NOTE: The footnotes below did not appear in the original published version.

See also: Letters to the Editor, "Farmers Kill Mink Humanely" and "Proud of Mink's Well-Being", The Oregonian, Dec. 27, 2001.

Make Mine Mink

By Joe Ruef

(The author raises mink in the Willamette Valley, Oregon. He is president of the Oregon Fur Breeders Association and a member of Fur Commission USA.)

Lawyer Scott Beckstead's childhood memory of what was, in his view, a miserable time working on his grandfather's mink farm more than 30 years ago struck home with me.

I am a working Oregon fur farmer, the son and nephew of mink farmers, whose own experience is far different from that described by Beckstead.

I chose to work with my hands and mind on our family farm, while Beckstead chose to labor over legal briefs as an animal rights attorney. Beckstead has publicly shared other miserable memories of his childhood stating he "watched in despair" as "horses, cattle, goats, rabbits, dogs and cats" were "bought and sold, slaughtered and butchered." What does Beckstead think about me as a fur farmer? He has publicly and clearly stated his opinion: "Killing animals for their fur is abuse."

He is wrong. Animal abuse is illegal and immoral, while raising mink for natural fiber clothing is an honorable and valuable profession.

Unlike the young Beckstead decades ago, I enjoy the sights, sounds and even the smells of our mink farm and feel privileged to work daily caring for the animals. Guided by veterinarians, farmers are breeding calmer, quieter, healthier and more beautiful domesticated mink every year.

Fur farming is all about recycling.(1) As carnivores, farm-raised mink consume the waste from the production of food for humans. We truck in tons of fresh fish scraps and the leftovers from livestock and poultry processing plants for use in the mink feed. We mix in eggs rejected for human consumption and expired-date cheeses, wonderful sources of protein for our animals.

In return, our mink provide us with organic manure for our fields and, at the end of the year, an exquisite pelt, a superior insulator and beautiful fabric for cold weather clothing. Our farm animals also produce fine mink oil for cosmetics and conditioning leather; the mink yield a lean but protein-rich carcass which we use for various products, feed or compost. Everything is put to beneficial use.

Farmed fur is a natural fiber and is superior to its competition - inorganic synthetics produced from petrochemicals.(2) The production of oil, the raw material for synthetic clothing, can be hazardous to the environment. Additionally, petrochemical synthetics are not biodegradable and present disposal and pollution problems themselves.

It's now pelting season, harvest time on our farm. We've hired extra hands to help us select the best animals for next year's breeding stock and are preparing the farm for the young mink to be born in the spring. While harvesting our mink, we employ methods recommended by the American Veterinary Medical Association to ensure the animals a quick and painless death. This process, along with everything else on the farm, has advanced with the times.

By the fall of 2002, more than 10,000 jackets will be worn all over the world from almost 300,000 pelts produced on 30 Oregon family farms.(3)

During this process, Oregon mink will eat their way through almost 30 million pounds of food that we Americans consider waste, but it is perfect feed for mink.

Each season brings us farmers its charms, challenges, hard work and satisfaction. As surely as death is followed by life and growth again, we work as part of this natural cycle.

Oregon fur farmers are proud to be part of the process that provides fur, the finest natural clothing material, keeping Oregonians and people around the world warm.

NOTES:

(1) See Super Duper Recyclers : How Fur Farmers Turn Waste into Beauty FCUSA commentary. (October 1999)

(2) See A Day at the Races : The Fur Trade Is So Far Ahead of Politically Correct, Others Are Racing Just to Keep Up FCUSA commentary. (July 2000)

(3) See U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Statistics on Mink Industry in the U.S. HTML (direct link to USDA) or PDF format. Issued July 2001.

Letters to the Editor, published Dec. 27, 2001, The Oregonian

Farmers kill mink humanely

Scott Beckstead wrote, "When it comes to killing, fur farmers are concerned about preserving the pelt. Being quick and humane is not the priority" ("Misery on the mink farm," Dec. 9).

Since Beckstead worked on his grandfather's mink farm many years ago, the mink farmers themselves have established tough guidelines for pens, food and water quality, sanitation and the prevention of diseases.

Mink farmers consider the quiet and painless death of their mink to be of paramount importance. Methods are used to ensure immediate insensitivity to pain without causing fear or anxiety for the mink. These methods meet the humane criteria of the American Veterinary Medical Association.

John R. Gorham, D.V.M.
College of Veterinary Medicine
Washington State University
Pullman, Wash.

Proud of mink's well-being

I have been a fur farmer since 1980. My father started the family farm in 1934. His retirement gave me the opportunity to choose between continuing my teaching career or taking over the family business. I chose the farm, and I have had no regrets.

In his Dec. 9 article, Scott Beckstead stated that when taking the pelts, "Being quick and humane is not the priority" for fur farmers. This is the exact oppostite. Being humane and quick are the top priorities.

Farmers, in general, are a very optimistic bunch. Their favorite time of the year is when babies are being born. On our farm, the most rewarding time is spent with our cattle during calving, with the sheep during lambing and with our mink during their birthing season.

We take great pride in the welfare of our animals. While they are nearly extinct in the Oregon wild because of their shrinking habitat, mink have flourished in captivity.

The top priorities for a mink are food, shelter and protection. All of these are provided to the mink while they are on our farms. This is a significant factor in the success of the Oregon fur farmer.

Lou Masog
Lebanon

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