[Alpacasite] re: $205,000 Female- and Ken

Good post Ray. Too bad though, we can't ask Ken what he thinks... he's been banned again.
I thought we were voting on this? Did I miss the results?
Ciao~
Rachelle

Wyatt & Rachelle Black
Black Magic Alpaca Ranch
Honesty, Integrity, Quality
6500 Digier Road
P.O. Box 457
Lebec, CA
93243
http://www.blackmagicalpacaranch.com
wyattblack@earthlink.net
661-248-6568

Message: 10
Date: Wed, 7 Dec 2005 13:19:53 EST
From: leraso1711@aol.com
Subject: $205,000 Female

In a message dated 12/7/2005 11:31:54 AM Central Standard Time,
sondac@aol.com writes:

That is the tulip bulb craze in Holland in the
1600's. If you want to review the basics, look up "tulip bulb mania".
It was getting so bizarre that people were selling everything they owned ??�
their homes, their livestock, everything ??� for the privilege of owning tulips,
on the expectation that the bulbs would continue to grow in value.

The difference is folks were selling everything to buy the tulip bulbs. The
alpaca community is a very narrow niche in the economy. Anybody selling
everything they own to buy an alpaca deserves what they get. A study done by
Deloitte Consulting, L. L. C. earlier this year concluded that the Equine
industry contributes $39 Billion to the US economy. When indirect costs are
included, the total economic impact of $102,000,000,000. Yes, 102 Billion
Dollars. There are in excess of 9.2 million lawn mowers, hay burners, call em
whatcha like out there (I worked with them as a child and would never own another
one). Our little alpaca industry has a looooong way to go. That doesn't
mean we shouldn't look to the future. We have been avid supporters of the Co-op
from our early days. I am disappointed in the lack of support the Co-op is
receiving. I attribute this to most of our owners are breeders, not fleece
producers. I believe support will grow as lower quality animals prices trend
downward and a larger return on investment can be realized by building a
vertically integrated business from commodity to end-user. We need the John
Merrell's, the Ken Madl's, Ian Watt's of the world, they are our sirens for the
future. I may not agree with all their opinions, but I respect them.
Regarding high prices, it is all relative. I categorize our new buyers into three
categories: Breeders, betweeners and collectors. Breeders are folks that
have livestock or breeding experience and understand the animals and the
opportunity to build a business. Betweeners, are in the middle of Breeders and
Collectors. They have a little land, some $$, understand the tax benefits, are
looking for another avocation or business venture (that's Leraso Farm) and
understand the risks, there are no guarantees. Collectors have the money, the
land and the desire. Not meaning to sound arrogant, but for some of that
crowd what they spend on the alpacas may get lost in the rounding when
calculating their net worth. They want what they perceive to be the best and will pay
for it. My hope is that everybody; the breeder, betweener and collector
enjoys their animals. That is our number one question for new breeders - do
you enjoy the animals and the lifestyle that accompanies them. This includes
cleaning, caring, feeding, etc.
Regardless, it's been a glorious journey over the past 8 years and the
future has never looked brighter.
Ray Rodriguez
Leraso Farm Alpacas

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

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