In this Feb. 12, 2013 photo Bob Zimbal holds one of his minks near rows of cages at his fur farm in Sheboygan Falls, Wis. Retail fur sales in the U.S. remain in a slump, but the demand for higher quality furs among the newly wealthy in China has helped push pelt prices to record levels and shielded U.S. farmers like Zimbal from the sluggish economy. (AP Photo/Carrie Antlfinger)
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In this Feb. 12, 2013 photo Bob Zimbal holds one of his minks near rows of cages at his fur farm in Sheboygan Falls, Wis. Retail fur sales in the U.S. remain in a slump, but the demand for higher quality furs among the newly wealthy in China has helped push pelt prices to record levels and shielded U.S. farmers like Zimbal from the sluggish economy. (AP Photo/Carrie Antlfinger)
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In this Feb. 12, 2013 photo two minks in cages at Bob Zimbal's fur farm in Sheboygan Falls, Wis. The U.S. fur industry has been volatile over the past 15 year with falling pelt prices that forcing dozens of American farms out of business. (AP Photo/Carrie Antlfinger)
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In this Feb. 12, 2013 photo Bob Zimbal checks a row of mink cages at his fur farm in Sheboygan Falls, Wis. Zimbal says he has 54,000 breeding females, 26 miles worth of cages and an on-site feed plant. (AP Photo/Carrie Antlfinger)
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In this Feb. 12, 2013 photo a minks looks out from its cage at Bob Zimbal's fur farm in Sheboygan Falls, Wis. The U.S. fur industry has been volatile over the past 15 year with falling pelt prices that forcing dozens of American farms out of business. (AP Photo/Carrie Antlfinger)
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In this Feb. 12, 2013 photo Bob Zimbal holds one of his minks near rows of sheds at his fur farm in Sheboygan Falls, Wis. Retail fur sales in the U.S. remain in a slump, but the demand for higher quality furs among the newly wealthy in China has helped push pelt prices to record levels and shielded U.S. farmers like Zimbal from the sluggish economy. (AP Photo/Carrie Antlfinger)
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FILE - In this Friday, June 3, 2011 file photo, President Barack Obama tours Chrysler Group’s Toledo Supplier Park in Toledo, Ohio. The economy President Obama will face over the next four years remains slow and at risk, but signs suggest that the next four years will coincide with a vastly healthier economy than the previous four, which overlapped the Great Recession. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)
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FILE - In this Oct. 24, 2012, file photo, President Barack Obama speaks at a campaign event at City Park in Denver. The economy President Obama will face over the next four years remains slow and at risk, but signs suggest that the next four years will coincide with a vastly healthier economy than the previous four, which overlapped the Great Recession. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)
News Summary: China demand pushes mink prices up
FUR REAL: Demand in China for higher-quality furs among the newly wealthy has helped push mink pelt prices to record levels and shielded U.S. farmers from the sluggish economy.
RECESSION IMPACT: Americans struggling to hold on to their jobs and homes stopped shopping for furs during the recession. U.S. retail prices hit a 10-year low in 2009.
THE FUTURE: Animal rights activists, who have worked to make fur unfashionable in the U.S., are turning their attention to Asia, but thus far, American fur farmers are reaping greater profits.
Tags:
united states, economy of the people's republic of china, record levels, news summary, business, unemployment, late-2000s recession, animal rights, sluggish economy, u.s. farmers, fur, animal rights activists, greater profits, fur trade, china demand, american fur farmers, mink pelt prices, u.s. retail prices, fur farming, recession impact, fur real, mink prices, higher-quality furs
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