WASHINGTON — The US hog inventory is down slightly from September but up slightly year-over-year, according to the Quarterly Hogs and Pigs report published Dec. 22 by the US Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).

NASS surveyed 6,341 operators across the nation during the first half of December to obtain an accurate measurement of the US swine industry.

As of Dec. 1, there were 75 million pigs on US farms, the report said. Of those pigs, 69 million were market hogs, and 6 million were kept for breeding.

Between September and November, 34.6 million pigs were weaned on US farms, which is down slightly from the same period last year. During that time, producers weaned an average of 11.66 pigs per litter.

NASS reported that producers intend to have 2.9 million sows farrow between December 2023 and February 2024, and 2.91 million sows farrow between March and May 2024.

Iowa hog producers accounted for the largest inventory among the states at 24.9 million head. Minnesota had the second largest inventory at 9.1 million head, and North Carolina was third with 7.8 million head.