 quarter, down 1 percent from the actual farrowings during the December
2009-February 2010 quarter, and down 5 percent from December 2008-February 2009 quarter.
Intended farrowings for March-May 2011, at 2.86 million sows, are down 2 percent from 2010 and down 5 percent from 2009.
The total number of hogs under contract owned by operations with over 5,000 head, but raised by contractees, accounted for 45 percent of the total United States hog inventory, up from 44 percent last year.
Revisions
All inventory and pig crop estimates for March 2009 through September 2010 were reviewed using slaughter, death loss and current import and export data. Based on this review, an adjustment of less than one half of one percent was made to the September 2010 total inventory. An adjustment of less than one percent was made to the June 2010 total inventory while an adjustment of less than 2 percent was made to the March-May 2010 pig crop.
http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/current/HogsPigs/HogsPigs-12-27-2010.pdf
