Photo and Artwork by Valerie Newell of The Green Alpaca

The Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association (AOBA) is giving alpaca breeders something to celebrate this holiday season!

Through AOBA’s public relations efforts, a press release was distributed to the media highlighting alpacas as a green business. As a result, Alpacas are being featured as the perfect green livestock on a syndicated television special called “It’s a Green Christmas.” This is one of the largest exposures of alpacas to the general public to date.  Being shown in over 120 television markets, this segment is worth over $200,000 in television air time.

The one hour show features a variety of ecologically beneficial businesses and products.  Alpacas are highlighted for over 3 minutes as an all around environmentally friendly livestock.  Alpacas are discussed as being easy on the land and efficient users of food with highly desired manure.

Showcasing the alpaca industry is video footage from AOBA’s National Conferences including models wearing beautiful alpaca fashions on the runway, fleece competition judging, individuals spinning alpaca fiber and consumers shopping for alpaca garments.  The show also includes a visit to Alpacas at Windy Hill in Somis, California where Cindy Harris was interviewed while holding a 3-day old cria.  Cindy did a terrific job of educating viewers about alpacas in general as well as the different types of alpaca fiber and the variety of end products.

“It’s a Green Christmas” is airing from November 21, 2009 through January 4, 2010 across the United States. For a list of airing times and stations, visit http://itsagreenchristmas.com.  More markets continue to be added to the schedule.

Note from Alpaca Farmgirl: Is AOBA back? Let’s hope this is a sign of things to come! Alpaca Farmgirl encourages you to sign up or renew your AOBA membership, and to participate in the AOBA Farm & Ranch Guide. AOBA works for us. Let’s support our organization and we will all benefit!

December 4th, 2009 | Tags: alpaca, alpaca fashions, Alpaca Industry, alpaca manure, Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association, alpacas, Alpacas at Windy Hill, AOBA, Cindy Harris, cria, easy on land, ecologically beneficial business, fleece competition, green, green livestock, It's a Green Christmas, spinning alpaca fiber | Category: Events, Farm Business, Marketing/Sales, alpacas | Comments (1)

Santa Claus and Coca-Cola: Experts on Branding

Santa Claus Inc. is well and profitable, right through recessions, depressions and just about any economic scenario. The reason why his marketing strategies work better than yours, is because he uses solid, dyed-in-the-wool psychology. He knows he doesn’t have to use new fangled techniques, when his simple marketing has stood the test of time.

If you don’t believe in Santa, you’d better change your mind, because the fat man from the north pole rocks on and you too can do the same if you stick to the basics. Find out if your product or service matches up by reading the article below.

Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle All the Way…
If you go to the heart of Santa’s marketing, the one word you come away with is ‘consistency’. Generation after generation have been exposed to one brand, one message, and the same powerful imagery.

Just like Mercedes own the term ‘luxury’ and Volvo owns the term ’safety’, Santa owns the word ‘hope’. Every kid worth his Nintendo, hopes he’s got enough points on the goodness scale to justify a mountain of gifts.

Yet, most companies get tired of their own brand. They chop, change and pour thousands (if not millions) of dollars into a bottomless pit of mindless change. Take a look at McDonald’s advertising, for instance. McDonald’s own the word family outing yet their ads have been straying down the teenager path.
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December 1st, 2009 | Tags: marketing, Psychotactics, Santa Claus, Sean D Sousa, Sean D'Souza | Category: Marketing/Sales | Comments (1)

This post contributed by Monica Klein from A Suri Farm.

I have a brother (actually, I have four brothers) who has this goofy hypothesis he calls the “80:20 Rule.”  I’m beginning to learn that my brother, John, may not be so far off base in his thinking.  His rule says that in the world of customer service 80% of the time, you get a moron (his word, not mine) and 20% of the time, you actually get someone who knows what they’re doing.

I think we all can cite examples that would prove John’s theory to be true even if the numbers don’t fall exactly at 80 and 20.  You know what I mean, I’m sure of it.  Remember the last time you were in the checkout line at a store and after the cashier had rung in your purchase and then typed in the $10 you handed him… you found that penny in the bottom of your pocket so you’d get a quarter back instead of twenty-four cents?  You know what I’m about to say… the deer-caught-in-headlights stare…the oh-my-God-I’ve-already-hit-the-cash-tendered-button-now-what-do-I-do look.  That is a prime example of the 80% group.  I don’t want to be one of them. More »

October 12th, 2009 | Tags: A Suri Farm, alpaca, alpaca breeding business, Alpaca Industry, alpacas, customer service, Monica Klein | Category: Business Matters, Farm Business | Comments (1)

Mariann Marsh, Founder of Alpaca Social interviews alpaca expert Ian Watt, of Alpaca Consulting Services USA, former President of the Australian Alpaca Association.

Listen to this audio/video to hear Ian’s secrets for breeding for exceptional alpaca fleece. In this interview he talks about how you can tell if a young male  has herdsire potential. He also gives you some details on skin biopsies. When should you do them? And what will they tell you?

