Posted March 31, 2015

USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service issued its first quarter Hogs and Pigs Report March 27 and it shows Iowa’s inventory at 20.4 million head as of March 1.

The March 1 inventory was down 2 percent from the Dec. 1, 2014, total of 20.9 million head, but up 5 percent from last March’s 19.5 million head.

The Dec. 2014-Feb. 2015 quarterly pig crop was 5.35 million head, up 3 percent from the previous quarter and 13 percent above last year. A total of 500,000 sows farrowed during this quarter. The average pigs saved per litter was 10.70 for the December- February quarter, matching the record pigs saved per litter from the previous two quarters.

As of March 1, Iowa producers planned to farrow 490,000 head of sows and gilts in the March-May quarter and 510,000 head during the June-August quarter.

The United States swine herd on March 1, 2015, was 65.9 million head, down slightly from Dec. 1, 2014, but 7 percent more from the same date a year ago.

Breeding inventory, at 5.98 million head, was up 2 percent from last year, and up 1 percent from the previous quarter.

Market hog inventory, at 60.0 million head, was up 8 percent from last year, but down slightly from last quarter.
The December 2014-February 2015 pig crop, at 28.8 million head, was up 9 percent from 2014. Sows farrowing during this period totaled 2.83 million head, up 2 percent from 2014. The sows farrowed during this quarter represented 48 percent of the breeding herd. The average pigs saved per litter was a record high 10.17 for the December-February period, compared to 9.53 last year.

U.S. hog producers intend to have 2.87 million sows farrow during the March-May 2015 quarter, up 2 percent from the actual farrowings during the same period in 2014, and up 2 percent from 2013. Intended farrowings for June-August 2015, at 2.93 million sows, are down 2 percent from 2014, but up 1 percent from 2013.