Inside Pigs
US pig stock continues to grow
The pig population in the United States has grown by 4% compared to last year. That is according to the estimate as of June 1, reports the quarterly report of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
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Compared to the March 1 estimate, the number of pigs increased by 1% to 75,5 million pigs. Since estimates began in 1963, the U.S. pig herd has never been this large on June 1. The record number of piglets born in the period March to May mainly explains the growth.
The number of live piglets born per litter was 11. A total of 3,11 million sows gave birth to a litter of piglets in the period from March to May, an increase of 1% compared to the same period last year. It is expected that approximately 3,18 million breeding sows will give birth between June and August. This is a small decrease compared to the summer of 2018, but 3% more than in the summer of 2017.
20% growth in 5 years
The last time the US pig herd fell in size was in 2014, when the country had fewer than 62 million pigs. After that, a few percent were added each year, up to a total of 20%. The pig herd has increased by more than 5 million pigs over the past 13 years.