Pelt Production Up 9 Percent
This brief report by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) details the state of the mink industry in 2011. In total, mink breeding, pelt production, number of mink farmers, and amount of money made from pelts increased in 2011 over 2010. The total number of mink pelts produced (i.e., the minimum number of mink killed for fur) was 3.1 million in 2011.
- Mink pelt production in the United States in 2011 totaled 3.09 million pelts, up 9 percent from 2010. Wisconsin, the largest mink producing State, produced 1,050,580 pelts. Utah, the second largest producing State, produced 698,960 pelts.
- The number of pelts by color class as a percent of the total United States production in 2011 is as follows: Black at 52 percent, Mahogany at 25 percent, and Blue Iris at 9 percent. The remaining color classes accounted for 14 percent.
- Value of pelts produced during the 2011 crop year was $292 million, up 25 percent from $233 million a year ago. The average price per pelt for the 2011 crop year was $94.30, up $12.40 from $81.90 in 2010.
- Female mink bred to produce kits in 2012 totaled 769,970, up 9 percent from the previous year.
- Percent of total females bred to produce kits in 2012 by color class is as follows: Black at 51 percent, Mahogany at 25 percent, and Blue Iris at 9 percent. The remaining color classes accounted for 15 percent.
- Mink farms producing pelts in 2011 totaled 268, up 1 percent from a year ago.