The US inventory of all hogs and pigs on Dec. 1 was up from a year earlier, even as the breeding herd decreased, the USDA said in its December Quarterly Hogs and Pigs report.
SWINE HERD GROWS
The US inventory of all hogs and pigs on Dec. 1 was 75.545 million head, up 470,000, or 0.63%, from 75.075 million Dec. 1, 2024, and up 227,000, or 0.30%, from 75.318 million on Sep. 1, 2025, the USDA said.
The Hogs and Pigs report also pegged the breeding herd at 5.952 million head, down 52,000, or 0.87%, from 6.004 million a year earlier but up 16,000, or 0.27%, from 5.936 million in the previous quarter.
The USDA report also placed the number of market hogs at 69.593 million head, up 522,000, or 0.76%, from 69.071 million a year earlier and up 211,000, or 0.30%, from 69.382 million in the September report.
MOST MARKET HOG INVENTORIES GROW
The US inventory of most weight categories of market hogs grew, the USDA report said.
The inventory of market pigs weighing less than 60 pounds was listed at 21.866 million head, up 222,000, or 1.03%, from 21.644 million a year earlier but down 275,000, or 1.24%, from 22.141 million in the September report.
Market hogs weighing 60 to 119 pounds came to 19.002 million head, down 164,000, or 0.86%, from 19.166 million last year and down 1,231 million, or 6.08%, from 20.233 million in September.
The number of market hogs weighing 120 to 179 pounds totaled 14.872 million head, up 88,000, or 0.60%, from 14.784 million a year earlier and up 514,000, or 3.58%, from 14.358 million in the September report.
The Hogs and Pigs report chronicled the number of market hogs weighing 180 pounds or more on Dec. 1 at 13.852 million head, up 375,000, or 2.78%, from 13.477 million last year and up 1.202 million, or 9.50%, from 12.650 million in the September report.
BREEDING HERD MIXED
The number of sows that farrowed in the September-November quarter was 2.933 million head, up 8,000, or 0.27%, from 2.925 million a year earlier but down 22,000, or 0.74%, from the June-August quarter’s 2.955 million.
The September-November pig crop was 34.998 million head, up from 34.875 million a year earlier and up from 34.930 million in the June-August quarter.
The average number of pigs per litter in the September-November quarter was 11.93, up from 11.92 a year earlier and up from the 11.82 pigs in the June-August quarter.
The report said producers intended to farrow 2.855 million sows in the December-February quarter, up from 2.831 million a year earlier.
CATTLE, BEEF RECAP
The USDA reported formula and contract base prices for live FOB steers and heifers last week ranged from $227.71 per cwt to $230.49, compared with the previous week’s range of $225.74 to $232.96 per cwt. FOB dressed steers and heifers went for $359.88 per cwt to $363.78, compared with $353.34 to $363.91.
The USDA choice cutout Thursday was down $3.41 per cwt at $351.21 while select was off $1.95 at $343.80. The choice/select spread narrowed to $7.41 from $8.87 with 53 loads of fabricated product and 17 loads of trimmings and grinds sold into the spot market.
The USDA-listed the weighted average wholesale price for fresh 90% lean beef as $394.63 per cwt, and 50% beef was $119.19.
The USDA said basis bids for corn from feeders in the Southern Plains were unchanged at $0.90 to $1.10 a bushel over the Mar corn contract, which settled at $4.50, down $0.01.
No live cattle contracts were tendered for delivery Friday.
The CME Feeder Cattle Index for the seven days ended Thursday was $349.72 per cwt, down $4.59. This compares with Friday’s Jan contract settlement of $346.17, up $1.45.