Occasionally I write articles for Alpacas Magazine and "The Connection"......our Calpaca affiliate membership publication. This section includes copies of those articles.

Articles

The Time Is Now to Focus on Fiber
When You Buy, Keep An Eye On The Numbers...Exploring the value of the histogram
Tips for Maximizing Your Alpaca Fiber Harvest
Volunteering….What’s In It For You?


The Time Is Now to Focus on Fiber
By Dianna Jordan, Alpacas of Somerset Farm

We become alpaca owners for a number of reasons. Some of us may be looking for unique or novel pets (quality fiber producing alpacas may actually sell for less than registered dogs or cats), we may be lured by the inviting "alpaca lifestyle" and many of the associated benefits (financial and otherwise). Maybe we are looking for a way to supplement retirement income, or perhaps the plan is to build a full-time business breeding and selling alpacas. Integrated into this mix of reasons to own and raise alpacas are those owners focusing on the alpaca product…fiber. I believe that ultimately the sustainable alpaca business will focus on quality fiber production.

When looking into the alpaca business, how many of us asked the question "why do you raise the alpacas?”  Otherwise interpreted as...what do you do with them? The answer probably sounded something like...we are building the North America herd in order to meet the future demand for quality fiber production. And, we are a long way from having the number of alpacas needed to meet those demands. For many (probably most), that translates to we must continue to breed and sell in order to create that future.

If we have entered the alpaca industry as a way to build a financial future (supplemental or full-time) then we had best pay attention to, and gain knowledge about, the fiber industry. It has been my experience, personally and anecdotal, that in the early days of doing research the "fiber part" of the business is often overlooked or postponed. Unless someone enters the business already familiar with the end product there isn't much of an understanding, or sense of "need to  associated with learning the essentials of creating a valued end product. Yet, in most cases, fiber production is the reason growing the national herd is so highly touted.

As we continue to move toward the future we would be wise to learn as much as we can, as quickly as we can, about how to create the fiber production future many of us are "banking  We need to create a vision of our fiber business and we need to make breeding decisions based on the future we envision. We must then learn how to grow our business to match our vision.

Fiber production education is available...in books, on web sites, at shows/conferences/ workshops, etc. As responsible business owners, we must meet the challenge to build our fiber business, and ultimately the alpaca business, through education and action.

Whether you choose mini mills, fiber pools and/or cooperatives, or a combination of both, please do something with your annual fiber harvest. As you look at your bags of fleece stop for a minute and picture luxury clothing, warm wraps/sweaters/coats, toasty toes and warm heads. Picture quiet evenings turning yarn into a special gift for that special someone. Think about the flourishing fiber industry we are on the verge of creating and become part of that process by choosing to process your harvest and getting it into the hands of the consumer.