Fur farming is an integral component of Michigan's diversified agricultural economy and lends support to other farming endeavors. Fur animal production requires little land area and can utilize soils with marginal agricultural value. Byproducts from field crops are used for animal bedding, and slaughterhouse byproducts provide feed for mink and fox. Fur farmers have been pioneers in the promotion of animal welfare. Over 95 percent of the mink produced in the U.S. in 1990 came from farms that have been certified by the Fur Farm Animal Welfare Coalition as complying with humane standards for animal care.
Feed is the greatest expense for the fur farmer.
Mink and fox are carnivores that require diets high in protein and fat and low in fiber. Conventional diets are composed primarily of animal byproducts from the beef, pork, chicken, turkey, duck, and egg industries that are not utilized for human consumption. During the 1960s, a rising economy and favorable fashions sent American mink production to an all-time high. Domestic consumption kept pace with the increasing production and peaked at over 10 million pelts between 1966 and 1968. During the early 1970s, a less favorable economy, fluctuations in fashions, and an attitude change toward luxury items in the younger generation resulted in marked declines in domestic consumption.