The 37 largest U.S. pig producers in Successful Farming’s 2022 Pork Powerhouses ranking added 99,086 sows, bringing their combined inventory above 4.2 million. The reported 2.4% increase was the ranking’s largest expansion since 2018, even as feed and total production costs rose sharply. Growth was uneven: acquisitions and expansion by a handful of operators outweighed reductions elsewhere.
The figures describe 2022 and were published May 16, 2023. They are a reported industry snapshot, not a uniformly verified census: companies supplied their numbers except Smithfield, for which Successful Farming used industry estimates.
What the 2022 ranking shows
The 37 listed producers represented more than 68% of U.S. breeding inventory, based on USDA’s December 23 quarterly Hogs and Pigs report, according to Successful Farming. Across the companies, sow inventory increased by 99,086, or 2.4%, to more than 4.2 million. The ranking called this the largest expansion since 2018.
That net rise did not mean every major producer expanded. Fourteen companies increased their sow numbers, eight reduced them and 15 reported no change. TriOak Foods left the list, while Win Productions entered. The rankings measure sow inventory—not profitability, productivity or animal welfare.
#1 Best Overall
Which producers expanded or reduced their sow numbers?
Several of the largest changes reflected acquisitions or other company-specific decisions. Selected figures from the ranking show how those movements shaped the total:
| Producer | 2022 ranking and inventory | Reported change and context |
|---|---|---|
| Smithfield | No. 1; approximately 885,000 sows | Figure was an industry estimate because the company did not provide its number. |
| Seaboard Foods | No. 2 | Added 29,000 sows, including 22,000 through its purchase of The Maschhoffs’ Oklahoma farms. |
| Pipestone Management | No. 3; 330,070 sows | Added 42,070. |
| Iowa Select Farms | No. 4; 250,000 sows | Added 7,500. |
| JBS | No. 5 | Added 76,000—the largest reported increase. Much of it followed the asset deal with TriOak Foods. |
| The Maschhoffs | No. 9; 150,000 sows | Reduced its inventory by a net 26,000. |
The increases were not all the same kind of growth. Producers used acquisitions, new construction, facility replacement and remodeling, while others reduced herds. The ranking does not separate the contribution of each factor to the overall net change.
Why did sow numbers rise despite higher costs?
Expansion was concentrated among particular companies, including operators whose increases were tied to acquired assets. That helps explain how aggregate inventory could rise even while producers faced cost pressure: the overall total reflects decisions across companies, not a single representative farm or a uniform industry strategy.
Successful Farming attributed the 2022 cost squeeze chiefly to inflation and supply-demand shifts in production inputs, particularly feed ingredients. The article reported that corn reached $7.38 per bushel in June 2022, attributing the figure to USDA, and cited the war in Ukraine and Midwest drought among factors affecting input costs.
Recommended Free Tools
For the cost comparisons, the article reported NPPC analysis of Iowa State Extension data: feed cost per head rose 24% from 2021 to 2022 and 59% from 2020 to 2022; total production cost increased 21% from 2021 to 2022. These are historical figures for the periods specified, not current cost estimates.
USDA Economic Research Service provides broader context: rations made principally of corn and high-protein soybean meal typically account for more than half of hog production costs. That general cost share helps explain why feed-price changes matter, but it is not a claim that every producer or year has the same cost structure. ERS maintains cost-and-return series for different production systems; comparisons should use the relevant system and year.
Demand and higher pig prices supported profitability for much of 2022, according to the article. It also reported losses of about $10 per head in November and $20 in December, citing Iowa State Extension. Inventory growth therefore coexisted with substantial operating pressure and did not, by itself, demonstrate that all producers were profitable.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What challenges did producers face?
PRRS and other health pressures
Several producers identified disease, especially porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS), as a major sow-farm challenge. Successful Farming described outbreaks affecting sow farms in late 2021 and spring 2022, and a further reported surge in April and May 2022. Interviewees also expressed concern about multiple PRRS viruses circulating. Rob Brenneman of Brenneman Pork said, “There’s been a lot of different PRRS viruses,” as quoted in the article. These are accounts of conditions reported at the time, not an assessment of current disease prevalence.
Windows Errors? Fix Them Before They Spread
Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallCrashes, No Sound, or Screen Glitches?
Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteLabor and operating inputs
Recruiting and retaining workers was another challenge. Producers also raised immigration reform, energy, transportation and construction expenses as concerns. These pressures affected individual expansion and operating decisions alongside feed costs and animal health.
California Proposition 12 and compliance
The 2023 article described California Proposition 12 as affecting pork sold in California: covered pork must come from offspring of sows provided open pens and at least 24 square feet. It reported that the Supreme Court preserved the measure on May 11, 2023, and discussed an enforcement injunction and an anticipated implementation timeline as understood then. Those are historical procedural details, not a statement of present enforcement or compliance requirements.
Bill Hollis, DVM, then president of Professional Swine Management LLC, said producing compliant pork was possible “but it comes at a considerable cost in both space and inventory management,” in the article’s wording. Successful Farming also linked Smithfield’s planned exit from or reduction of western operations to California costs and Proposition 12 compliance; the report distinguishes plans and company statements from completed actions.
How to read the figures
The ranking is useful for understanding the scale and direction of reported sow inventories, but its totals have limits. Company-provided figures were not available for every operator, Smithfield’s number was estimated, and the source does not provide audited company-level accounts or a uniform direct-disclosure basis. The numbers should therefore be read as the ranking’s reported snapshot rather than as a precise, independently verified count.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
Nor should the 2022 cost increases or disease accounts be applied to later years. The ranking and its operating details concern 2022, as reported in 2023; current costs, herd sizes, disease conditions and legal requirements require current, relevant sources.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
