A couple of months ago I was approached by a helpful guy at the USDA who wondered how they could be helpful to alpaca farmers. I wanted my readers to hear some of the good 411 he had to share. Here is a guest post by Kevin Pearia from the USDA.

Government-backed home loans grow more popular each year.  Low-income families and individuals see programs like the USDA home loan as a way to make home ownership a reality.  People wanting to save some cash and live outside city limits should look into the USDA loan.

USDA HOME LOAN

The Department of Agriculture secures the USDA loan, which is specifically for farmers and low-income families. The goal of this program is to strengthen economies in rural areas across the nation. People moving into rural and suburb areas is the solution. The USDA also wants to give persons the chance to buy a home or property affordably.

The loan boasts a rare perk in the world of home loans—$0 down. Saving up for a down payment is usually the biggest burden for homebuyers. Take that out of the equation and most people could start the exciting process of homeownership.

The loan also gives homebuyers extra financing for renovations of a home or farm.

Applicants should work to repair credit to a good standing and meet debt-to-income ratio standards.

ELIGIBILITY

To be eligible, applicants must determine whether the location of their property is within USDA approved locales.  Applicants will also need to fall within a certain income bracket.

If you or anyone you know is looking to move to a rural area, go ahead and take the time to find  out more info about USDA loans today!

This is a really FAST video that TRIES to explore the fact that people get tax advantages from raising alpacas. I think it comes off a bit confusing.

But the way I see it – any publicity is good publicity.

What did you think about this video? Leave us a comment and tell us your thoughts.

The Straw that Broke the Camelid’s Back by Val Newell of The Green Alpaca

It was a rather simple day, daily chores, and a visit to a friend’s alpaca farm, all carefully planned.  On the ride to the farm, in the quietness, I thought about the emails I had been receiving in my inbox… with a heavy heart.

One of the emails said, “Alpaca Herd for sale, all offers considered.” The email went on to explain that the owners had a small herd of alpacas that were deeply loved, but they were losing their house due to being laid off. They were desperately seeking a loving home for their charge. It was truly heart breaking.  I have received many emails that sound very familiar.  I thought about another email I had received where in the proud new owners of an alpaca selling for over $600,000 were boasting of their new herdsire.  I thought to myself, there is something wrong here, and I felt unsettled, and rather agitated.

As I got to my friends farm, we had a great visit, talked a little about the future of the industry and then I was told, that there is a restaurant in Somewhere USA that is featuring “alpaca” on the menu.  My heart sank, cementing my deep resentment that something just wasn’t right with this industry.  Later that night, a person called me about an alpaca who was in a dog pen alone, and humming constantly. Apparently a single male alpaca had been sold as a “pet”… and banished to a solitary life in a 6×8 chain link dog pen. That, my friend was the final straw, the straw that broke the Camelid’s back.

At that point I started searching the internet for new ideas, something that would turn the alpaca industry around, a “cottage” type industry to honor, and value, so that our alpacas would not be left to these sad fates.

I researched about starting a new industry. I actually went and registered the domain name CIABA.ORG. aka Cottage Industry Alpaca Breeders Association.   At this point I didn’t have a clue how to actually let people know of the organization, but I had a plan, and more passion for change than you can hold in one earth!

In my searches I met a wonderful woman with true vision for the future of alpacas and the industry. She was inspiring, and gave me even more strength for change.

I knew I needed help to get the Cottage Industry Alpaca Breeders Association going, so I started writing on all the alpaca  forums about change, about honoring all alpacas, about another choice … The most amazing thing is that there were so many other people out there thinking along the same line! All across the country and even the world, one visionary after another chimed in, another offered to compile ideas, and then another took the ball and started the whole thing rolling! We formed an open communication forum calling it Brainstorming, and we built our website. Many talented and forward thinking people have added to a wonderful grassroots organization!  We are proud to announce,  CIABA as the national Cottage Industry Alpaca Breeders Association. We will also be establishing an alpaca rescue organization within the fold. This organization is filled with enthusiasm and positive momentum for change!

