After taking a major blow in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Wisconsin's fur industry experienced a comeback during the past year. The latest numbers on mink production indicate that the state continued to lead the U.S. with over 579,000 pelts harvested during 2021. That was 37 percent more than the previous year's harvest. Wisconsin's production accounted for 40 percent of the nation's total pelt output.
The number of females bred in Wisconsin to produce kits during the past year fell by six percent at 138,380.
Pelts produced in 2021 by color class were: black at 81 percent, white at 11 percent, and other colors accounting for eight percent.
The report no longer indicates how many farms each state has, but Wisconsin led the nation in that category several years ago with around 70.
Nationally, mink pelt production during 2021 totaled 1.44 million pelts, up slightly from the year earlier. Females bred to produce kits totaled 341,890, down 11 percent from a year ago. The U.S. value of pelts produced during the crop year was $59.9 million, up 23 percent from 2020 levels.
Categories: Wisconsin, Livestock