I have to admit, like everyone I like a lazy day, every once and again. Yesterday was my day. I read the book I received and maybe spent an hour an the internet. Mostly researching alpaca vets. I really need to expand my alpaca library and take it offline.
I spoke to my goddaughter on Sunday, as well. She and I will need to talk more, but she has expressed interest in running the farm with me. The ideal that I might not be running my farm by myself has given me some very different ideas about the growth rate for my farm and herd. It's a very exciting prospect.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Hot Time in Boys Town
I went to visit my kids yesterday. It was very hot so I didn't get to spend much time with them. I got to the ranch early so I could help Rick. I cleaned up Boy's town on my own. Cleaning Boy's town is alot different from the Girl's fields. For one thing, the girls have absolutely no interest in what you are doing. They just go about their business while you scoop poop or scrub out the water buckets. Not in Boy's town. They stand there and watch every move you make. And they stand in the way. That was during poop scooping.
Cleaning the buckets is the boys' least favorite activity. Especially if you bring the buckets into the alley. They flipped. When I brought the bucket into the alley I had the undivided attention of every boy. Merlin kept nudging Mo, so Mo spit at him. And yes, I got a little slimed, just a little, but still. When I put the bucket back, Mo stood over it like it was his newborn child. ay,yi,yi. Lesson learned, do not remove bucket from field, so when I moved to the next field, I cleaned it in the field. Only to have Conquistador stand over me. I finally cleaned the bucket standing because he wasn't going away, he was so scared I was going to take away the water bucket. Shogun was upset that I wasn't in the field to pet him. My goodness he's a lovebug. The boys in the Rainbow field had a drowned mouse in their water bucket. EEEWWWWW! mental note: put ladder on side of water bucket so falling rodents can get out.
The boys all forgave me when I belly hosed them and gave them carrots. I'm not sure if any of the guys besides Mo ate the carrots. I saw him eating them, Rick thinks rabbits ate the other carrots.
It was a great visit even though Kalea didn't have her baby. Rick and I had great conversation about breeding and bloodlines. When I got home, the book I ordered about alpaca farming had arrived. In the immortal words of Number Five: More input!
Cleaning the buckets is the boys' least favorite activity. Especially if you bring the buckets into the alley. They flipped. When I brought the bucket into the alley I had the undivided attention of every boy. Merlin kept nudging Mo, so Mo spit at him. And yes, I got a little slimed, just a little, but still. When I put the bucket back, Mo stood over it like it was his newborn child. ay,yi,yi. Lesson learned, do not remove bucket from field, so when I moved to the next field, I cleaned it in the field. Only to have Conquistador stand over me. I finally cleaned the bucket standing because he wasn't going away, he was so scared I was going to take away the water bucket. Shogun was upset that I wasn't in the field to pet him. My goodness he's a lovebug. The boys in the Rainbow field had a drowned mouse in their water bucket. EEEWWWWW! mental note: put ladder on side of water bucket so falling rodents can get out.
The boys all forgave me when I belly hosed them and gave them carrots. I'm not sure if any of the guys besides Mo ate the carrots. I saw him eating them, Rick thinks rabbits ate the other carrots.
It was a great visit even though Kalea didn't have her baby. Rick and I had great conversation about breeding and bloodlines. When I got home, the book I ordered about alpaca farming had arrived. In the immortal words of Number Five: More input!
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Exciting week
Wow! I feel like it's Christmas. I should be getting my ARI certificate for Michael Jackson anyday now. Since I got the email that he's officially registered, I've been watching the mailbox like a hawk. And this week my little girl turns 1. I'm a happy girl. :-)
I've discovered (thanks to AlpacaNation forum) that NEAFP provides full end alpaca retail products. This is an exciting discovery. I've started working on my business plan for my farm store, so this is great.
I've also started writing the information pages that will eventually go on my website. I've been keeping a diary of the questions I've had since starting in the Alpaca business and I'm going to publish the information I've found. Afterall, the whole point of information pages is to provide information.
Like I said, busy, exciting week!
I've discovered (thanks to AlpacaNation forum) that NEAFP provides full end alpaca retail products. This is an exciting discovery. I've started working on my business plan for my farm store, so this is great.
I've also started writing the information pages that will eventually go on my website. I've been keeping a diary of the questions I've had since starting in the Alpaca business and I'm going to publish the information I've found. Afterall, the whole point of information pages is to provide information.
Like I said, busy, exciting week!
Friday, September 4, 2009
The Value of Fiber Animals
There seems to be this general thought that males have little to no value. Unless he is in 10% considered good enough to be a herdsire. This thought process confuses me. Mainly because most of the research I've done has said that fiber is the reason alpaca farmers are in the business.
