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Latest Hogs and Pigs shows record pig crop

A livestock economist partly attributes a new record pig crop to better disease control.

In its latest Quarterly Hogs and Pigs report, the USDA says pigs-per-litter averaged 11 from March to May, an increase of three percent.

On a conference call hosted by the National Pork Board, Scott Brown with the University of Missouri says producers continue to improve the health of their herds.

“When you look at Indiana, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, all with growth in excess of four-tenths of a pig relative to a year ago, it certainly suggests to me that some of the disease issues that we’ve seen have come in better control.”

He says that’s especially true with PRRS.

“But I think if we continue to see pigs per litter running at these kinds of growth rates going forward, it certainly spells a lot more hogs as we go through time.”

Brown was surprised by the breeding inventory. He says the lower numbers in Iowa and Nebraska were more than offset by increases in Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska, and South Dakota.