Canada Goose is no longer a player in the coyote market. China is the only (cheap) game in town for raccoon. Russia, that once was a player for raccoon, hasn't been since 2014. Beaver...good caster market, but a lot of work for little reward. The natural fur market in the US is gone. I know there is interest in muskrat this year, but if you remove these four fur bearers, the rest of the fur that is caught is a trivial amount. I know, I know, it's been down before and rebounded, but curious what your thoughts are at the present time.

For the sake of argument, please don't factor COVID in as a reason. The raccoon market was weak before COVID, and COVID certainly didn't effect the coyote market when coyote were in demand. Thanks.

If our economy keeps heading in the direction it's going, the pelts and meat could be useful for bartering.

Every years seems to be more doom and gloom for the fur market. Auction houses closing, fewer country buyers, fewer trappers, etc. All that said, we live in a very small world now. Just look at what one small fashion trend (Canada Goose) did to the fur market for a short time. When something becomes popular, it's quickly seen around the world and it doesn't take long for it to be produces, copied by other companies, and sent around the world. It only takes one fad to turn things around for any specific fur species. I believe that as trappers we need to take the "green" or "sustainable" angle in promoting fur to the world. Stay positive, it only takes one famous actor or actress to wear fur and the next fad could take off!

Lets see how half as many ranch mink and ranch fox sell now compared to a decade ago. If the world wants 40-50% less fur today then it did a decade or so ago while growing in population and wealth, then Houston we have a problem. We may be able to hold better prices, but with much, much less inventory and fewer processors etc. For wild fur it may not be as bad as for ranch as wild fur the last several decades has been a fly on the elephant in the fur market.

Bryce

I’m curious to see how the shipping problems affect the fur market
If it’s not one thing,it’s another

It sounds like shipping problems are already affecting things as containers of raw fur are hung up in limbo. Certainly a bump in the road....whether or not this does anything to the overall demand for fur and fur garments is yet to be determined.

Will our weakening dollar and 100.00 oil do anything?

.

JMO Bartering will be killed if Biden gets his way requiring banks to report transaction of $600.00. Somewhere along the line someone will have to report a transaction!

What needs to be watched is if the $600.00 requirement doesn’t get slipped into some bill that gets passed in the dark of night!

Unless something changed no raw fur with exception of rats can go to China directly. My understanding is rats are flown in and China does not want to pay the freight. Until that gets straightened out the market is flat at best.

Plenty of obstacles for the market right now, for sure. But I'm willing to bet it won't always be that way. Things will improve.

They will at some point, just NOT THIS YEAR.

I think the only hope for the fur market long term is if we can make it acceptable and fashionable in the west again. For the past few decades we've relied on eastern cultures to support us but more and more the entire world follows Western trends. It doesn't matter if China or other eastern countries find it acceptable to wear fur, if Western fashion doesn't include fur no one else will want it. I don't know what the answer is but I think we're in as good of a position now as ever to market to the western consumer. The world is becoming more environmentally conscious and I think there are more and more people who realize they've been misled on a lot of issues including animal rights.

That may be the answer, almost for certain. Marketing wild fur as a product that Has clothed people for centuries with no environmental impact, is sustainable , organic, and green is what people are looking for. WE somehow need to get that message across to the public. nylon, dacron, rayon all the oil based plastic clothing that is so popular is polluting the world with micro and nano plastics. These are raining down on us and polluting groundwater and have effects as far as the Arctic. Educating the public is key.

We need to get the musicians in the "Let's Go Brandon!" music videos to wear fur, preferably racccoon and opossum. 4 of the 6 top songs on iTunes are variations of it. Maybe fur can become part of the ant-biden anti-democrat movement.

Fur makes America great!

Keith