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USDA’s quarterly hogs and pigs report released Sept. 25 showed a modest year-over-year decline in the nation’s hog herd, projected at 74.5 million head as of Sept. 1.

Breeding inventory, at 5.93 million head, was down 2% from last year and down slightly from the previous quarter, while market hog inventory, at 68.5 million head, was down 1% from last year but up 1% from last quarter.

“Overall, I think it was a friendly report, especially on the deferred,” Toni Dunker with Advance Trading in Quincy told FarmWeek. “What that means, though, is we may see producers start to retain or breed more gilts, and when we get down the road, that could increase the pig herd size.”

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