This is a must-see video for any serious alpaca breeder. Ian usually charges a lot of money for speaking engagements where he shares this very information. You can get it for FREE here!

October 2nd, 2009 | Tags: alpaca, Alpaca Consulting Services, alpaca fiber, alpaca fleece, Alpaca Social, alpacas, audio, Australian Alpaca Association, density, fiber growth rate, Ian Watt, skin biopsies, video | Category: Farm Business, Farm Resources | Leave a comment

Mariann Marsh, Founder of Alpaca Social interviews alpaca expert Ian Watt, of Alpaca Consulting Services USA, former President of the Australian Alpaca Association.

Listen to this audio/video to hear Ian’s secrets for breeding for exceptional alpaca fleece. In this interview he shares how to feed your male alpacas for less $, how many years you can expect usable fleece from your alpacas, and how you can find out your alpacas’ stress level.

This is a must-see video for any serious alpaca breeder! Bear with it during the slow spots. The valuable nuggets of alpaca info that Ian shares is truly worth it.

September 20th, 2009 | Tags: alpaca, Alpaca Consulting Services, alpaca fiber, alpaca fleece, Alpaca Social, audio, Australian Alpaca Association, fiber growth rate, Ian Watt, video | Category: Business Matters, Farm Business, Farm Resources, Good Breeding | Leave a comment

September 8th, 2009 | Tags: alpaca, alpaca breeders, alpacas, breeders, herdsires, proven, successful alpaca breeders, tips | Category: Farm Business, Tips for Success | Leave a comment

Magical Farms

In what can only be described as a brilliant business move, Magical Farms has rolled out an innovative alpaca sales/trade program called “Currency for Classics” . Inspired by the “Cash for Clunkers” automobile program, this program has alpaca breeders trading in, ahem, older model females for younger stock. Numerous jokes spring to mind about trading in the old broad for a newer model, but hilarity aside, the plan makes great financial sense for Buyers as well as for Magical.

I spoke with Tripp Forstner recently about the new program, which was his idea. “I thought of it awhile back, but we had to work out the details.”

The program works like this:

• You trade in your older female who has reached the end of her reproductive career (or are getting close to it). Magical Farms will give them a good home in one of their retirement pastures. They retain the right to breed the female, and they might do so, depending on her situation.
• In exchange, You receive 25% towards the purchase price of another alpaca from their sales list up to $5,000.
• You pay 25% down
• You may finance the other 50% over 4 years.

Magical Farms is one of the largest farms in America, with a herd of over 1600 alpacas and 400 acres of pasture. Not many farms would have the space and staff to take on a lot of older alpacas, but this one does. They are offering a nice “retirement village” for gals who have outlived their production lives when it comes to fiber and cria. (Alpaca fiber becomes shorter and more coarse with age. Most geriatric alpaca fiber can only be used for felting.)

In exchange, breeders can purchase newer stock with longer productivity and infuse new genetics into their herd. As females get older, they can be a financial liability to the farm when one considers feed and vet bills. Unloading these expenditures in exchange for a production animal can be a good solution for many farms watching their profit margins.

“It’s a win-win program,” says Tripp. “We gain new customers and new bloodlines, and people now have an option for their older girls. I love the older girls.”

Currency for Classics began on August 13th and will be going on for a limited time only. I spoke with Ty Forstner of Magical Farms this morning. He confirmed that the well-received program has been working well and generating sales.  Learn more about the program here. Watch a video about Magical Farms.

What do you think of this idea? What other innovative business ideas have you seen recently?

September 3rd, 2009 | Tags: alpaca, alpacas, Buyers, Currency for Classics, geriatric alpacas, Magical Farms, older females, Sellers, Tripp Forstner, video | Category: Business Matters, Farm Business | Comments (3)

Define Your Success

We might automatically think of success in terms of $$, but if you think a little harder, there are other ways to define success. Maybe what you want is to be your own boss, to be able to take a vacation when you want to (after you find a ranch sitter), to work outside every day, or to be in charge of your own destiny.  Perhaps you want to raise your children in a farm environment that teaches them naturally about birth, death and responsibilities.

Money does not always equal happiness, there are many people who have lots of money and are very unhappy.

Remember to have fun! Enjoy the process of farming and the life you have on your farm.

This tip contributed by successful alpaca breeder Linda Gardner of Blue Moon Ranch.

Read Tip #1.

August 12th, 2009 | Tags: alpaca, alpacas, farm, Success, successful alpaca breeders, tips | Category: Business Matters, Farm Business, Tips for Success | Comments (1)

When Do You Take Calls?

Farmers and Ranchers are often out in the fields working during the day.

• When do you like to conduct your business over the phone?
• When is the best time to call you? (Not unsolicited of course. Calls from your suppliers, colleagues, customers, etc.)

July 30th, 2009 | Tags: alpacas, business, business contacts, calling, calls, farmers, phone calls, Ranchers | Category: Business Matters, Farm Business | Leave a comment