Mink ISSN: 1949-1549 Released July 23, 2019, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Pelt Production Down 9 Percent Mink pelt production in the United States in 2018 totaled 3.10 million pelts, down 9 percent from 2017. Wisconsin, the largest mink producing State, produced 972 thousand pelts. Utah, the second largest producing State, produced 708 thousand pelts. The number of pelts by color class as a percent of the total United States production in 2018 is as follows: Black at 50 percent, Mahogany at 19 percent, White at 7 percent and Sapphire at 6 percent. The remaining color classes accounted for 18 percent. Value of pelts produced during the 2018 crop year was $82.6 million, down 33 percent from $123 million a year ago. The average price per pelt for the 2018 crop year was $26.60, down $9.50 from $36.10 in 2017. Female mink bred to produce kits in 2019 totaled 658 thousand, down 15 percent from the previous year. Percent of total females bred to produce kits in 2019 by color class as is follows: Black at 52 percent, Mahogany at 18 percent, White at 7 percent, and Sapphire at 5 percent. The remaining classes accounted for 18 percent. Mink Pelts Produced and Females Bred by Color Class - United States: 2017-2019 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Pelts produced : Females bred to produce kits :----------------------------------------------------------------------- Color class : 2017 : 2018 : 2018 : 2019 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : number : Black .........: 1,704,150 1,551,670 394,530 344,940 Demi/Wild .....: 113,010 105,510 24,930 21,890 Pastel ........: 100,810 88,410 24,370 21,130 Sapphire ......: 199,070 189,190 45,830 35,700 Blue Iris .....: 184,120 151,510 43,760 25,000 Mahogany ......: 646,400 587,800 136,550 120,460 Pearl .........: 115,510 107,600 25,600 20,500 Lavender ......: 34,430 38,190 8,060 7,540 Violet ........: 42,730 48,660 14,740 13,090 White .........: 248,230 222,630 55,560 43,690 Other .........: 11,620 13,790 2,510 4,110 : Total .........: 3,400,080 3,104,960 776,440 658,050 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mink Pelts Produced, Average Price, and Value - United States: 1999-2018 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ : Pelts :Average marketing: Value of Year : produced : price : mink pelts ------------------------------------------------------------------------ : number dollars dollars : 1999 .............: 2,812,500 33.70 94,781,250 2000 .............: 2,666,100 34.00 90,647,400 2001 .............: 2,565,300 33.50 85,937,550 2002 .............: 2,607,300 30.60 79,783,380 2003 .............: 2,549,000 40.10 102,214,900 2004 .............: 2,558,100 47.10 120,486,510 2005 .............: 2,637,800 60.90 160,642,020 2006 .............: 2,858,800 48.40 138,365,920 2007 .............: 2,828,200 65.70 185,812,740 2008 .............: 2,820,700 41.60 117,341,120 : 2009 .............: 2,866,700 65.10 186,622,170 2010 .............: 2,840,200 81.90 232,612,380 2011 .............: 3,091,470 94.30 291,525,621 2012 1/ ..........: (NA) (NA) (NA) 2013 .............: 3,544,610 56.30 199,561,543 2014 .............: 3,741,150 57.70 215,864,355 2015 .............: 3,682,960 32.00 117,854,720 2016 .............: 3,454,410 34.70 119,868,027 2017 .............: 3,400,080 36.10 122,742,888 2018 .............: 3,104,960 26.60 82,591,936 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ (NA) Not available. 1/ Due to sequestration the "Mink "report was suspended. Pelts Produced by Color Class - Selected States and United States: 2017 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ States : Black :Demi/Wild: Pastel :Sapphire :Blue Iris:Mahogany ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : number : Idaho ............: 94,000 (D) 14,000 11,500 (D) 165,000 Illinois .........: 51,000 - - (D) - (D) Iowa .............: 44,000 - (D) 2,900 (D) 36,000 Michigan .........: 59,000 - 500 370 (D) 1,200 Minnesota ........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) 37,000 Oregon ...........: 210,000 - - (D) 44,000 (D) Pennsylvania .....: 51,000 (D) 5,500 11,500 (D) (D) Utah .............: 280,000 27,000 34,000 45,000 (D) 290,000 Washington .......: 27,000 - - - (D) (D) Wisconsin ........: 730,000 (D) 35,000 39,000 86,000 49,000 : Other States 1/ ..: 158,150 86,010 11,810 88,800 54,120 68,200 : United States ....:1,704,150 113,010 100,810 199,070 184,120 646,400 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ States : Pearl :Lavender : Violet : White : Other :Total 2/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : number : Idaho ............: - (D) (D) (D) (D) 313,500 Illinois .........: (D) - - (D) - 81,100 Iowa .............: - - - (D) - 88,210 Michigan .........: - 3,800 (D) 7,500 (D) 78,340 Minnesota ........: - - (D) 31,000 (D) 180,580 Oregon ...........: - (D) (D) - - 283,670 Pennsylvania .....: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) 86,130 Utah .............: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) 743,260 Washington .......: - - - - - 44,000 Wisconsin ........: - 20,000 (D) 151,000 (D) 1,133,180 : Other States 1/ ..: 115,510 10,630 42,730 58,730 11,620 368,110 : United States ....: 115,510 34,430 42,730 248,230 11,620 3,400,080 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - Represents zero. (D) Withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual operations. 