The latest USDA hogs and pigs inventory report, released March 30, showed hog numbers up from a year ago but lower than the previous quarterly report.
“As of March 1, there were 72.9 million hogs and pigs on U.S. farms, up slightly from March 2022 but down 2% from Dec. 1, 2022, according to the Quarterly Hogs and Pigs report published today,” the USDA release on the report said.
Over 6 million hogs were kept for breeding.
“Of the 72.9 million hogs and pigs, 66.7 million were market hogs, while 6.13 million were kept for breeding,” the USDA said.
The Livestock Marketing Information Center said the report’s hogs kept for breeding had been expected to be similar to the last report of 2022, which was just under 6.1 million head.
Sow slaughter has been a trend analysts are following. It seems to be running close to last year’s levels.
“Sow slaughter through mid-March is tracking slightly above the same period a year ago,” the LMIC said. “Year-to-date, weekly sow slaughter has totaled over 544,000 head, up 0.2% from the same period last year. On average, weekly sow slaughter has been just above 60,000 head per week to start 2023, marginally above 2022.”
In addition to sow numbers, the marketing center is also watching sow price trends.
“Sow prices (national negotiated 450-499 lbs. weighted average) have started to follow a similar pattern to last year, which had a peak value of $98.15 per hundredweight in mid-April,” the LMIC said. “Last year, prices reached a trough in late June in the $40 per cwt. area but had a second increase in prices that peaked in early August in the $80 per cwt. range. At the start of 2023, sow prices hovered in the low $40 per cwt. range and by late March had reached into the $60 per cwt. area.”
The March USDA inventory report also looked at producers’ intentions in the coming months.
“U.S. hog producers intend to have 2.93 million sows farrow between March and May 2023, and 2.97 million sows farrow between June and August 2023,” the USDA said.
The pigs weaned numbers were up a little from the same time in the previous year.
“Between December 2022 and February 2023, 32.1 million pigs were weaned on U.S. farms, up slightly from the same time period one year earlier,” the USDA said.
