Michigan's total hog and pig inventory on December 1 was estimated at 1,020,000 head, up 2% from a year ago, according to the USDA, NASS, Michigan Field Office. Breeding hog inventory, at 100,000 head, was down 9% from last December. Market hog inventory, at 920,000 head, was up 30,000 head from last year.

U.S. inventory of all hogs and pigs on Dec. 1, was 65.1 million head. This was up 4% from Dec. 1, 2006, but down 1% from Sept. 1, 2007. Breeding inventory, at 6.16 million head, was up 1% from last year, and up slightly from the previous quarter. Market hog inventory, at 59.0 million head, was up 5% from last year, but down 1% from last quarter.

The September-November 2007 pig crop, at 28.0 million head, was up 4% from 2006 and up 7% from 2005. Sows farrowing during this period totaled 3.03 million head, up 3% from 2006 and up 4% from 2005.

The sows farrowed during this quarter represented 49% of the breeding herd. The average pigs saved per litter was 9.24 for the September-November 2007 period, compared to 9.11 last year. Pigs saved per litter by size of operation ranged from 7.4 for operations with 1-99 hogs and pigs to 9.3 for operations with more than 5,000 hogs and pigs.

U.S. hog producers intend to have 2.98 million sows farrow during the December 2007 - February 2008 quarter, up 2% from the actual farrowings during the same period in 2007, and up 5% from 2006.

Intended farrowings for March-May 2008, at 3.04 million sows, are up slightly from 2007 and up 4% from 2006. The total number of hogs under contract, owned by operations with over 5,000 head, but raised by contractees, accounted for 39% of the total U.S. hog inventory, up from 38% last year.