Sunday, February 22, 2009

Wisconsin’s Mink Industry Thriving

It’s good to see a Wisconsin industry doing well.

With 71 farms valued at $60 million producing more than 900,000 pelts in 2007, the most recent U.S. Department of Agriculture statistics, Wisconsin ranks at the top of the mink industry. The state is in the natural range of wild mink, which grow thicker fur as days get shorter in the fall. And since mink are carnivores that consume their body weight in food each week, they’re fed animal byproducts. That’s why mink farms are usually located within reach of large food-processing plants, explained Easley, who became an expert on mink after opening his veterinary practice in an area populated by mink ranches.

Zimbal buys cheese byproducts from local cheese plants; eggs unfit for human consumption from chicken plants; and leftovers from slaughter facilities in Milwaukee and Green Bay.

With 40,000 breeding females producing up to five kits each year, Zimbal Minkery goes through a lot of feed. At this time of year, before the animals are bred and there are far fewer mink, about 15,000 pounds of food is eaten each day. At the peak of production, when mink kits are growing, the farm goes through 120,000 pounds of food in a day.

“Much of what we use was going to landfills 15 years ago,” said Zimbal’s wife, Linda, as she walked through a large warehouse filled with two-story freezers and coolers stacked with pallets of beef lungs.

(4) Comments
Posted by Owen at 1755 hrs
Economy + Politics + Politics - Wisconsin

  1. Shhhhhh. PETA might hear you!

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on February 22, 2009 at 1811 hrs


  2. Mmmmmm, Beef lungs.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on February 23, 2009 at 0142 hrs


  3. Please someone tell me why this is happening.  With PETA out there throwing paint on anyone wearing “fur” products, who on earth is buying mink.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy to see an industry thriving, but I thought only “rich Republican women” wore mink coats and I don’t see many of them anymore.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on February 23, 2009 at 1127 hrs


  4. In the story it says that most of their customers are overseas - particularly in Russia.  My guess is that they don’t tolerate paint-throwing PETA types like we do.

    Posted by Owen on February 23, 2009 at 1359 hrs


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