WASHINGTON — The US Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) published its latest Quarterly Hogs and Pigs report on Dec. 23, reporting a total of 75.8 million hogs on US farms as of Dec. 1, up 1% from year-ago levels. Data was obtained from a NASS survey of 6,046 operators across the nation during the first half of December.

While up year-over-year, NASS reported that total hogs as of December were down slightly from Sept. 1, 2024.

Of the 75.8 million pigs, 69.8 million were market hogs, while 6 million were kept for breeding.

Between September and November 2024, 35.2 million pigs were weaned on US farms, a 2% jump from that period last year. NASS reported pig producers weaned an average of 11.92 pigs per litter from September through November.

US hog producers predicted 2.93 million sows farrow between December 2024 and February 2025 as well as 2.95 million sows farrow between March 2025 and May 2025.

As of December, Iowa hog producers once again represented the largest inventory among the states at 24.6 million head. Minnesota accounted for the second largest inventory at 9.5 million head, and North Carolina the third largest at 8.2 million.