QUARTERLY HOGS AND PIGS – JUNE 1, 2018

COLORADO

Colorado inventory of all hogs and pigs on June 1, 2018 was 760,000 head, down 1 percent from March 1, 2018 and up 6 percent from last year. Breeding inventory, at 155,000 head, was unchanged from the previous quarter and unchanged from last year. Market hog inventory, at 605,000 head, was down 2 percent from last quarter and up 7 percent from last year.

The March 2018-May 2018 pig crop, at 720,000 head, was down 10 percent from the previous year. Sows farrowing during this period totaled 75,000 head, down 3 percent from a year ago. The average pigs saved per litter was 9.60 for the March-May period, compared with 10.40 last year.

UNITED STATES

United States inventory of all hogs and pigs on June 1, 2018 was 73.5 million head. This was up 3 percent from June 1, 2017, and up 1 percent from March 1, 2018. This is the highest June 1 inventory of all hogs and pigs since estimates began in 1964. Breeding inventory, at 6.32 million head, was up 3 percent from last year, and up 2 percent from the previous quarter. Market hog inventory, at 67.1 million head, was up 3 percent from last year, and up 1 percent from last quarter. This is the highest June 1 market hog inventory since estimates began in 1964.

The March-May 2018 pig crop, at 33.2 million head, was up 4 percent from 2017. This is the largest March-May pig crop since estimates began in 1970. Sows farrowed during this period totaled 3.12 million head, up 4 percent from 2017. The sows farrowed during this quarter represented 50 percent of the breeding herd. The average pigs saved per litter was a record high 10.63 for the March-May period, compared to 10.55 last year.

United States hog producers intend to have 3.17 million sows farrow during the June-August 2018 quarter, up 2 percent from the actual farrowings during the same period in 2017, and up 4 percent from 2016. Intended farrowings for September-November 2018, at 3.18 million sows, are up 2 percent from 2017, and up 4 percent from 2016.

The total number of hogs under contract owned by operations with over 5,000 head, but raised by contractees, accounted for 47 percent of the total United States hog inventory, down from 48 percent the previous year.

All inventory and pig crop estimates for June 2017 through March 2018 were reviewed using final pig crop, official slaughter, death loss, and updated import and export data. The revision made to the March 2018 all hogs and pigs inventory was less than 0.1 percent. The net revision made to the December 2017 all hogs and pigs inventory was 0.6 percent. A revision of 0.7 percent was made to the September-November.