In the recent Hogs and Pigs report, USDA put the U.S. swine herd at 77.34 million head as of Dec. 1, down less than half a percent from the Sep. 1 count and up 3 percent from December 2018. The average growth rate for the hog and pig population was almost 4 percent this year.

Pork production in November totaled 2.44 billion pounds, up 4 percent from November 2018.

USDA is still anticipating a spike in pork exports during Q4 2019 and Q1 2020, but the forecast was moderated to 1.80 million pounds in Q4 and 1.75 million for Q1. Those forecasts still represent strong YOY increases in export opportunity, with Q4 up about 17 percent from last year and Q1 possibly up 20 percent.

U.S. quarterly swine population vs. pork export volume


Source: USDA
Posted by: Information Services
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