USDA discontinuing annual survey of mink pelt production

The USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service is discontinuing its annual survey of mink pelt production and sales. The mink farming industry has shrunk so much that it’s not worth the effort and expense to collect the data. That’s more bad news for the industry. They will no longer be able to point to official numbers about the industry’s economic impact when speaking with state legislators or news media. Instead, they’ll rely on data they collect themselves, the accuracy of which will be questionable.