Hog Inventories Up in the Latest Quarter

On June 1, 2020, there were 9.60 million hogs and pigs on Minnesota farms, according to the latest USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service – Hogs and Pigs report. 

Inventory is up 3% from the previous quarter and up 9% from the previous year and is an all-time record high inventory. 

The March-May 2020 quarterly pig crop was 3.51 million head, down 1% from the previous quarter but up 14,000 head from last year. 

A total of 300,000 sows farrowed during this quarter. 

The average pigs saved per litter was 11.70 for the quarter. 

As of June 1, producers planned to farrow 280,000 sows and gilts in the June-August 2020 quarter and 265,000 head during the September-November 2020 quarter. 

United States inventory of all hogs and pigs on June 1, 2020 was 79.6 million head. 

This was up 5% from June 1, 2019, and up 3% from March 1, 2020. 

Breeding inventory, at 6.33 million head, was down 1% from last year, and down 1% from the previous quarter. 

Market hog inventory, at 73.3 million head, was up 6% from last year, and up 3% from last quarter. 

The March-May 2020 pig crop, at 34.9 million head, was up 1% from 2019. 

Sows farrowing during this period totaled 3.17 million head, up 1% from 2019. 

The sows farrowed during this quarter represented 50% of the breeding herd. 

The average pigs saved per litter was a record high of 11.01 for the March-May period, compared to 11.00 last year. 

United States hog producers intend to have 3.12 million sows farrow during the June-August 2020 quarter, down 5% from the actual farrowings during the same period one year earlier, and down 2% from the same period two years earlier. 

Intended farrowings for September-November 2020, at 3.09 million sows, are down 5% from the same period one year earlier, and down 4% from the same period two years earlier. 

The total number of hogs under contract owned by operations with over 5,000 head, but raised by contractees, accounted for 49% of the total United States hog inventory, up 2% from the previous year. 

Revisions

All inventory and pig crop estimates for June 2019 through March 2020 were reviewed using final pig crop, official slaughter, death loss, and updated import and export data. 

The net revision made to the December 2019 all hogs and pigs inventory was 2.2%. 

A net revision of 3.1% was made to the September-November 2019 pig crop.