1/ Includes data for states not published in this table. 2/ Published color classes may not add to the State total to avoid disclosing individual operations. Pelts Produced by Color Class - Selected States and United States: 2018 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ States : Black :Demi/Wild: Pastel :Sapphire :Blue Iris:Mahogany ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : number : Idaho ............: 103,000 (D) 13,500 14,500 420 145,000 Illinois .........: 54,000 - - - - (D) Iowa .............: 50,000 (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Michigan .........: 49,000 - (D) 350 (D) 1,200 Minnesota ........: (D) 11,000 4,100 (D) (D) 42,000 Oregon ...........: 210,000 - - 2,400 38,000 (D) Pennsylvania .....: 41,000 (D) (D) 11,000 (D) (D) Utah .............: 265,000 23,000 33,000 46,000 (D) 270,000 Washington .......: 27,000 - - - (D) (D) Wisconsin ........: 620,000 - (D) 37,000 64,000 (D) : Other States 1/ ..: 132,670 71,510 37,810 77,940 49,090 129,600 : United States ....:1,551,670 105,510 88,410 189,190 151,510 587,800 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ States : Pearl :Lavender : Violet : White : Other :Total 2/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : number : Idaho ............: - (D) (D) - (D) 302,220 Illinois .........: (D) - - (D) - 85,000 Iowa .............: - - - (D) - 97,760 Michigan .........: (D) 3,700 1,200 7,000 (D) 63,200 Minnesota ........: - - (D) 33,000 (D) 177,670 Oregon ...........: - (D) (D) - - 258,910 Pennsylvania .....: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) 75,580 Utah .............: (D) (D) (D) (D) 4,700 707,600 Washington .......: - - - - - 44,500 Wisconsin ........: - 24,000 (D) 125,000 3,600 971,600 : Other States 1/ ..: 107,600 10,490 47,460 57,630 5,490 320,920 : United States ....: 107,600 38,190 48,660 222,630 13,790 3,104,960 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - Represents zero. (D) Withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual operations. 1/ Includes data for states not published in this table. 2/ Published color classes may not add to the State total to avoid disclosing individual operations. Female Mink Bred to Produce Kits by Color Class - Selected States and United States: 2018 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ States : Black :Demi/Wild: Pastel :Sapphire :Blue Iris:Mahogany ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : number : Idaho ............: 24,000 (D) 3,500 3,000 (D) 34,000 Illinois .........: 16,000 - - - - (D) Iowa .............: 15,000 - (D) (D) (D) 12,000 Michigan .........: 12,500 - (D) 1,000 (D) 370 Minnesota ........: (D) 3,300 1,500 (D) (D) 10,000 Oregon ...........: 39,000 - - (D) 14,500 (D) Pennsylvania .....: 13,000 (D) (D) 2,000 1,600 (D) Utah .............: 64,000 7,000 (D) 11,500 710 59,000 Washington .......: (D) - - - - (D) Wisconsin ........: 169,000 (D) (D) 11,000 22,000 8,500 : Other States 1/ ..: 42,030 14,630 19,370 17,330 4,950 12,680 : United States ....: 394,530 24,930 24,370 45,830 43,760 136,550 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ States : Pearl :Lavender : Violet : White : Other :Total 2/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : number : Idaho ............: - (D) 2,800 - (D) 70,580 Illinois .........: (D) - - (D) - 24,300 Iowa .............: - - - (D) (D) 30,770 Michigan .........: - (D) (D) 1,700 (D) 17,180 Minnesota ........: - - (D) 7,000 (D) 43,820 Oregon ...........: - (D) (D) - - 56,060 Pennsylvania .....: - (D) (D) (D) (D) 19,770 Utah .............: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) 168,400 Washington .......: - - - - - 10,100 Wisconsin ........: - 5,500 (D) 35,000 660 264,260 : Other States 1/ ..: 25,600 2,560 11,940 11,860 1,850 71,200 : United States ....: 25,600 8,060 14,740 55,560 2,510 776,440 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - Represents zero. (D) Withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual operations. 1/ Includes data for states not published in this table. 2/ Published color classes may not add to the State total to avoid disclosing individual operations. Female Mink Bred to Produce Kits by Color Class - Selected States and United States: 2019 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ States : Black :Demi/Wild: Pastel :Sapphire :Blue Iris:Mahogany ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : number : Idaho ............: 22,000 (D) 3,100 3,100 (D) 34,000 Illinois .........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Iowa .............: 9,000 (D) (D) (D) 440 9,000 Michigan .........: 13,000 - (D) 1,000 (D) 350 Minnesota ........: (D) 3,400 1,200 - (D) 10,500 Oregon ...........: 41,000 - - 580 7,000 (D) Pennsylvania .....: 12,000 (D) (D) 490 (D) (D) Utah .............: 60,000 (D) (D) (D) 740 55,000 Washington .......: 8,000 - - - - - Wisconsin ........: 142,000 - (D) 7,000 11,500 (D) : Other States 1/ ..: 37,940 18,490 16,830 23,530 5,320 11,610 : United States ....: 344,940 21,890 21,130 35,700 25,000 120,460 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ States : Pearl :Lavender : Violet : White : Other :Total 2/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : number : Idaho ............: - (D) 2,800 - (D) 67,700 Illinois .........