Ohio hog inventory up 6 percent, U.S. hog inventory down 2 percent

REYNOLDSBURG, Ohio — Ohio hog producers had 2.04 million hogs on hand Sept. 1, up 2 percent from last quarter and up 6 percent from a year ago.

The number of market hogs, at 1.88 million head, was up 3 percent from last quarter and up 7 percent from last year.

Breeding stock, at 160,000 head, was down 6 percent from last quarter and down 3 percent from last year.

The pig crop during the June-August 2009 quarter numbered 826,000 head, 1 percent above last quarter but 2 percent below last year.

The number of sows farrowed during the June-August 2009 quarter, at 86,000, was 3,000 head below last year and unchanged from last quarter.

Pigs saved per litter averaged 9.6, 1 percent above last quarter and last year.

Ohio producers intend to farrow 84,000 sows during the September-November 2009 quarter; 5,000 head below a year earlier.

Farrowing intentions for the winter quarter, December 2009-February 2010, is 84,000 sows, 4,000 head below the same quarter of 2009.

U.S. inventory

U.S. inventory of all hogs and pigs on Sept. 1 was 66.6 million head. This was down 2 percent from Sept. 1, 2008, but up 1 percent from June 1, 2009.

Breeding inventory, at 5.87 million head, was down 3 percent from last year and down 2 percent from the previous quarter.

Market hog inventory, at 60.8 million head, was down 2 percent from last year but up 1 percent from last quarter.

The June-August 2009 pig crop, at 28.8 million head, was down 2 percent from 2008 and down 1 percent from 2007.

Sows farrowing during this period totaled 2.97 million head, down 4 percent from 2008 and down 5 percent from 2007.

The sows farrowed during this quarter represented 50 percent of the breeding herd.

The average pigs saved per litter was a record high 9.70 for the June-August 2009 period, compared to 9.51 last year.

Pigs saved per litter by size of operation ranged from 7.40 for operations with 1-99 hogs and pigs to 9.80 for operations with more than 5,000 hogs and pigs.

U.S. hog producers intend to have 2.94 million sows farrow during the September-November 2009 quarter, down 3 percent from the actual farrowings during the same period in 2008, and down 8 percent from 2007.

Intended farrowings for December 2009-February 2010, at 2.93 million sows, are down 3 percent from 2009 and down 5 percent from 2008.

The total number of hogs under contract owned by operations with more than 5,000 head, but raised by contractees, accounted for 46 percent of the total U.S. hog inventory, up from 43 percent last year.