As of December 1, the inventory of hogs and pigs totaled 75.8 million head. That’s up one percent from one year ago, but down slightly from the previous quarter. USDA livestock analyst Michael McConnell said margins have improved for pork producers. “Lower feed costs have helped producers as the price of corn and soybean meal have been relatively low and that helped returns for much of 2024.” Pork demand has also been good. Iowa is the #1 hog production state with 24.6 million head. Minnesota has the second-largest inventory at 9.5 million head.