Our Mission Statement:

To honor and promote those North American alpacas that do not fit the typical show ring criteria.  Silky, fine uniform fiber or fiber that is variegated or unique.  To educate the public about areas of fiber, fiber arts, end products and animal husbandry.

To promote the growth of the alpaca fiber industry and to educate the consumer about why alpaca fiber is unique and was once called “Fiber of the Gods.”  To promote the industry as a viable and sustainable fiber and farming industry for all economic levels and to have all who hold to these high standards prosper.

Our Code of Ethics:

1 – To honor both the North American commercial and cottage markets of alpacas and alpaca products

2 – To treat alpacas with respect and care for them in a manner that is happy, healthy and stress free

3 – To utilize alpacas only for fiber or breeding stock – but not for an end product of meat

4 – To treat any other breeding, regardless of size, breeding direction, commercial or cottage with respect and honor and a sense of community

5 – To respect other Alpaca International, National and Local affiliates for the commercial industry even if only breeding on the cottage side

6 – To cooperate with other breeders on knowledge, health care, fiber knowledge and events for the betterment of all alpacas

We believe that by honoring all alpacas, our industry will continue to flourish; we invite you to consider joining CIABA… www.ciaba.org

Alpaca Farmgirl’s comments:

This sounds like a much needed organization. There is not much money to be made in a commercial fiber market when compared to a cottage fiber market, and we already have a cottage industry. Why not organize it, and capitalize on the animals we already have? Love it, Val! You’re my hero!

What do the rest of you think? Please leave us your comments below.

I’m a huge believer in having signs on your vehicle to market your alpaca business. While you are driving around town people see you. They stop at red lights. They get bored. They look around.

Most people have never heard of an alpaca. They’ve never seen one. If your sign is good, if it intrigues them,…maybe they will look up your website later. They might give you a call. (Be sure to have a call to action on your sign.) They might even buy an alpaca from you. Stranger things have happened.

Signs just make good common sense so I’m not going to beat you over the head with this one. If people don’t know about you they can’t do business with you. So let them know you are there with SIGNS!

As a practical matter, you should at least have signs on your farm truck and your trailer. Consider having signs on the vehicle you drive the most frequently as well. Because I’m a mother of four children, I drive a van everywhere so I had signs made for my van. I started out with magnetic signs on the sides of the van. My oldest child complained that people at stoplights stared at us (“So embarrassing MOM!“), so instead I had signage put on the back of the van (above). This helped because the people behind us at lights read the sign and people in parking lots read it.

But how well does it really work? Let me share this story with you.

A man was driving home from work. He was frustrated with his job, sick of the rat race. Just the night before he had joked to his lady friend, “I’m thinking about chucking it all and raising alpacas.”  He had seen a commercial about the cute little creatures and thought they seemed like a lot more fun than his stressful job. He looked up at the next stoplight.

My van was in front of him.

“You are kidding me,” he thought. “Alpacas in Fairhope?” He called me the next day to make an appointment to visit the farm. And within a couple of months he had purchased two female alpacas from me. True story of serious business from a sign that had cost me less than $150.

So, what are you waiting for? Go put those signs on your car!

Read the Other Secrets The Sell Alpacas:

Secrets That Sell Alpacas #1 Participate in the FRG

Secrets That Sell Alpacas #2 Have an Internet Presence

Secrets That Sell Alpacas #3 Get your business card OUT there.

Secrets That Sell Alpacas #4 Don’t forget your Veterinarian.

Secrets That Sell Alpacas #5 Be Enthusiastic!

Do you have a marketing tip to share? Leave a comment. We’d love to hear it!

