USDA Says Hog Inventory Up 1 Percent

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture says South Dakota's inventory of all hogs and pigs on Dec. 1 is up 1 percent from the same time last year.

The South Dakota office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service says the count of 1.21 million head is up 5 percent from Sept. 1.

Breeding hog inventory of 165,000 head is unchanged from last year but down 3 percent from last quarter. Market hog inventory of 1.05 million head is up 1 percent from last year, and up 7 percent from last quarter.

The September-November 2013 South Dakota pig crop of 914,000 head is down 2 percent from 2012. Sows farrowed during the period totaled 85,000 head, down 6 percent from last year.

The average pigs saved per litter was 10.75 for September-November.

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