I agree with most of what everyone is saying. This is also our 1st full year in alpacas.
We started with 3 in December and now have 18. My wife, before we were married had always had a horse.
We've been married 2 years and for the last 2 years I've always said "NO"
Well, 3 months ago I broke down & she got a 14 year old appaloosa. (almost a rescue)
Now she is beautiful, has gained weight, and yes..... I can't believe the amount of poop compared
to the alpacas!!!
We have sold 3 alpacas this year and the reason IS the economy. People have lost a lot in the market.
Real money. Now they are interested in looking out the window & seeing their assets, walking up & touching them.
The alpaca market is going to grow. There is no reason to abandon or slaughter them. I just bought 3 males. 2 fiber boys
and one with good potential were keeping intact. One of the fiber boys is being sold as a companion to the girls we sold and we're keeping
the other one because he's a good PR animal with great fiber. At my bank today, the teller said her sister just bought an alpaca.
One single alpaca. No, no...
I don't know the circumstances, but if she bought one animal from a reputable farm, they should have never sold her
just one animal. Being a city boy, professional, and never had livestock before, I was clueless. But I learned enough
by reading, the net, Magical's seminars, and visiting several farms before purchasing, to know that I would never sell
a single animal to a new owner just to make a sale. Keep marketing folks, always be selling. Get creative.
Are you a customer of National City Bank? (who's getting bought out by PNC) At least in this area, they have
"Featured Business of the Month". They let me have a display in the bank lobby that brought about a dozen extra people
to our farm for Alpaca Farm Days. We have to educate new people about this industry, the way many of you educated me.
Anyway, she needs a companion animal & I don't have one to sell. Does anyone here?
She is in Columbus, Oh.
If you do, feel free to post or contact me directly.
Gary Simpson
info1@tri-valleyalpacas.com or 937-884-8884
----- Original Message -----
From: AmyJoLabbe@aol.com
To: AlpacaTalk@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Wednesday, November 05, 2008 4:13 PM
Subject: Re: [AlpacaTalk] Re: [Alpaca meat
This was my first year in alpacas. And I bought them all this year,
staring in late April. I now have 20 alpacas from 8 different farms and
areas of the US. I was able to find some great bargains on some very
nice girls. I could not be happier.
I also have sold one alpaca this year - for $1500 more than I paid for
her. Which was great!
After breeding horses for 15 years, I saw first hand the mess that over
breeding created. There no longer is slaughter for horses in the USA.
But they are still certainly shipping them out to Mexico and Canada.
Closing it down in the US has created a surplus of aged and or average
joe horses. Before I get in trouble saying this....slaughter was a
necessary evil in this country. Now instead of being shipped to auction
and sold to slaughter injured and aged horses are sitting in dirt lots
starving. Or they are dropped off in the powerlines or open pastures to
fend for themselves. Its sad. Rescues are full and owners in states
that do not allow euthanasia are suffering. In our state it is not
legal to put "to sleep" a horse unless it is in every day, agonizing
pain. If you cant afford to feed it, and ask for help, the humane
society will seize all of your animals. If you live to close to city
limits you cant shoot your horse (not that I would ever have the guts
to do it!). Some areas it is even illegal to bury animals on your
property. Its tough. Just the same...as I say that...the HS is full of
animals and has been forced to leave MANY horses in unfit homes,
starving, because they have no foster homes. It all bothers me so much
we retired out 6 stallions (CHAMPIONS) gelding most of them. We are
nolonger breeding and contributing to the mess. We still have 13
horses, down from 55ish. And I am glad....alpacas are WAY cheaper to
feed and POOP SOOOO MUCH LESS!!!! Althogh I miss the affection shared
with horses as most of my animals prefer I leave them alone unless I am
bringing them a treat!
We went into alpacas for many reasons. But I took great comfort knowing
I was putting out an animal that would not be slaughtered. Cant shake
the visuals of what some slaughter plants are like. That being
said.....if I was not too chicken to try it....I would eat it. If it
ever became main stream meat, I would take my animals to a local
butcher and be sure they where treated right. Just as I eat sheep,
cows, chickens and the occasional goat - I would eat the alpaca. But
everything I eat is bought from a local butcher, a man I trust, to do
right by the animals in their last moments.
AmyJo
Alpacas at Dragon Fly Farm
Canterbury, CT
-----Original Message-----
From: libby@alpacafarm.com
To: AlpacaTalk@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Wed, 5 Nov 2008 3:49 pm
Subject: Re: [AlpacaTalk] Re: [Alpaca meat
Hello Heather,
I'd like to add that we've purchased from over 120 different farms
across
the country and bought many alpacas this year already. Obviously, with
the economy, it's a good time to buy some bargains...just like the Dow.
Just my opinion!!
Libby Forstner
Magical Farms, Inc.
Litchfield Ohio
(330)667-3233
libby@alpacafarm.com
Sent by: AlpacaTalk@yahoogroups.com
11/04/2008 03:42 PM
Please respond to
AlpacaTalk@yahoogroups.com
To
AlpacaTalk@yahoogroups.com
cc
Subject
Re: [AlpacaTalk] Re: [Alpaca meat
Heather,
For the record...We are a big farm and we do not do this.
Libby
Libby Forstner
Magical Farms, Inc.
Litchfield Ohio
(330)667-3233
Heather Zeleny <alpacatalk@westwindalpacas.com>
Sent by: AlpacaTalk@yahoogroups.com
11/04/2008 03:36 PM
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AlpacaTalk@yahoogroups.com
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Re: [AlpacaTalk] Re: [Alpaca meat
I wonder how much collusion goes on at those auctions... Those big
farms do swap large sums of money on each others' animals and rarely
buy from anyone else.
But then I am a conspiracy nut! :)
Heather
Heather Zeleny
White Lotus Alpacas
Creswell, OR
541.895.0964
Holistic Farm and Elite Fleece
http://www.whitelotusalpacas.com
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/AlpacaTalk/join
On Nov 4, 2008, at 11:55 AM, suekodu wrote:
>
> Don I think your assessment is very fair. From what I have seen the
> bald figures reported for auctions- running into many $0000s -
> usually don't show how this includes buy-backs by the initial
> consigner - or consigners themselves re-investing in other
> consigners' lots, which is not expanding the total sale income for
> the industry, it's just recirculating money amongst established
> breeders.
>
> Richard
> Maidstone Kent UK
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