]]> http://www.alpacafarmgirl.com/farmbusiness/2010/04/25/secrets-that-sell-alpacas-6/feed/ 0 http://www.alpacafarmgirl.com/farmbusiness/2009/12/04/its-a-green-christmas-for-alpacas/ http://www.alpacafarmgirl.com/farmbusiness/2009/12/04/its-a-green-christmas-for-alpacas/#comments Fri, 04 Dec 2009 16:45:45 +0000 Katy http://www.alpacafarmgirl.com/farmbusiness/?p=1114

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!

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.

Does It Make Sense To Consistently Occupy One Niche?

You bet it does! Families go out with their kids to McDonalds. These kids sprout into budget-conscious teenagers that hang out at McDonalds. They have kids and grandkids and guess where they all end up. At the big yellow ‘M’, that’s where!

Santa doesn’t waver. His customers are kids. Like several marketers, he might have been sorely tempted to enter the gift market. With bad advice, he would have tried to get to teenagers, adults and everyone. Can you see the magic still working? Even the tiniest of niches is huge and niches have a way of expanding by themselves.

At the end of the day, it’s the consistency that takes the jingle all the way to the bank. Too many companies lose focus and give you seven reasons why you should buy from them. Santa sticks to one: Be a ‘good’ kid or you can keep hoping!

You Can Spot Him in the Middle of a Crowded Sky
Do you know anyone who comes to visit on a sleigh in the middle of the night? With reindeer and gifts? The reason why Santa stands out so vividly in our memories is because he’s different. The postman does the same thing, but leaves without the flourish.

It’s Really Important To Work Out How Your Marketing Message Differs
Santa’s core marketing term is not built solely on consistent branding but also on a very hard-nosed differentiation. Too much communication out there fits in with what’s safe. Customers have just one slot in their mind. You have to enter that slot at such an obtuse angle that they remember you for life.

Rose Richards runs Office Doctor. What sets her apart from all the rest of the administration crowd is the term, Small business pain relief. Can you imagine your reaction when you hear something like that?

The human mind is intensely curious and a marketing statement like that is pure bait. You want to know what pain relief she brings and how she goes about it-specially if you’re the one in pain. That’s only half the story. The construction of the message elevates her from simple number crunching to brain surgery and makes her unique.

If you want differentiation you need look no further than the guiding light of Santa’s sleigh– Rudolph, with his shiny nose. Can you even remember the names of the rest of the eight reindeer?

One very important point, however, is that the marketing message isn’t just different, but also customer-oriented. Rose takes the clutter out of administration and Rudolph provides a beacon for clearer navigation.

If you don’t have a benefit for the customer, just being different is going to get you nowhere.

Give and You Shall Receive
How many of you are out there networking like crazy? Trying desperately to fill in your steadily depleting bank reserves? You want, want, want! Take a look at Santa’s style.

He’s into giving first. If you probe deep into your mind, you’ll find the people you like best are those who have given you their time, their money or their knowledge. You trust them, and it’s very hard to say no when they ask you for a favour in return.

The deepest core of human emotions is fear. Every single product or service, without exception, is sold on the basis of a problem. The only known antidote to fear is TRUST. When trusts struts upwards, fear banishes itself to penguin land. The more you pile up the trust, the more you can do business.

Wouldn’t Santa be able to sell you just about anything? Would he be able to cross-sell and up-sell product? Santa could knock on your door next summer and you’d be more than happy to have him join your barbeque.

It’s up to you to build up the trust one Lego block at a time. Identify your clients and see what you can give them. It could be information, time or even a chocolate covered scrumptious cookie. It’s the old ‘What’s in it for me?’ theory. If you can’t find something calorie-ridden for their minds or bodies, they won’t want to see you.

Play Santa. It works.
He Knows if You’ve Been Bad or Good…

Heck Santa knows his customers. He even knows when you are sleeping, or awake.

Then, there’s you. Look at your biggest customer. What’s her name? When is her birthday? Does she like Indian curries or sushi? In curries can she handle hot or medium? What does she think about you? What doesn’t she like?

You’re guessing for sure. You can’t be dead certain because you’ve been so busy looking at dollar signs that you’ve missed the plot completely.

