Today, USDA released its quarterly Hogs and Pigs report for the December through February quarter. The total inventory of hogs and pigs on 1 March was 74.6 million head, which was 101 percent of March 2023 and the highest since 2020. That was slightly higher than pre-report expectations.

Total inventory was down from December, however, the decline follows typical seasonal patterns. 

With the March report, USDA revised much of the 2023 data, all upwards, detailed in the table below.

The table below shows the numbers from the report by catgeory compared to the pre-report expectations. The breeding herd was above the pre-report estimates, and the pig crop and number of market hogs exceeded the estimates. March to May farrowing in...