USDA released its Quarterly Hogs and Pigs report for 1 September last week. The total inventory of hogs and pigs in the U.S. was 74.3 million head, reflecting a 1 percent decrease from the previous year but a 1.6 percent increase from June 2026, when the June inventory was at its lowest since 2023.
Breeding sows, at 5.87 million head, were down 1 percent from last year and down slightly from the previous quarter. Market hog inventory, at 68.4 million head, was down 2 percent from last year but up 2 percent from last quarter. The June-August 2026 pig crop, at 34.5 million head, was down 2 percent from 2025. Sows farrowing during this period totaled 2.89 million head, down 3 percent from 2025. Sows farrowed during this quarter represented 49...
What You Need to Know Today: A drier early-October forecast should help harvest accelerate across areas of the western Corn Belt that have been running behind, adding pressure to soybeans and soymeal today as concerns over near-term physical tightness begin to ease. Markets are still digesting...
Key Takeaways: Dry bulk markets are mixed this week with the Capesize sector seeing a sharp correction from its recent rally. Smaller vessel classes are steady/firmer but the Chinese Golden Week Holiday is pressuring near-term rates. Dry bulk freight did not receive the bullish boost it...
August 2026 milk production, the four-class pricing system, and the 2025 Federal Milk Marketing Order reforms Key Takeaways: U.S. milk production is growing because the herd is larger, not because cows are producing more milk. August output increased 1.7 percent, even as production per cow dec...