The reason why Santa’s marketing works is because he intimately knows your individual needs. If you want a drum kit, you get one. If you want a Barbie, you don’t up sulking with a xylophone.

Santa knows because he’s interested in giving. To give, you have to know exactly what the receiver wants or your gift is not worth the packaging it’s wrapped in.

Some people worry about invading personal privacy. Hogwash! When was the last time you got upset because a supplier turned up with a big chocolate cake (your favourite) for your birthday? or with rare stamps for your son (because he loves collecting stamps)?

Santa’s invades our privacy gently and uses it to give, not to take. That’s why we don’t mind it. The tax department on the other hand, uses our information to take and therein lies the principal difference.

Once a Customer, Always a Customer.

Santa Doesn’t Lose Customers. Period.
One of the primary reasons why he’s able to achieve this amazing feat is because he thinks of his customer’s customer. His customer is the kid, who in a few years gets a little wiser about Santa and his customer’s customer is the parent who has the amazing power to get their children to be nice not naughty, if only for a short while.

Since the concept works in their favour, they do all the advertising. Without TV, radio or the internet, Santa’s message gets a grip on millions of kids around the planet. These kids grow up and the marvel of Santa is handed down through the generations.

While It’s OK For Santa, How Would This Work In The Real World? Say, If You Sold Jeans.

Jeans West, a jean retailer, has several of the answers. I needed one pair, but Stephanie (the sales girl) sold me two–not by hassling me, but by gently reminding me I would get $20 off the second pair.

Then, with my purchase, she gave me a gift voucher of $10, for my use or to pass on. They, also signed me up for a loyalty program that offered to give me a 10% discount if I purchased over $250 worth of product in the next 6 months.

This Is Effectively What Jeans West Did to Make Me a Permanent Customer.
Step 1: The sales person asked the right questions to find out my need.
Step 2: She up-sold the product giving me good value for money.
Step 3: A gift voucher with a validity date, ensured an additional purchase. Or even better, the chance for me to pass it on to another person thus ‘creating a customer’ for Jeans West.
Step 4: Tying my fickle consumer head into a loyalty scheme. They wanted me to stay with them forever.

Santa’s steps may vary, but in essence he ties you into a solid loyalty program that is near impossible to get off. It’s ‘customer get customer’, rather than ‘advertising get customer.’ It’s cheaper and it works!

In conclusion here are the main points why Santa’s customers keeps coming back. These concepts may sound old, even trite, but have been proven time after time to work well. Test them against your company and brand to see where you can learn from the man from the North Pole.

1) Solid branding: We’re not talking lease here. Consistency is the key. This applies everywhere from networking meetings, advertising to any sort of communication that goes out. Keep hammering home the same unique message and put it up front. The weather changes all the time which is why we can’t trust it.

If you must change, it’s because your old message isn’t doing a complete job. I changed our first baseline from ‘Recession proof business principles’ to ‘Reactivating dormant business clients.’
The proposition was the same but the second line got 10 times the response.

2) Differentiation: Santa knows he can be a courier with a difference. You, too, can create your own legend. Nike used Just Do It. Coke threw in the concept, Rum and Coke, indelibly burning the word classic into our consciousness. Sameness is in your mind. No matter how many brands exist on the market, your product has a fingerprint of its own. You just have to dig deep to find out.

3) Build trust by giving first. Life is all about sowing, then reaping-but sowing comes first. If you don’t give first, you will only get limited results. The more you stop thinking of yourself and focus on what the customer needs instead, the more you are trusted. Business is all about trust. If you don’t have it, you’re yesterday’s soup.

4) Know your customer… Like you know the hair on your head. Data collection and its optimum usage will get you right into their minds and keep you permanently rooted in. Every time they see you, they should think you are Santa coming to town.

5) Reactivate dormant clients.  They are all volcanoes. Sitting there with the power to erupt mightily. Figure out who they are and how you can work in tandem with them. Forget your product or service. That’s a given– It has to be good. Find out the ‘everything else’ factor and you will keep them for life.

