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US Mink Production Down Slightly, Pelt Value Rises Substantially; Five-Year Trends Positive
(Click here for the latest NASS stats - PDF format)
The National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) of the US Department of Agriculture has issued its latest annual report on mink production in the US, up to the year 1999. Released on July 20, the report includes statistics on mink pelt production, females bred to produce kits, the number of mink farms, and the average price per pelt.
According to NASS, a total of 2.81 million mink pelts were produced in the US in 1999, compared with 2.94 million in 1998, a 4% drop. However, pelt values rose substantially, up 30% from 1998.
The largest producer State was Wisconsin with 731,700 pelts produced in 1999, down from 800,500 in 1998, but still up substantially from 1995 (676,000). With its large dairy industry, Wisconsin is able to supply the secondary industry of mink farming with a continuous supply of agricultural by-products for feedstuff.
By color class, the numbers of pelts as percentages of total US output were:
Standard: 37.9%; Mahogany: 25.6%; Gunmetal: 16.3%; Ranch Wild: 6.1%; and Demi-buff: 3.8%. The remaining color classes accounted for 10.3%.
Pelts Per Female Bred Rising
Female mink bred to produce kits in 1999 totaled 659,900, resulting in 2,813,000 pelts. NASS reported female mink bred to produce kits in 1995 totaled 708,300, resulting in 2,803,000 pelts. This represents 3.95 pelts produced for every female mink bred in 1995 and 4.26 pelts produced for every female bred in 1999. This increase over the last five years reflects the results of superior care and nutrition on the farm.
NASS notes that female mink bred to produce kits in 2000 totaled 660,400, which could result, using a factor of 4.26 pelts per female bred, in potential production for 2000 of 2,813,304 pelts, production figures virtually unchanged from 1999.
As for the number of farms, the total farms in the US producing mink pelts dropped to 404 in 1999 (2.813 million pelts or 6,962 pelts produced on average per farm) from 478 in 1995 (2.803 million pelts, 5,864 pelts produced on average per farm). This drop in the number of farms reflects a continuation of the consolidation trend in the US farming sector as a whole, with fewer farms producing more. This trend represents an average production increase, per farm, of almost 20% while the sector experienced a 15% drop in the number of family farms.
The leading State by number of farms in 1999 was Utah with 110, followed by Wisconsin (82) and Minnesota (40). There were 27 mink farms which also raised fox, down from 31 in 1998 and 49 in 1995.
Pelt Values Rise Substantially
Mink pelts produced during the 1999 crop year were valued at $94.8 million, up a substantial 30% from 1998 ($72.9 million). The average price per pelt in 1999 was $33.70, up from $24.10 in 1998.
Over the five-year period 1995-99, the average pelt price stood at $35.8, up a solid 31.6% from the average of $27.2 for the five-year period 1990-94.
Low years for average pelt values were 1975 ($24.10), and the period 1989-92 ($21-25) and 1999 ($24.10). Highs have included 1979 and 1986 ($41.00), 1987 ($43.00), and 1995 ($53.10).
The recent upturn in the global economy, consumer desire for quality products and the innovative fur designs seen on the 1999/2000 fashion catwalks are seen as contributing to the higher prices fur farming families are now receiving for their mink pelts.
See also:
Mink Production in the United States, 1974 - 1999
Fur Sales Up in 1999 - Record increase substantiates fur's prominence with consumers Fur Information Council of America press release, May 31, 2000.
Unanimous Verdict : Fur Is Back! FCUSA commentary, March 15, 2000.
US Mink Production, Pelt Value Dip in 1998; Five-Year Trends Positive FCUSA commentary, July 28, 1999.
For further information contact: Teresa Platt, Executive Director, Fur Commission USA, PMB 506, 826 Orange Avenue, Coronado, CA 92118-2698 USA, (619) 575-0139, (619) 575-5578/fax, furfarmers@aol.com, www.furcommission.com.
To take a cyber-tour of a fur farm, visit Fur Commission USA's Fur on Film at http://www.furcommission.com/video/index.htm