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One-third nation’s hogs are in Iowa
U.S. hog producers weaned an average 11.6 pigs per litter this fall
There were 75 million hogs and pigs on U.S. farms as of Dec. 1 and one-third of those were in Iowa.
The number of swine in the U.S. this month is up slightly from December 2022, but down slightly from Sept. 1, according to the Quarterly Hogs and Pigs report published Friday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).
The Dec. 1 numbers are down from high points of about 78 million hogs nationwide in 2018 and 2019.
Other key findings of the report include:
- Of the 75 million hogs and pigs, 69 million were market hogs, while 6 million were kept for breeding.
- Between September and November, 34.6 million pigs were weaned on U.S. farms, down slightly from the same time period one year earlier.
- During those three months, U.S. hog and pig producers weaned an average of 11.66 pigs per litter.
Iowa — the No. 1 pork producing state in the nation — reported the largest hog inventory among the states at 24.9 million. That’s nearly eight hogs per person in Iowa. Minnesota had the second largest inventory at 9.10 million head. North Carolina was third with 7.80 million.
To complete the report, the service surveyed 6,341 producers across the nation during the first half of December. Operators submit data through electronic recording, mail, telephone and face-to-face interviews.
Comments: (319) 339-3157; erin.jordan@thegazette.com
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