The U.S. hog and pig inventory is up 2 percent from last year, totaling 66.1 million head as of Dec. 1, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) quarterly report.
The increase in inventory may reflect a sow herd that has gained some immunity from Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus (PEDv), Agri-Pulse reports.
The report also showed market hogs totaled 60.1 million head as of Dec. 1, up 2 percent from 2013. The Dec. 1 breeding hog inventory was at 5.97 million head, up 4 percent from last year.
U.S. hog farmers intend to have 2.87 million sows farrow during the December-February 2015 quarter, which is up 4 percent from the actual farrowings during the same period in 2014.