I've mentioned several times that I've found that when I speak with alpaca farmers, their focus is on breeding and winning show ribbons. Now that I'm researching the fiber industry, I'm finding more people who think like I do. That the birth of a cria, male or female, is a good thing. Because we are focused on the fiber and what we can do to sell the fiber. Since there are farmers who are starting to turn their attention to fiber, rather than shows, I think that the prices of alpacas are going to keep coming down as more animals begin to be viewed as "fiber animals".
Don't get me wrong, there will always be alpaca shows and show winning quality alpacas who will command higher prices. And I intend to participate in that end of the alpaca industry. That side is important because it helps generate publicity and interest in alpacas. But I think that males will stop being seen as "hay burners" as the focus shifts to the fiber end.
According to my math, in dry lot conditions, it will cost just under $550 per year to feed an alpaca. If that same alpaca is shorn of 5 lbs of fiber, it will cost approx $192 to process it. So this alpaca, if it doesn't need veterinarian services, it will cost it's owner just under $750 per year. In order to recoup those costs, obviously a female who has a cria a year has more than covered her cost. But what about the male? Let's say for argument sake 90% of the fiber comes back leaving you with 72 ounces. If you sold the yarn at $4.50 an ounce you're only going to make back $325. A loss of $425. That's why I decided to not stop at yarn and make end products like sweaters, scarves and rugs.
A typical alpaca sweater sells anywhere from $75 to $200. By using 8 oz of yarn to make a sweater, instead of making $36 selling yarn at retail prices, one can make a $ 56 dollar profit selling the sweater for $75 (wholesale). And if you sell the sweater for $125 (retail), you've made a profit of $ 105 per sweater. 72 ounces of yarn can make 9 sweaters. At $125 per sweater, you've made $945, a profit of $195. You might not get rich from a $195 profit but you aren't losing money either.
In my humble opinion, the value of fiber animals just went up.
I've mentioned several times that I've found that when I speak with alpaca farmers, their focus is on breeding and winning show ribbons. Now that I'm researching the fiber industry, I'm finding more people who think like I do. That the birth of a cria, male or female, is a good thing. Because we are focused on the fiber and what we can do to sell the fiber. Since there are farmers who are starting to turn their attention to fiber, rather than shows, I think that the prices of alpacas are going to keep coming down as more animals begin to be viewed as "fiber animals".
Don't get me wrong, there will always be alpaca shows and show winning quality alpacas who will command higher prices. And I intend to participate in that end of the alpaca industry. That side is important because it helps generate publicity and interest in alpacas. But I think that males will stop being seen as "hay burners" as the focus shifts to the fiber end.
According to my math, in dry lot conditions, it will cost just under $550 per year to feed an alpaca. If that same alpaca is shorn of 5 lbs of fiber, it will cost approx $192 to process it. So this alpaca, if it doesn't need veterinarian services, it will cost it's owner just under $750 per year. In order to recoup those costs, obviously a female who has a cria a year has more than covered her cost. But what about the male? Let's say for argument sake 90% of the fiber comes back leaving you with 72 ounces. If you sold the yarn at $4.50 an ounce you're only going to make back $325. A loss of $425. That's why I decided to not stop at yarn and make end products like sweaters, scarves and rugs.
A typical alpaca sweater sells anywhere from $75 to $200. By using 8 oz of yarn to make a sweater, instead of making $36 selling yarn at retail prices, one can make a $ 56 dollar profit selling the sweater for $75 (wholesale). And if you sell the sweater for $125 (retail), you've made a profit of $ 105 per sweater. 72 ounces of yarn can make 9 sweaters. At $125 per sweater, you've made $945, a profit of $195. You might not get rich from a $195 profit but you aren't losing money either.
In my humble opinion, the value of fiber animals just went up.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Education for Focus
I have learned so much since I was introduced to alpacas. A lot I've learned from my mentoring farm and the woman who introduced me to alpacas and I've learned a lot from the people I have met while doing research. My research has been so good for me. In learning the various aspects of the alapca industry, I have learned what will work for me and won't.
There is still alot for me to learn and I feel very fortunate to be in an industry where everyone is eager to help a newbie learn. I know that as I learn more my plans will chagne and shift. I was cautioned against falling in love with my business plan becuase alpaca are livestock and livestock is unpredictable. One thing I learned about life is that things do change. My business plan has helped me focus and discover questions I didn't know I had.
I think to give my alpacas the best life possible, I need to learn as much as I can. I also know that as much as I'll learn while I'm preparing to set-up my farm, I'll learn a lot more once my kids move in.
There is still alot for me to learn and I feel very fortunate to be in an industry where everyone is eager to help a newbie learn. I know that as I learn more my plans will chagne and shift. I was cautioned against falling in love with my business plan becuase alpaca are livestock and livestock is unpredictable. One thing I learned about life is that things do change. My business plan has helped me focus and discover questions I didn't know I had.
