 USDA shows the summer and fall farrowing intentions are down about 2.5% and a half a percent respectively from actual farrowings last year, which suggests to Franken that hog producers are showing some restraint regarding expansion. However, he notes that while lower farrowing intentions historically would imply somewhat smaller slaughter numbers in the future, to what degree depends on the pigs saved per litter or that productivity gain, which has been offsetting the lower farrowing intentions.