Pork Powerhouses 2023

THE 36 LARGEST U.S. PIG PRODUCERS REDUCED SOWS BY 17,348 IN 2023, THE FIRST NET LOSS PORK POWERHOUSES® REPORTED SINCE 2010. 

- COURTNEY LEEPER GIRGIS

There is no question: 2023 was a tough year, financially, for the pork industry. 

“Brutal,” “horrible,” and “one hell of a challenge” were some descriptors the powerhouses used when asked about swine production in 2023. The annual Pork Powerhouses® listing, now in its 29th year, ranks hog operations by number of sows. This year’s list includes operations with more than 25,000 sows. 

With 4,164,376 sows, the Pork Powerhouses® represent 69% of the nation’s breeding inventory, based on data from the quarterly “Hogs and Pigs” USDA report released Dec. 22, 2023.

Fewer sows in 2023

In 2023, 36 companies — one fewer than in 2022 — had more than 25,000 sows. Win Productions, based in Valley City, Illinois, dropped off the list after selling its hogs to another producer in August 2023, according to Shawn O’Brien, with Win Productions. The company reported 26,000 sows in 2022.

Of the 36 companies, 17 remained constant in their sow numbers from 2022, 10 reduced numbers, and nine added sows. Collectively, they reduced sow numbers by 17,348 from 2022 to 2023. This is the first year since 2010 that Pork Powerhouses® reported a net loss in sow numbers, although it should be noted the list reflected the top 25 at that time and now includes any operation with more than 25,000 sows. 

Profits down

"I don't have to tell you, the industry is hurting right now from a profitability standpoint,” says Bob Ruth, president of the National Pork Board and past president of Pennsylvania-located Country View Family Farms.