Like Santa does…

Next Step: If you haven’t already done so, collect your FREE Santas. There are lots of this lovable man from the North Pole. Click here to get Free Fun Santas

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Product Offers: Links you should visit

1)  Is your next website or business card going to be a huge waste of money? Do you know precise psychological branding triggers to ensure that it never happens?
Read what others say and judge for yourself. Click here Brain Audit Testimonials.

2) 5000bc Community: How can you get reliable answers to your complex marketing problems? (And how on earth do you find answers to these questions at 3:25 in the morning?). Find out how at
http://www.psychotactics.com/5000bc

3) How hard can it be to structure a testimonial? Why pay $39 to learn how to put a customer quote on your website? Find out ‘WHY’ at
http://www.psychotactics.com/testimonialsecrets

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Article By: Sean D’Souza
Wouldn’t you love to stumble upon a sec’ret library of small business ideas? Find simple, yet electrifying ideas, on copywriting, public speaking, marketing strategies, sa’les conversion, psychological tactics and branding.
Head down to http://www.psychotactics.com today and judge for yourself.

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.

I hope we can all still think of an example of the 20% of good customer service providers.  Maybe you went to a new restaurant, the food wasn’t so great, the lighting was a little dim but you were greeted and served by a bubbling waitress.  You didn’t have to ask for more water because she was there to fill your glass before you said a word.  When you thought you wanted pork chops, she’s paused at her order pad and quietly whispered, “They’re a little dry tonight – how about a steak instead?”  These are the kinds of simple gestures that make you return, to give it another chance.  Even though part of your experience was less than ideal, the warm personality and customer service of the waitress made you remember the night in a more positive way.

The alpaca industry is no different with regard to customer service than the grocery store or restaurant exemplified above.  Some farms are good, some not so good.  At a Suri Farm, we’re working to be in the top 1% of the 20%.  Nothing pleases us more than to have someone say, “Thanks, you’ve been so helpful.”  We know that the way we respond to customers not only reflects on our farm but also on the industry as a whole.  If we treat people well, they’ll come back to us as repeat customers.  If they feel satisfied that they’ve received good customer service, they’ll send us new customers!  This is how we will build a Suri Farm into a successful alpaca breeding business.

Providing good customer service can be simple if you follow a few basic rules -
Be positive and truthful, be understanding of your customers’ needs and communicate openly with them.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had people say to me (sometimes with a sneer on their face), “You’re always so happy.”  Sometimes my sarcastic side leaps out and I’d love to retort, “I’m sorry, I’ll try harder to be grumpy and miserable…would that please you?”  I think a positive attitude is contagious.  I don’t live in a dream world; I know there are curmudgeons who just don’t want to smile but I REFUSE to let their negative attitude override my positive one.  In my rules of good customer service I said be positive AND be truthful.  Even when you have to deliver bad news, you can do it in a manner that will buffer any negative response from your customer.  It is of utmost importance that you always be truthful when dealing with customers.  I don’t care how good you think you are at “bending the truth” it will always come back to haunt you and damage the reputation of your farm.

My second “simple” step to good customer service calls for understanding your customers’ needs.  Are you a good listener?  Or were you too busy thinking of what you wanted to say or do to hear what your customer really wanted or needed.  Sometimes, to understand your customers’ needs means sending them to another farm to purchase an animal that you don’t have.  Trust me, you may have lost one sale that day but you will gain the long-term respect of that customer and of the referred to farm.  You will also, inevitably have a customer sent to you by one or both of them.  Often if a salesperson doesn’t listen to his or her customer and forces a sale of something the customer didn’t want – that customer will never shop in that store again.  Not only that, but that customer will be reminded of the bad experience every time she looks at that dress or scarf or alpaca she didn’t really want to buy.

