Hog Breeders More Efficient

WASHINGTON - Sep 22/06 - SNS -- Hog breeders in the United States watched their herds become ever more efficient in 2005 with the average number of pigs per year per breeding animal again on the rise, reports the USDA.

The average number of annual pigs per breeding herd animal (including sows, gilts and boars) was 17.4 in 2005, up from 16.9 in 2003.

This steady increase in the average number of pigs per breeding animal is largely due to the increase in the number of litters per sow per year. This increase in productivity has continued to be a factor in the breeding herd stability since 2000.

Additionally, the increase in pigs per breeding animal for operations with less than 5,000 head is largely attributed to the decrease of less efficient operations of fewer than 1,000 head and an increase in the amount of operations with 1,000 to 4,999 head.

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