As of Dec. 1, there were 75.8 million hogs and pigs on United States farms, up 1% from December 2023, but down slightly from Sept. 1, 2024, according to the Quarterly Hogs and Pigs report published Dec. 23 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service.
Other key findings in the report were:
- Of the 75.8 million hogs and pigs, 69.8 million were market hogs, while 6 million were kept for breeding.
- Between September and November, 35.2 million pigs were weaned on U.S. farms, up 2% from the same period one year earlier.
- From September through November, U.S. hog and pig producers weaned an average of 11.92 pigs per litter.
- U.S. hog producers intend to have 2.93 million sows farrow between December 2024 and February 2025, and 2.95 million sows farrow between March and May.
- Iowa hog producers accounted for the largest inventory among the states, at 24.6 million head. Minnesota had the second largest inventory at 9.5 million head. North Carolina was third with 8.2 million head.
To obtain an accurate measurement of the U.S. swine industry, NASS surveyed 6,046 operators across the nation during the first half of December. The data collected were received online through NASS’s Respondent Portal, by mail, telephone and through face-to-face interviews.
The Quarterly Hogs and Pigs report and all other NASS reports are available online at www.nass.usda.gov.
