REYNOLDSBURG, Ohio — Ohio hog producers had 1.83 million hogs on hand March 1, up 1 percent from last quarter and up 7 percent from a year ago.
Market hogs
The number of market hogs, at 1,660,000 head, was up 1 percent from last quarter and up 7 percent from last year. Breeding stock, at 170,000 head, was up 3 percent from last quarter and from last year.
The pig crop during the December-February 2008, quarter numbered 801,000 head, 4 percent above last year and 1 percent above last quarter. The number of sows farrowed during the December-February 2008, quarter, at 88,000, was 4,000 head above last year and from last quarter.
Pigs saved per litter averaged 9.1, down 3 percent from last quarter and down 1 percent from last year. Ohio producers intend to farrow 84,000 sows during the March-May 2008 quarter, 1,000 head above a year earlier.
Farrowing intentions for the summer quarter, June-August 2008, is 85,000 sows, 1,000 head below the same quarter of 2007.
National inventory
U.S. inventory of all hogs and pigs March 1 was 65.9 million head. This was up 7 percent from March 1, 2007, but down 2 percent from Dec. 1, 2007.
Breeding inventory, at 6.14 million head, was up less than 1 percent from last year, but down slightly from the previous quarter. Market hog inventory, at 59.8 million head, was up 7 percent from last year, but down 2 percent from last quarter.
The December 2007-February 2008 pig crop, at 28.1 million head, was up 6 percent from 2007, and up 9 percent from 2006. Sows farrowing during this period totaled 3.05 million head, up 5 percent from 2007, and up 7 percent from 2006.
The sows farrowed during this quarter represented 50 percent of the breeding herd.
The average pigs saved per litter was 9.21 for the December 2007-February 2008 period, compared to 9.09 last year. Pigs saved per litter by size of operation ranged from 7.5 for operations with one to 99 hogs and pigs, to 9.3 for operations with more than 5,000 hogs and pigs.
Farrowings
U.S. hog producers intend to have 3.05 million sows farrow during the March-May 2008, quarter, up slightly from the actual farrowings during the same period in 2007, and up 4 percent from 2006.
Intended farrowings for June-August 2008, at 3.04 million sows, are down 2 percent from 2007, but up 4 percent from 2006.
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 39 percent last year.
