Wisconsin continues to be the leader in the U.S. for mink pelt production and females bred, according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service.
The state’s pelt production in 2020 totaled 403,540 pelts. Utah was the second-largest producing state with 386,880 pelts. Nationwide, mink pelt production during 2020 totaled more than 1.4 million pelts, down nearly 50 percent from 2019. Wisconsin’s production was down 61 percent in 2020 and accounted for nearly a third of the nation’s total pelt production.
The percentages of pelts produced in 2020 in Wisconsin by color class were: black at 74 percent, white at 11 percent, mahogany at 5 percent and sapphire at 2 percent. The remaining color classes accounted for 8 percent.
Female mink bred in Wisconsin to produce kits in 2021 totaled 103,940, up 4% from last year. Utah came in second with 83,430 females bred. Nationally, females bred to produce kits in 2021 totaled 323,560, down 10 percent from 2020. Wisconsin accounted for 32 percent of the total number of females bred in the U.S.
The value of U.S. pelts produced during the 2020 crop year was $47.4 million, down 19 percent from $58.4 million a year ago. The average price per pelt for the 2020 crop year was $33.70, up $12.40 from $21.30 in 2019.
