[Alpacasite] Re: Llama in car...

Where did you get that figure of $50 for a fleece grade alpaca in
Australia? Even Marino sheep cost $200 and up worldwide.

Are you trying to say a fleece alpaca is worth 1/4 what a Marino
sheep is?

Greystone Manor
Gary Epp

--- In Alpacasite@yahoogroups.com, Susan Gawarecki
<llamaladysg@y...> wrote:
>
> Kathryn Coursey wrote:
>
> <<MAJOR differences in how the llama industry and the
> alpaca
> Industry are organized and run..... Makes for a HUGE
> difference in How the pricing changes over time. Has
> proven to be so far and
> Looks to be in future a very SLOW and acceptable price
> drop in
> SOME alpacas as we become better able to distinguish
> desirability
> And are better able to breed FOR those traits. >>
>
> The alpaca industry seems to be where the llama
> industry was about 15 years ago. At that time, llama
> owners were breeding all females, prices were
> sky-high, and new owners were investing in droves. I
> agree that the alpaca industry has done a magnificent
> job in promoting alpacas as an investment, but it
> relies on breeders selling to other breeders, and most
> particularly to new breeders. It's the new breeders
> who have to figure out how to establish their
> reputations and sell to more new breeders. Many will
> not be able to compete, because they started with the
> [affordable] animals with the least desirable traits
> as their entry animals. Like llamas, alpacas have one
> cria a year, and eventually supply will begin to
> exceed demand. I know this is already happening in
> some parts of the country.
>
> My question is, where is the value-added with alpacas?
> They were developed specifically for fiber
> production, but realistically, you cannot make back
> the cost of your animal and feeding it by selling its
> fleece. Australia is aiming for a national herd of
> consistent high quality alpacas, preferably white,
> that cost $50 each. That is what an alpaca FIBER
> industry should look like.
>
> The US alpaca industry may be able to stave off
> falling prices for a while longer by not allowing
> imports, but then you end up with a genetic bottleneck
> which results in an increased rate of birth defects,
> as well as other undesirable traits (due to breeding
> ALL fertile females) such as poor milk production,
> conformation problems, and temperament issues.
>
> Also, I can't help but notice how the alpaca industry
> is really milking its members. Prices for anything to
> do with alpacas are significantly higher than the same
> things for llamas (organizational memberships, show
> entry fees, etc). There is no reason for this except
> that alpaca owners look like cash cows and aren't
> willing to push back for lower costs. For this
> reason, I won't join AOBA and won't pay the non-member
> fees to show my non-breeder alpacas at shows like the
> North American, where the ALSA- and AOBA-sanctioned
> shows are held simultaneously. I will show my alpacas
> in performance classes and alpaca halter classes at
> ALSA shows. For fun.
>
> 15 years passes fast. My 0.02 worth.
>
>
> Susan Gawarecki
> Pathfinder Farm
> Andersonville, TN
>
>
>
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