The number of hogs and pigs in Illinois on Dec. 1, 2011, was 4.60 million head, up 5 percent from Dec. 1, 2010. Breeding hogs on hand were estimated at 480,000 head, steady with a year ago. Market hogs, at 4.12 million head, were up 5 percent from a year ago.
The pig crop during September, October and November 2011 was 2.48 million pigs, down 1 percent from the same period in 2010. There were 250,000 sows that farrowed, down 4 percent from a year earlier.
The litter rate for the quarter averaged 9.90 pigs saved, up from 9.60 for the same quarter last year.