ST. PAUL, Minn. — On March 1, 2023, there were 8.90 million hogs and pigs on Minnesota farms, according to the latest USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service – Hogs and Pigs report. Inventory was up 1 percent from the previous quarter and up 3 percent from the previous year. 

The December 2022-February 2023 quarterly pig crop was 2.99 million head, down 11 percent from the previous quarter and down 2 percent from last year. A total of 250,000 sows farrowed during this quarter. The average pigs saved per litter was 11.95 for the quarter. 

As of March 1, producers planned to farrow 260,000 sows and gilts in the March-May 2023 quarter and 260,000 head during the June-August 2023 quarter.

United States Hogs and Pigs 

United States inventory of all hogs and pigs on March 1, 2023, was 72.9 million head. This was up slightly from March 1, 2022, but down 2 percent from December 1, 2022. 

Breeding inventory, at 6.13 million head, was up slightly from last year, but down slightly from the previous quarter. 

Market hog inventory, at 66.7 million head, was up slightly from last year, but down 2 percent from last quarter. 

The December 2022-February 2023 pig crop, at 32.1 million head, was up slightly from last year. Sows farrowing during this period totaled 2.91 million head, down slightly from previous year. The sows farrowed during this quarter represented 47 percent of the breeding herd. The average pigs saved per litter was 11.02 for the December 2022-February 2023 period, compared to 10.95 last year. 

United States hog producers intend to have 2.93 million sows farrow during the March-May 2023 quarter, down 1 percent from the actual farrowings during the same period one year earlier, and down 3 percent from the same period two years earlier. Intended farrowings for June-August 2023, at 2.97 million sows, are down 3 percent from the same period one year earlier, and down 3 percent from the same period two years earlier. 

The total number of hogs under contract owned by operations with over 5,000 head, but raised by contractees, accounted for 51 percent of the total United States hog inventory, up 2 percent from the previous year. 

Revisions 

All inventory and pig crop estimates for March 2022 through December 2022 were reviewed using final pig crop, official slaughter, death loss, and updated import and export data. The revision made to the December 2022 all hogs and pigs inventory was 1.8 percent. A revision of 1.6 percent was made to the September 2022-November 2023 pig crop. The net revision made to the September 2022 all hogs and pigs inventory was 0.4 percent. A net revision of 1.5 percent was made to the June-August 2022 pig crop. 

The complete report can be found on the USDA NASS website at www.nass.usda.gov/Publications.

— USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service