USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service says the number of hogs and pigs on farms across America on June 1 was the highest ever for that date.

The quarterly Hogs and Pigs Report released yesterday shows the U.S. inventory of all hogs and pigs on June 1 was 71.7 million head, up 1 percent from March 1 and 3 percent more than June 1, 2016. This is the highest June 1 inventory of all hogs and pigs since estimates began in 1964.

Breeding inventory, at 6.07 million head, was up 2 percent from last year, and up slightly from the previous quarter.

Market hog inventory, at 65.6 million head, was up 1 percent from last quarter and 4 percent from last year. This is the highest June 1 market hog inventory since estimates began.

The March-May 2017 pig crop, at 32.3 million head, was up 4 percent from 2016. This is the second largest March-May pig crop since estimates began in 1970. Sows farrowed during this period totaled 3.06 million head, up 3 percent from 2016. The sows farrowed during this quarter represented 50 percent of the breeding herd. The average pigs saved per litter was a record high 10.55 for the March-May period, compared to 10.48 last year. Pigs saved per litter by size of operation ranged from 7.70 for operations with 1-99 hogs and pigs to 10.60 for operations with more than 5,000 hogs and pigs.

United States hog producers intend to have 3.06 million sows farrow during the June-August 2017 quarter, up slightly from the actual farrowings during the same period in 2016, and up 2 percent from 2015. Intended farrowings for September-November 2017, at 3.06 million sows, are up slightly from 2016, and up 4 percent from 2015.

The total number of hogs under contract owned by operations with over 5,000 head, but raised by contractees, accounted for 48 percent of the total United States hog inventory, up from 47 percent the previous year.

In Iowa, farmers had a total inventory of 22.2 million hogs and pigs as of June 1, up 2 percent from the previous quarter and up 7 percent from the previous year.

The March-May 2017 quarterly pig crop was 5.91 million head, up 4 percent from the previous quarter and 8 percent above last year. A total of 540,000 sows farrowed during this quarter. The average pigs saved per litter was 10.95 for the quarter, up from 10.75 the previous quarter.

As of June 1, producers planned to farrow 540,000 sows and gilts in the June-August quarter and 540,000 head during the September-November quarter.

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