Indiana pig numbers stay steady

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Indiana pork producers kept pig numbers steady in the last quarter of 2020.

Despite a national decline in the breeding herd, the Indiana breeding herd remained steady at 250,000 head, unchanged from the same time a year ago.

The market hog inventory was at 4.2 million head, up 1% from a year ago.

Indiana’s total hogs and pigs as of Dec. 1, 2020, stood at 4.45 million head, an increase of 50,000 head a year ago.

Indiana producers had 125,000 sows farrow in the September-November 2020 time frame, up 4% from a year ago.

The December 2020-February 2021 farrowing intentions, at 120,000, was up 4% from a year ago.

The March-May 2021 intentions, at 120,000, was down 4% from the previous year’s actual farrowings.

The Indiana pig crop for the September-November time frame was 1.375 million pigs, up 9% from a year ago. The September-November 2020 pigs saved per litter number was 11, a 5% increase over the same time in 2019.

In the weight categories, the under 50 pound category showed 1.03 million head on hand as of Dec. 1, 2020, a 6% decrease from the same time in 2019; the 50 to 119 pound category had 1.260 million pigs, an 8% increase over 2019; the 120 to 179 pound category had 860,000 pigs, a 7% decrease from the same time a year ago, and the 180 pound and over category had 1.05 million pigs on hand, a 9% increase over a year ago.

The Indiana numbers were provided by Marlo Johnson, regional director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service Great Lakes Region office in East Lansing.