Last, and certainly not least, is that you MUST communicate with your customers.  Be it in person, by phone or via e-mail good lines of communication equal good customer service.  In today’s world of instant messaging, text messaging, cell phones, landline phones, etc. there is no excuse for poor or lacking communication.  Even if you have bad news to deliver, you must deliver the news.  If the customer’s dam won’t get pregnant by your herdsire, don’t avoid calling them.  Pick up the phone and discuss their options with them.  Resolve the issue together.  I can almost guarantee you that the overall response will be positive.  No, they won’t be pleased to hear that their dam’s not pregnant, but your positive willingness to get to the bottom of the problem will speak volumes about you and your farm and the good customer service you provide.

And good communication skills and customer service don’t end when the alpaca leaves your farm in the trailer.  If you want to have repeat customers who tout your farm to others, you must follow up with them.  Call or e-mail in a few weeks to check on the alpaca.  Send a thank you for your purchase card.  Keep that client informed of events going on at your farm.

I hope these tips will help you to provide excellent customer service to your client.  I challenge you to be one of the 20% gang.

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!

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.

Tip # 3 – Proven Herdsires Give You A Leg Up

Experienced breeders will most likely read the title of this article and instantly assume that proven is the better option here. I will lay-out the pros and cons of both arguments here, and come to the conclusion that proven males are in fact, the way to go for new prospective buyers.

Young and Sexy…

So a breeder friend calls you up and begins to boast about their new jr. herdsire / show prospect. With curiosity knocking on the door, you set-up for a time to visit. The upcoming weekend you drive down and your friend halters up the much heralded male. At six months old his fleece is a spinners dream and coverage that will demand the presence of any onlooker. All of a sudden a dazzling slideshow of the future flashes in your brain- images of breeders applauding you winning a Championship at AOBA Nationals, and going on to sell his offspring for six figures… And, he’s only $15,000 with all this potential! SOLD.

Three months later you are at the first show of the spring season, and your highly touted new jr. herdsire doesn’t look as impressive anymore next to the “Big Guns”. Nonetheless, you gladly took 2nd Place. By summer you and your future star have won two blue ribbons and a couple 2nd or 3rds- a successful season by many standards. The next year his fleece doesn’t come back quite as fine, and you decide this boy’s show career is over.

This is a common situation among all breeders. The idea of being in early on a future Champion producing stud is very persuading. Sometimes you pick em’, but more often you won’t, and the worst is still possible- buying an infertile male without a reproduction guarantee in his contract.

Pros Cons

- Purchase before animal’s peak value - Might lose value if not shown well

- Name recognition in marketing and shows – Could be infertile or produce poor quality

- Lag time until able to breed

They know the drill…

So you recently received an auction catalogue for the upcoming sale next month. One male in particular catches your eye who appears to be big and robust in his photo, is backed by quality genetics, and recently became proven with cria on the ground. At the sale you find the male and take a look at his fleece bag– fine and crimpy at almost four years old?! No show record though…You decide he’s the one though, and end up buying him for $15,000- completely under the radar.

From here the “bargain” could fulfill itself and the herdsire produce quality offspring and sell some breedings. The chances of this happening are more in your favor, the better the genetics are backing your male. Or, your $15k investment might not return due to poor production quality.

Pros Cons

- Ready to breed immediately - More difficult to find these “diamonds in the rough” at later ages

- Could be “under the radar” if never shown – Could be more difficult to promote

Nonetheless, the odds for long-term success are much more in your favor with example #2 Proven vs. #1 Unproven. Certainly going the latter route can be more frustrating as it can take longer finding the quality you want. However, for newer breeders especially, purchasing an already proven male offers you better production security, a “brand” to build, and well frankly, a herdsire who already knows what to do when he sees a maiden…

To go about either of these processes I suggest consulting an experienced breeder(s). If unbiased, they should send you in the right direction and even provide a list of promising bloodlines to invest in.

This tip contributed by Cooper Smith, Editor at the Alpaca Guy blog.

Tips From Successful Breeders Series:

Tip 1:Don’t Forget the Old Girls

Tip 2: Define Your Success