The USDA says the total number of hogs and pigs in the U.S. on December 1st, 2021 was 74.201 million head, down 4% from December 1st, 2020. That reflects a higher slaughter pace and lower breeding rate as producers tried to meet demand expectations while improving profitability.
The market hog inventory was 68.021 million head, 4% below a year ago, with the breeding herd at 6.18 million head, up slightly on the year.
