CHICAGO, Illinois – Exceptionally mild weather conditions in December
led to a surprising gain in pigs-per-litter in the United States
Department of Agriculture’s monthly hogs and pigs report, analysts
said.
“The pig crop is larger than I expected due entirely to more pigs per
litter” during December, said Ron Plain, livestock economist at the
University of Missouri.
“The weather here in the Midwest had a nice December – it could well be
that better weather led to healthier sows,” Plain said.
USDA put the pigs-per-litter number at 8.8 head. Analysts had estimated
the number in a range from 8.65 to 8.8. It was 8.66 a year ago.
The rise in pigs per litter was a surprise because previous reports had
put it below year-ago levels.
USDA had sows farrowing in December at 917,000 head, or 101.8 percent
of last year. As a result the 2001 pig crop was 8.069 million head, or
103.4 percent of the previous year, which is bearish to summer lean hog
futures.
