Re: [Alpacasite] Re: Getting More People into the Alpaca Industry

Sue,

I kind of feel like your last email was directed at us....let's set the record straight.

We concur with you that not everyone needs to get into the industry if they can not handle the long term financial requirements.

Further, we are offering prepaid courses as part of our packages we will be offering to ensure that the new ranches are set to enter the industry with the right understanding.

We believe that all new breeders should attend courses taught by experts like Steve Hull and Norm Evans. Each of the members of our team have attended classes at Louisville and other locations.

Jim Patrick
Patricks' Pastures Alpaca Ranch & Habitat
3030 N. Trinity Rd.
Denton, TX 76208
940-323-1011 (Ranch Office)
214-505-0754 (Jim Patrick's Mobile)
patrickspastures@verizon.net
www.patrickspastures.com
----- Original Message -----
From: andesdandies
To: Alpacasite@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Saturday, November 26, 2005 8:14 AM
Subject: [Alpacasite] Re: Getting More People into the Alpaca Industry

Judith,

I concur, but will go one further. There is an equally large problem
of animals being cared for by people who are not experienced in large
animal care and breeding, who buy from people who don't give them a
realistic orientation, and who don't back up the sale with support.
These buyers get in over their heads financially, true, but also the
animals end up paying the price for the disreguard and irresponsible
actions of the seller.

We, the collective 'we' as an industry, have a moral and ethical
obligation to make sure the buyers are informed consumers. In our own
business, we have declined to sell to people who were there with cash
in hand, but who could not demonstrate that they understood the full
responsibilities - the handwriting was on the wall that things were
not going to go well down the line, and we weren't going to risk the
health and perhaps life of our animals just to make a sale. Not to
mention the bad publicity for us as well as the industry as a whole
if people get into the business unprepared and have bad outcomes.

We have also sold to new breeders who need support, we give it, and
the animals do well as do the buyers. There are also the investment
buyers who know they don't know about animal care, and don't want to,
so they let the seller continue to manage the animals, which is
another very good option for a lot of people. Someone mentioned the
Thoroughbred horse industry, there are a LOT of investors in the
horse world who do not own a farm and don't know the first thing
about the daily care of animals, they pay the farms to manage the
animals, that is not a new concept at all.

Just a little rambling,

Sue Zelazny
Andes Dandies, LLC
http://www.andesdandies.com
Middleport, NY

--- In Alpacasite@yahoogroups.com, Judith Korff/Ladysong Farm
<judithkorff@y...> wrote:
>
> I know this will not be a popular view, but I want to add a
cautionary about the need to bring increasing numbers of people into
the industry. We have to be very careful in our marketing not
to "oversell" our industry. There are many people who would be
interested in owning/breeding alpacas but who are not really suited
for the job, whether by temperament, economic situation, family
issues, etc. but who could easily be sold alpacas. These are the
people who will definitely go under! Talk about the statistics for
divorce -- imagine if one spouse were sold into the industry and the
other was hesitant/skeptical or worse, outright opposed. It sets up
a situation where divorce, and probably the dissolution of the herd,
inevitable. Also those with very restricted economic resources; we
need to be very honest and upfront about the expenses of being in
this industry, and the willingness of an owner to "go hungry," if
necessary, for the benefit of his/her herd. Long-time farmers are
> aware of the need to put the needs of their business before their
own; very few new alpaca owners are long-time farmers (although I see
that changing in some regions). Let's be very cautious about how we
go about bringing new people into the business, and not let our own
need to make a sale drive another person into something he/she is
not, in the long run, suited for. Please!
>
>
> Judith Korff
> LadySong Farm
> 2473 Bunker Hill Rd.
> P.O. Box 33
> Steamburg, NY 14783
> (716) 354-6355
> A Holistic Management Farm
> Conducting a Symphony of Quality, Value and Customer Care
>
>
> ---------------------------------
> Yahoo! Music Unlimited - Access over 1 million songs. Try it free.
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>

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