Minnesota Iron Mining Association president Craig Pagel said the state's
iron ore production rose slightly in 2012. This is the third year in a row that output has risen. At the same time, the Association is forecasting production will dip in 2013. Pagel puts next year's expected output somewhere in the range of 37.3 million tons. This is still nearly twice the output from 2009, he said.
The dip is largely tied to a recent announcement by Cliffs Natural Resources saying they will be cutting production at the Silver Bay taconite processinig plant and Babbit mine. Cliffs has said the decision was based on a decrease in customer demand.