US Mink Farmers See Prices Fall, Production Rise

THE NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS SERVICE (NASS) of the US Department of Agriculture has issued its latest annual report on mink production in the U.S., up to 2002 (click here for the latest NASS stats - PDF format).

Released on July 15, the report includes statistics on mink pelt production, females bred by color class, the number of mink farms, and the average price and total market value of pelts. The data presented in the report indicate the continuing consolidation in the industry as smaller operations merge to form larger ones, and multiple operations by individual families come together under a single corporate umbrella. Over the five-year period 1998 - 2002, the number of U.S. mink farms fell by 27%, while average pelt production per farm rose by 22%.

According to NASS, a total of 2.60 million mink pelts was produced in the US in 2002, compared with 2.56 million in 2001, a 1% rise. However, the value of the crop in 2002 fell a depressing 7% from the year before, from $85.9 million to $79.6 million. This is still substantially up, however, from the low of the last five years, 1998, when the crop was valued at $72.9 million.

The average pelt price in 2002 stood at $30.60, down from $33.50 a year before.

Over the five-year period 1998 - 2002, the average pelt price stood at $31.20, down 17% from 1993-97 when the price averaged $37.76. Over the last decade, a high was marked in 1995 of $53.10, while 1998 will long be remembered as the year when an average pelt brought just $24.80.

Pelts Per Female Bred Rise

Female mink bred to produce kits in 2002 totaled 622,900, for an average of 4.17 pelts per breeding. This was up sharply from the 2001 crop year, when 4.07 kits were produced per breeding, and slightly higher even than 2000, when an impressive 4.16 was recorded.

Although uncontrollable factors such as weather can impact litter sizes, the general trend has been towards consistently larger litters. This provides a clear example of how the highest animal welfare standards benefit both livestock and farmers. Large litters are consistent with quality care, and are also more cost-effective for farmers struggling with falling prices for their product.

NASS notes that 601,000 female mink were bred to produce kits in 2003, down 4% from last year. However, even if the same number of pelts per breeding is achieved as last year, this will result in total production of just 2.51 million pelts, the lowest ever.

Farms Consolidating

The total number of U.S. mink farms reporting to NASS fell to 318 in 2002, down from 324 the year before. The average farm in 2002 produced 8,176 pelts, up sharply from 7,917 in 2001 and 7,595 the year before that. When one considers that in 1998 there were 438 mink farms producing on average 6,707 pelts, it is clear that fur farming is following the trend towards consolidation and greater efficiency seen in the U.S. farming sector as a whole.

The leading state by number of farms in 2002 was once again Utah, with 80. This was unchanged from the previous year, arresting a slide that began in the early 1990s. It is noteworthy, however, that a decade ago, in 1993, Utah's 140 mink farms produced just 600,000 pelts, for an average of 4,286 per farm. In 2002, Utah produced 575,000 pelts - almost the same as in 1993 - for an average of 7,187 per farm.

Ranked behind Utah in number of farms were once again Wisconsin, with 69, and Minnesota, with 33. There were 20 mink farms which also raised fox in 2002, down from 21 the previous year.

Wisconsin retained its spot as the largest producer with 685,000 pelts, up from 672,000 the year before. Still in second place but slipping behind was Utah, which produced 575,000 pelts in 2002, down from 610,000 a year earlier. Between them, these two states accounted for no less than 48% of total US output. Three other major producers - Idaho, Minnesota and Oregon - accounted for a combined 29.5%.

New Color Classes

One significant change in this year's NASS report concerns the way the colors of mink pelts are now classified. (For further reading see Fur Farming Special Feature: True Colors!)

Through Fur Commission USA, American mink farmers informed NASS that the classes it was using could be modified to reflect better the classification used by farmers themselves. Henceforth, NASS will be using the following classifications:

• Black (formerly Standard, includes Pure Dark).
• Demi/Wild (includes Dark Brown, Ranch Wild, Demi-buff).
• Pastel (includes Dawn, Orchid).
• Sapphire (includes Pale Brown).
• Blue Iris (formerly Gunmetal, includes Aleutian).
• Mahogany
• Pearl
• Lavender (formerly Lavender Hope).
• Violet (includes Violet type, Cameo, Winterblue, Glacial).
• White
• Miscellaneous (includes pink).

In line with the new classification, production by major color class in 2002 as percentages of total output were: Black: 37.1%; Mahogany: 21.7%; Blue Iris: 19.8%; Sapphire: 6.7%; and Demi-wild: 5.8%; with other colors accounting for the remainder.

See also:

Mink Production in the United States, 1974 - 2002

Fur Industry Statistics. Production and retail, global and North America.

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

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