The latest Quarterly U.S. Hogs and Pigs report shows higher inventory.

“There was 75.14 million hogs in inventory as of June 1 that is slightly more than last year,” says USDA Livestock Economist Mike McConnell. “For breeding purposes there is 5.98 million hogs, slightly down from last year’s 6.01 but just down by one percent.”

The pig crop from March through May had 2.91 million farrowings, which slightly less than last year. However, that was more than offset by a pigs per litter rate of 11.75, which is two percent higher than last year. That leads to a pig crop in the last quarter of 34.17 million pigs.

“Markets have indicated that we are a little bit tight on hog supplies over that last couple of months, but this seems to indicate for the second half of 2025 and perhaps into the early part of 2026 we should see a little bit of growth in the hog supplies as those hogs born in the last couple months come to market,” McConnell said.

While the breeding herd has been stable the last couple of years, McConnell says we’re getting more hogs by having more pigs per litter that should bring more pigs into the production system and should be supportive of pork production in the second half of 2025.

The higher pigs per litter rate growth over the last couple of years is a continuation of a longer term trend that McConnell attributes to improved production practices and technology to get the most productivity out of each litter.

“Another factor in the rise in hogs and pigs inventory is that some of the other competing animal proteins, in particular the beef market, has been relatively tight,” McConnell said. “We’ve seen strong prices there, so that has been supportive for other species and the pork market is one where we are seeing higher pork prices as a result of higher beef prices and that may be giving producers the go-ahead to increase their production outlook.”