I think to give my alpacas the best life possible, I need to learn as much as I can. I also know that as much as I'll learn while I'm preparing to set-up my farm, I'll learn a lot more once my kids move in.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
More Herd Planning
Like most alpaca owners, my first purchase was an emotional one. I saw Keona and fell in love. There was just something about her I connected with. Her half brother, who I renamed Michael Jackson, was just the cutest thing ever especially when I saw him fence running with his buddy, now named Sir Ewok. When I saw how much they loved each other, I couldn't separated them. And so I purchased my first three alpacas.
In writing my business plan, I've had to think about how I want my herd to grow. And now that I'm over the initial excitement of alpacas, I am making more clear headed, business - sense decisions about future purchases. For instance, had I been thinking, when I purchased my first alpacas, I would have bought one of the pregnant females that I'm now planning to purchase instead of Keona. Don't get me wrong, I'm not unhappy with my kids, but a yearling maiden and two nursing boys probably should have been a second purchase, not the first.
At least they weren't "hay-burning" purchases. Both Keona and Michael (Blade does beautiful work) are show quality animals, so I get to learn about and participate in shows. My next purchase will be one of the pregnant girls. I decided to buy my preggo from All American where I bought my kids so that the animals are familiar with each other. I hoping that being familiar with each other will help alleviate the stress of moving from California to Arkansas.
The most ideal situation for me would be to not make my move with just these four. If budgeting goes well, and the animals are still available when I'm ready to move, I'd like to buy one of the white girls, one of the herdsires and possibly the black girl. The herdsire purchase will depend on whether or not the guys can live together. I'm still planning and deciding, but I have plenty of time. After the preggo, my next purchase won't be until I move to my farm, which if everything goes according to plan, will be next summer.
In writing my business plan, I've had to think about how I want my herd to grow. And now that I'm over the initial excitement of alpacas, I am making more clear headed, business - sense decisions about future purchases. For instance, had I been thinking, when I purchased my first alpacas, I would have bought one of the pregnant females that I'm now planning to purchase instead of Keona. Don't get me wrong, I'm not unhappy with my kids, but a yearling maiden and two nursing boys probably should have been a second purchase, not the first.
At least they weren't "hay-burning" purchases. Both Keona and Michael (Blade does beautiful work) are show quality animals, so I get to learn about and participate in shows. My next purchase will be one of the pregnant girls. I decided to buy my preggo from All American where I bought my kids so that the animals are familiar with each other. I hoping that being familiar with each other will help alleviate the stress of moving from California to Arkansas.
The most ideal situation for me would be to not make my move with just these four. If budgeting goes well, and the animals are still available when I'm ready to move, I'd like to buy one of the white girls, one of the herdsires and possibly the black girl. The herdsire purchase will depend on whether or not the guys can live together. I'm still planning and deciding, but I have plenty of time. After the preggo, my next purchase won't be until I move to my farm, which if everything goes according to plan, will be next summer.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Reputation is everything
After several conversation with other alpaca owners, I realize that I have to be extremely careful about what I say and do. The alpaca industry is a very small world and actions spread like wildfire. I was quite surprised after I made a farm visit to get a phone call from another farm I had visited to ask me what I thought. Just, wow.
Right now on Alpaca Nation there's a farm trying to divest itself of 500 alpacas. There is an auction planned for at least half of them. So far, I haven't spoken to a single person who plans to buy any of the alpacas even though they are reasonably priced. Why? The seller has a reputation for dishonesty. No one wants to go through the extra steps necessary to ensure one is getting what one is paying for. My concern is what happens to these poor animals if no one buys them? I can understand completely no one wanting to buy from him, it's almost like asking to be ripped off. He has proven he has no problem doing that.
He is a glaring example of what is wrong in ANY business, period. I'm just sick that 500 animals, most of which look to be in good condition, might end up at one of those slaughterhouse auctions because of this guy's reptutation.
Right now on Alpaca Nation there's a farm trying to divest itself of 500 alpacas. There is an auction planned for at least half of them. So far, I haven't spoken to a single person who plans to buy any of the alpacas even though they are reasonably priced. Why? The seller has a reputation for dishonesty. No one wants to go through the extra steps necessary to ensure one is getting what one is paying for. My concern is what happens to these poor animals if no one buys them? I can understand completely no one wanting to buy from him, it's almost like asking to be ripped off. He has proven he has no problem doing that.
He is a glaring example of what is wrong in ANY business, period. I'm just sick that 500 animals, most of which look to be in good condition, might end up at one of those slaughterhouse auctions because of this guy's reptutation.
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