Introduction 

The USDA released its quarterly estimate of the inventory of all hogs and pigs in the U.S. on December 23, 2024. All estimates are for December 1, 2024 or the September-November quarter unless otherwise noted. Table 1 shows key estimates at the US level.  

Changes of particular interest are highlighted. Total hog inventory slightly increased by 0.51%. Breeding hog inventory saw a slight increase of 0.08% year-over-year. This was offset by an increased pig crop obtained from the sows that were kept. This trend continues and is largely due to the least productive sows being culled, leading to inventory of market ...