On Sept. 1, there were 21.2 million hogs and pigs on Iowa farms, according the latest U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service hogs and pigs report released last week. The Sept. 1 inventory was up 2 percent from a year ago and became the highest inventory on record.

The U.S. inventory of all hogs and pigs on Sept. 1 was 68.4 million head, according to the USDA’s quarterly hogs and pigs report.

This was up slightly from Sept. 1, 2012, and up 3 percent from June 1, 2013.

U.S. breeding inventory, at 5.81 million head, was up slightly from last year, but down 1 percent from the previous quarter. Iowa’s breeding inventory as of Sept. 1 was 1...