WASHINGTON — The US Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) published the Quarterly Hogs and Pigs report on March 28, reporting that there were 74.6 million hogs on US farms as of March 1, up 1% from March 2023. Data was obtained from a NASS survey of 4,509 operators across the nation during the first half of March.

NASS noted that total hogs as of March were down 2% from December 2023.

Of the 74.6 million hogs, 68.6 million were market hogs, while the remaining were kept for breeding.

Between December 2023 and February 2024, 33.1 million pigs were weaned on US farms, a 2% jump from that period last year. NASS reported pig producers weaned an average of 11.53 pigs per litter from December through February.

US hog producers predicted 2.92 million sows farrow between March and May 2024 as well as 2.99 million sows farrow between June and August 2024.

As of March, Iowa hog producers once again represented the largest inventory among the states at 25.2 million head. Minnesota accounted for the second largest inventory at 9.1 million head, and North Carolina the third largest at 7.4 million.