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Iowa .............: - - - (D) - 20,750 Michigan .........: - 530 670 1,600 (D) 17,340 Minnesota ........: - - (D) 4,900 (D) 40,420 Oregon ...........: - (D) (D) - - 49,150 Pennsylvania .....: - (D) (D) (D) (D) 16,650 Utah .............: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) 159,120 Washington .......: - - - - - 8,000 Wisconsin ........: - 5,000 (D) 32,000 500 217,500 : Other States 1/ ..: 20,500 2,010 9,620 5,190 3,610 61,420 : United States ....: 20,500 7,540 13,090 43,690 4,110 658,050 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - Represents zero. (D) Withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual operations. 1/ Includes data for states not published in this table. 2/ Published color classes may not add to the State total to avoid disclosing individual operations. Statistical Methodology Survey Procedures: Mink production data are collected from early May through late May from all known producers. Individual NASS Regional Field Offices maintain a list of all known mink producers and use known sources of producers to update their lists. All known mink producers are mailed a questionnaire and given adequate time to respond by mail. Those who do not respond by mail are telephoned or enumerated in person. Care is exercised to account for all operations. Pelt market price data is obtained in June. Prices are collected at the point of first sale, before marketing costs are deducted. Estimation Procedures: All data are analyzed for unusual values. Data from each operation are compared to their own past operating profile and to trends from similar operations. Data for missing operations are estimated based on similar operations or historical data. NASS headquarters prepare these estimates by using a combination of survey indications and historic trends. Individual State and US estimates are reviewed by the Agricultural Statistics Board for reasonableness. Revision Policy: Revisions to previous estimates are made to improve year-to- year and item-to-item relationships. Estimates for the previous year are subject to revision when current estimates are made. Reliability: Mink production estimates are based on a census of all known active producers and therefore, have no sampling variability. However, estimates are subject to errors such as omissions, duplication, mistakes in reporting, recording, and processing data. While these errors cannot be measured directly, they are minimized through strict quality control in the data collection process and a careful review of all reported data for consistency and reasonableness. To assist in evaluating the reliability of the estimates in this report, the "Root Mean Square Error" is shown for selected items in the following table. The "Root Mean Square Error" is a statistical measure based on past performance and is computed using the differences between first and final estimates. The "Root Mean Square Error" for mink pelts produced over the past 10 years is 1.7 percent. This means that chances are 2 out of 3 that the final estimate will not be above or below the current estimate of 3.10 million pelts by more than 1.7 percent. Chances are 9 out of 10 that the difference will not exceed 3.1 percent. Reliability of Mink Estimates [Based on data for the past ten years] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Root mean : 90 percent : Difference between first and latest estimate : square error : confidence : : : : : : : level :------------------------------------------------------------- Item : : : : : : Years : : : : : :------------------------------- : : : Average :Smallest : Largest : Below latest : Above latest -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : percent percent -------- 1,000 -------- ----- number ---- : : Pelts produced ...............: 1.7 3.1 38 0 137 6 2 : Females bred .................: 2.3 4.3 10 0 45 5 2 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Information Contacts Listed below are the commodity specialists in the Livestock Branch of the National Agricultural Statistics Service to contact for additional information. E-mail inquiries may be sent to nass@nass.usda.gov Travis Averill, Chief, Livestock Branch .......................................... (202) 720-3570 Tony Dorn, Head, Poultry and Specialty Commodities Section ....................... (202) 690-3223 Holly Brenize - Poultry Slaughter.............................................. (202) 720-0585 Alissa Cowell-Mytar - Cold Storage, Capacity of Refrigerated Warehouses ....... (202) 720-4751 Liana Cuffman - Catfish and Trout, Egg Products, Mink, Census of Aquaculture .. (202) 720-8784 Adam Peters - Broiler Hatchery, Chicken Hatchery .............................. (202) 690-3237 Kim Linonis - Layers, Eggs .................................................... (202) 690-3676 Fatema Haque - Turkey Hatchery, Turkeys Raised ................................ (202) 720-3244 Vacant - Cost of Pollination, Honey, Honey Bee Colonies ....................... 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