Farm Progress America, March 31, 2025

Mike Pearson takes a look at the USDA Quarterly Hogs and Pigs report released last week.

Analysts and traders were surprised by the contraction in the herd size. Most thought the herd was holding steady or increasing a small amount.

As of March 1, the total inventory is at 74.5 million head down 2/10 of a percent from 2024. and down 1 percent from last quarter.

The breeding herd is sitting at 6 million head down 1 percent from 2024.

The market hog inventory is at 68.5 million head down slightly from last year and last quarter.

The pig crop totaled 33.7 million head-- a marginal decline from 2024.

The good news was that a record average of 11.65 pigs a litter was up from 11.53 in 2024. However, with increased litter size, there was a still a decline in the overall herd size meaning a reduction in sows farrowed.

Hog producers are expecting 3 million sows to farrow from March-May 2025 and 2.96 million sows to farrow from June -August which is down slightly from previous years.

Hog futures were a buz after the report was released. The lean number of hogs in the report provided a boost to the market after weeks of sluggish hog prices.

Farm Progress America is a daily look at key issues in agriculture. It is produced and presented by Mike Pearson, farm broadcaster and host of This Week in Agribusiness .

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