US counts more fattening pigs but fewer sows

The number of pigs in the United States was slightly above the level of a year earlier in March 2026. This is according to the quarterly count by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). In total, 74.32 million pigs were counted, an increase of 0.4%. The number of sows on 1 March came to 5.89 million head. That is 90,000 fewer than on 1 March 2025, when 5.98 million sows were still counted. This amounts to a decline of almost 1.5%. The number of sows in the United States has been declining slightly for years. In March 2023, there were still 6.13 million. Yet this decline does not lead to a contraction of the pig herd. Number of piglets and fattening pigs increases The number of piglets and fattening pigs intended for the market came to 68.43 million head on 1 March, an increase of approximately 0.6%. There was a small increase in all weight categories. The increase was greatest among the heavy fattening pigs at around 2%. The total number of weaned piglets came to 33.18 million head in the period from December through February. That is about 190,000 animals more than in the same period a year earlier, an increase of about 0.6%. In the period from March through May, 2.86 million sows are expected to farrow piglets, equal to the same period last year. Productivity rises The fact that the pig herd is growing slightly despite a shrinking sow herd is related to increased productivity. The number of weaned piglets per litter came to 11.9 in the period from December through February. A year earlier that was 11.7 and two years earlier 11.5. This means an increase of more than 3% in two years. The developments in the livestock herd so far result in a slight decline in the number of slaughterings in the United States through 21 March. In this period, 29 million pigs were processed last year. This year that figure is approximately 28.7 million, a decline of 1%.