In the time that we spent researching The Alpaca we had found it intriguing and reassuring that American Alpaca Breeders had taken the initiative to form a registry that tracked the genetics of the American Herd. We were also told that care was taken by all Alpaca Breeders when choosing subsequent breeding pairs, thus refining the quality aspects of both the Mother (the "Dam") and Father (the "Sire") Alpaca. Since 1984 careful breeding choices, consistent effort to strive for excellence and improvements in health and husbandry techniques resulted in a business that was perched on the threshold of tremendous growth and prosperity. The American Alpaca Pedigree was second to none and the quality of each new generation of alpacas was proving it. The registry and the resulting pedigree was and still is the backbone of the Alpaca Livestock Industry. If the initial plan is carried out, the business will thrive long beyond the time when Alpaca products are being made by Americans for Americans (and the world) from a superior fleece harvested solely from our American herd.

While investigating the Alpaca investment we read publications, studied research articles and talked with alpaca owners. ............... All Research led to one conclusion!...........

what the American breeders had accomplished prior to 1995 had positioned our National Herd of Alpacas ahead of those found in any other country in terms of quality and business expectations for the future. An unusual mix of Alpaca owners from all walks of life, all specializing in different types of business, were unified in a goal to create the World’s finest quality Alpacas!"

Their conclusion in 1994 was that although Peru produced 3.5 million Kg. of Alpaca fiber annually (90% of world wide production), a large percentage of the Peruvian fiber was  generally of poor quality and course. They also concluded that The only way to resolve these problems was by design and adoption of rigorously controlled camelid breeding strategies and by adopting fiber production and quality assurance programs.

This report gave us more encouragement to purchase our 1^st Alpacas. We reasoned that, even though Peru already had 90% of the World Alpaca Fiber Market, the World was getting a product that was inferior to what The U.S. Herd would be capable of producing. A superior product from The American Alpaca Herd would have little difficulty finding a large share of the world market when the volume of American Alpaca Fleece was finally large enough to fill the demand.

<<< However >>>

The following IMPORTANT items are not even discussed by most Alpaca Breeders, but they should be! What defines "Customer Support"?

1)Are you comfortable with the number of Alpacas that you are considering for purchase or have you been pressured to buy more?

2)Can you survive a few short comings while waiting for your investment to be profitable? Misfortune is rare, but you should be aware of what can happen!

3)Can you learn to care for Alpacas on the seller’s farm?

4)Will the seller help you layout or plan the preparation of your property for the day you bring your Alpacas home?

5)Will the seller inspect your farm, fences and pastures to assure that you are ready prior to delivering your Alpacas?

6)Will the seller be there to give support during emergencies, cria births, vacations, ..etc..

7)Will the seller help you find the best available Veterinarian to care for your Alpaca needs? Have you been told what these needs are?

8)If you are purchasing Suri Alpacas, were you made aware of the extra care and slightly different techniques necessary in Suri vs.Huacaya care?

9)Were you told that an average quality, medium priced female alpaca is often just ONE well selected breeding away from producing a quality, show winning offspring...It happens very frequently ...

10)If you have been told that an Alpaca has a very good "Micron Count" on it’s fleece analysis have you seen documentation substantiating this? The Yokum McColl Fibre Analysis Report should always be made available to you, especially if "fleece micron count" is going to be the basis for your selection. Many alpacas are not tested regularly and most alpacas have incredibly fine fleece when they are cria. As the Alpaca ages it’s fleece will become more course. An analysis at age 3 –4 is more indicative of what the alpaca will genetically produce in offspring. Does the date of the report correlate with the present year?

2.A good business plan is probably just as important as which Alpacas you choose! While visiting farms ask about business plans. I think you will be able to pick out who has a plan and who does not. It can be a rewarding experience either way but the breeder who has a good plan and the ability to stick to it feels rewarded every day!. Those who do not have a good plan that they abide by often feel the frustration of over extending themselves time & money wise. "Keeping up with the Jones’s decision making" does not make good business sense.Spontaneous and unnecessary spending does not help either.

3. Research the Alpaca and the Industry! Figure out what you can afford to invest and make the numbers work before you go looking for Alpacas to buy. You can do research on the internet by viewing a few of the Alpaca Breeder web pages and get very good information on all aspects of the business at the Australian Alpaca Owners Library page:  http://www.alpacassouthaustralia.au.com They have a library of articles that is the most informative that I have found.

4. Prepare for selecting your Alpacas by learning quality features to look for. Also take the time to learn about the things that will determine the value of the return on your investment. "Highest quality" does not always equal "best value". You can often purchase 2 or 3 good quality Alpacas for the price of 1 highly publicized Alpaca. For the thrifty investor not putting all of your eggs in one basket makes good sense. This way you can be looking forward to a faster growing herd and more opportunities for return. Finding a good Sire to breed your Dam can be just as important as which alpaca you purchase first.