June Ohio hog inventory up 9 percent

REYNOLDSBURG, Ohio – Ohio hog producers had 1.6 million hogs on hand June 1, 2005, up 9 percent from last year and 5 percent from last quarter.
The number of market hogs, at 1,440,000 head, was up 10 percent from last year and 6 percent from last quarter. Breeding stock, at 160,000 head, rose 3 percent from last year and remained the same from last quarter.
Pig crop. The pig crop during the March-May 2005 quarter numbered 693,000 head, up 7 percent from last year, but down 1 percent from last quarter. The number of sows farrowed during the March-May 2005 quarter, at 77,000 head, was up 4,000 head from last year, but down 1,000 head from last quarter.
Pigs saved per litter averaged 9, up 1 percent for the same period last year and unchanged from last quarter. Ohio producers intend to farrow 80,000 sows during the June-August 2005 quarter, up 5,000 head from last year and up 1,000 head from last quarter.
Farrowing intentions for the fall quarter, September-November 2005, is 76,000 sows, down 1 percent from last year but up 3 percent for the same quarter of 2004.
Hog inventory up slightly. U.S. inventory of all hogs and pigs on June 1, 2005 was 60.8 million head. This was up slightly from June 1, 2004, and up 2 percent from March 1, 2005. Breeding inventory, at 5.98 million head, was up 1 percent from both June 1, 2004 and last quarter.
Market hog inventory, at 54.8 million head, was up slightly from last year, and up 2 percent from last quarter.
The March-May 2005 U.S. pig crop, at 25.9 million head, was up 1 percent from both 2004 and 2003. Sows farrowing during this period totaled 2.87 million head, unchanged from last year. The sows farrowed during this quarter represented 48 percent of the breeding herd.
Pigs saved. The average pigs saved per litter was 9.02 for the March-May 2005 period, compared to 8.93 last year. Pigs saved per litter by size of operation ranged from 7.50 for operations with 1-99 hogs to 9.10 for operations with more than 5,000 hogs and pigs.
U.S. hog producers intend to have 2.90 million sows farrow during the June-August 2005 quarter, virtually unchanged from the actual farrowings during the same period in 2004, but down one-half of one percent from 2003.
Intended farrowings for September-November 2005, at 2.88 million sows, are unchanged from the same period in 2004, but up 1 percent from 2003.
Under contract. The total number of hogs under contract, owned by operations with over 5,000 head, but raised by contractees, accounted for 40 percent of the total U.S. hog inventory, up from 38 percent last year.