Wisconsin’s hog industry is in decline, according to a federal report showing that the state’s hog and pig inventory fell by 15,000 head last year, to 305,000 hogs. That’s the lowest count in 150 years.
Hog inventory has fallen 32.2% since 2007, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service, making Wisconsin’s hog numbers the worst among Midwest states. Since 2012, the number of total hogs in the state declined 5%, breeding hogs fell 15%, and market hogs decreased 3%.
The decline is blamed on a number of issues, from high investment costs and the increasing cost of feed to a lack of infrastructure (slaughterhouses, specialized vet care, etc.) and a highly infectious virus that’s affected farms across the country, including in Wisconsin.
