United States inventory of all hogs and pigs on March 1, 2011 was 64.0 million head. This was up 1 percent from March 1, 2010, but down 1 percent from December 1, 2010.
Breeding inventory, at 5.79 million head, was up slightly from last year, and up slightly from the previous quarter. Market hog inventory, at 58.2 million head, was up 1 percent from last year, but down 1 percent from last quarter.
The December 2010-February 2011 pig crop, at 28.0 million head, was up 1 percent from 2010 but down 2 percent from 2009. Sows farrowing during this period totaled 2.86 million head, down 1 percent from 2010 and down 5 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 9.80 for the December 2010-February 2011 period, compared to 9.61 last year. Pigs saved per litter by size of operation ranged from 7.50 for operations with 1-99 hogs and pigs to 9.90 for operations with more than 5,000 hogs and pigs.
United States hog producers intend to have 2.85 million sows farrow during the March-May 2011 quarter, down 3 percent from the actual farrowings during the same period in 2010, and down 5 percent from 2009. Intended farrowings for June-August 2011, at 2.87 million sows, are down 3 percent from 2010 and down 3 percent from 2009.
The total number of hogs under contract owned by operations with over 5,000 head, but raised by contractees, accounted for 46 percent of the total United States hog inventory, up from 44 percent last year.
Follow this link to full report. http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/current/HogsPigs/HogsPigs-03-25-2011.pdf
