On 23 December, USDA released its quarterly (Sept-Nov) Hogs & Pigs report and it was bearish. The total inventory of hogs and pigs on 1 December was 75.845 million head, up 0.5 percent year-on-year and slightly ahead of the pre-report consensus estimates.12242024dave1.png 41.47 KBThe typical hog cycle sees inventories grow from 1 June and peak for the year on 1 September, dropping back down on 1 December. The 1 December 2024 inventory was down 1.38 percent from the 1 September total.  Note that 2018 and 2022 were the exceptions where 1 December inventories grew above the September inventory. This was the largest December inventory since 2020 and the second consecutive year of expansion, after three consecutive years of contraction...