This is a new weekly feature with a tidbit of wisdom picked up along the way after ten plus years breeding alpacas. A nugget of knowledge that you don’t have when you are new to alpacas, but years down the road seems like a pretty important piece of info worth sharing.

Not to Pick The Most Handsome Male Stud

or

Don’t Judge A Book By It’s Cover When It Comes to Choosing A Herdsire.

It pays to look past the flash of good looks and ribbons and look at the science behind the male you are considering breeding to your female alpacas. Look at his offspring, his histograms, his skin biopsies, production records, etc. The “look” of a pretty face can set you back years behind the competition if you aren’t careful.

For more specifics read How Do You Know Which Sire To Hire by Alpaca Farmgirl Katy Spears

February 22nd, 2010 | Tags: alpaca farmgirl, Alpacas, breeding alpacas, Choosing a Herdsire, Fairhope Alpacas, herdsire, histogram, How Do You Know Which Sire To Hire, Judge, Katy Spears, newbie, production records, skin biopsies, ten years breeding alpacas, wisdom | Category: Alpacas, Business Matters, Farm Business, Good Breeding, Words of Wisdom | Comments (6)

Have you ever visited our Farm Business page? There’s lots of stuff to read there, including our Secrets that Sell Alpacas series.

Also on Alpaca Farmgirl Business:

• Paca Blues – Blue Jeans Made from Alpaca
• Stay Motivated in a Down Economy
• 3 Qualities Successful Breeders Share
• Determining Secondary Color in Your Alpacas
• 3 Truths for Small Business Owners
• Essential Resources for the New Breeder

and More… Check it out!

February 2nd, 2009 | Tags: Alpacas, breeder, economy, marketing, Paca Blues, Resources, sales, sell alpacas, small business owners, successful breeders | Category: Alpacas, Business Matters, Business Matters, Farm Business | Comments (3)

Check out the Secrets that Sell Alpacas Series on the Alpaca Farmgirl Farm Business page. Most tips can also apply to other types of livestock farmers and small businesses.

If you like these tips, consider subscribing to the Alpaca Farmgirl Business feed. (The feeds are different for our main page and for the business page.) Sign up for it on the Farm Business page in the upper right-hand corner and don’t miss a thing!

December 3rd, 2008 | Tags: alpaca farmgirl, Farm Business, livestock farmers, marketing, Marketing/Sales, sales, Secrets That Sell, small business | Category: Alpacas, Business Matters, Farm Business, Marketing/Sales, Resources, Secrets That Sell | Comments (2)

Financial experts are shuddering as people call in to say that they are pulling their money out of their banks and putting it under their mattresses. The money media is now uttering the words “good investment” and “alpacas” in the same sentence. During the nine years that I have been raising alpacas, I have never felt so mainstream, so “normal”, so endorsed! I have always known alpacas were a great investment, but let’s face it, most people thought I was kinda nuts.

Within the last month, alpacas have been featured in the Wall Street Journal, on MSNBC, and in local media. These reporters are saying that alpacas are a sound investment, in part due to compounding. Investopedia describes compounding as the ability of an asset to generate earnings, which are then reinvested in order to generate their own earnings. Alpacas reproduce most every year, with 1/2 of their cria being female. If one retains the female cria, those females will then produce offspring. This is considered “alpaca compounding”. Basically, your investment grows as your females have babies. More »

November 5th, 2008 | Tags: Alpacas, economy, financial, investment, mainstream | Category: Business Matters, Farm Business | Comments (6)