Wanna Be Alpaca Breeders!

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Comment by Phyllis I Turner on August 7, 2009 at 10:29am

Hi Sherri-Lynn,
I just joined this group and saw your comment. My husband and I had the same question while we were researching entering the alpaca industry. You might find the answer to your question on our website as we wanted to address this very important and often asked question. Go to http://www.shadycreekfarm.net/industry_overview.htm and http://www.shadycreekfarm.net/investing_in_alpacas.htm, http://www.shadycreekfarm.net/faqs.htm & scroll down to the last section on Alpacas as a Business. The main reasons that the alpaca industry will be viable unlike the Llama & Ostrich fads, is that the boarders are now closed for importation to the USA. The alpacas we have in the states at this point are all that will be coming in. Female alpacas reproduce having only 1 cria per year if all goes well. As breeders, we are all working towards a viable textile industry. The first part is being met - the breeding of high quality animals. The second - the production of high quality alpaca product (value adding) is in it's infancy. There are only around 62k alpaca breeders registered with our national association (AOBA) and it's believed that over 1-2 million alpacas to maintain a viable fiber market. Right now and for the forseeable future demand for thier amazing fleece outstrips the supply. I think that investing in alpacas in our current economy is a fantastic idea due to the facts that they are insurable (you can't insure your 401k.) You get the tax benefits of the farming community etc. You'll find more detail on the pages I gave you earlier. One thing you need to be sure and know is this is not a "get rich quick" industry. You will have to work to market youself, breed for high quality etc. as in any new business. We have been raising alpacas for just over 5 years now. We started with two fiber boys just to get a feel of caring for and raising them. Two months later we bought just ONE pregnant female and financed her through the breeder we bought her from. She had a boy which slowed down our production. If she had a female, that female would have been breeding age in two years. To speed up production, we cashed in a portion of our 401k and bought two more pregnant females. We are now up to 15 alpacas. How you pay for your alpacas is a decision you and your husband need to make together. Cashing in a portion of our 401k was risky but in the present economy and the fact that we could insure the alpacas...it made sense to us. You can email me privately at phyllis@shadycreekfarm.net if you'd like. I can ramble on and on.

Comment by Sherri-Lynn Parkinson on December 19, 2008 at 4:06pm

Just found this group, THANK YOU. I have the same worries and fears. All I keep thinking about is what happened with all those people who invested in ostriches about 5 10 years ago. The market became saturated with newcomers and it decimated such a novel livestock market. Could alpacas be in danger of this. From my perspective I am bringing in my husband and children with this investment idea, we are not rich (like most alpaca breeders seem to be!) and if we (I) fail the money will be sorely missed.
I live in Canada and there are only about 25, 000 here so there is more growth.
Anyways thanks for the group I look forward to ideas and inspiration.

Comment by Nikki Brown on November 6, 2008 at 7:12pm

Who else is painfully and patiently waiting for the time when all their affairs are in order to buy their first alpaca!?