As of Dec. 1, 2019, there were 77.3 million hogs and pigs on U.S. farms, up 3% from December 2018, but down slightly from Sept. 1, 2019, according to the quarterly hogs and pigs report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

In Iowa, the year-over-year in­­ventory of hogs and pigs for all uses rose 5% to 24.8 million head, up from the 2018 inventory of 23.6 million head. This is a record for Dec. 1 inventory in Iowa. North Carolina and...