The number of hogs and pigs on U.S. farms is up 2 percent from the same time a year ago. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) says the new Quarterly Hogs and Pigs report also shows an increase of 1 percent from September 1.

Other key findings in the report were:

• Of the 66.1 million hogs and pigs, 60.1 million were market hogs, while 5.97 million were kept for breeding.
• Between September and November 2014, 29.4 million pigs were weaned on U.S. farms, up 4 percent from the same time period in 2013.
• From September through November 2014, U.S. hog and pig producers weaned an average of 10.23 pigs per litter.
• U.S. hog producers intend to have 2.87 million sows farrow between December 2014 and February 2015, and 2.90 million sows farrow between March and May 2015.
• With 20.9 million head, Iowa hog producers had the largest inventory among the states. North Carolina and Minnesota had the second and third largest inventories with 8.60 million and 7.85 million head, respectively.

The report included a survey of nearly 11,000 operators across the nation during the first half of December.