Where numbers and statistics from different sources were in conflict, the more conservative numbers were generally used. The hog industry uses 'number of sows' to compare companies by size.
Sows are female pigs.
Each sow gives birth to about 20 piglets over the course of a year. The total number of hogs a company produces in a year can be estimated by multiplying number of sows by 20. Today Smithfield owns 695,000 sows on industrial-sized operations in North Carolina, Virginia, Utah, Missouri, Oklahoma and Illinois. Smithfield Foods' sows give birth to an average of nearly 38,802 piglets every day making it a major producer of pigs for the market. Inc. In concert with its production facilities, Smithfield Foods, Inc. is also the world's largest processor of pork.