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About Alpacas
We talked of Don Julio's first alpaca experiences, the creation of his herd, and the genetic selection techniques he employed building the herd; how the land reforms tore apart Peru's commercial alpaca herds, and the suri's current circumstance in the Altiplano. We also spoke of what the future might bring for alpaca breeders worldwide.
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About Alpacas
Alpacas live closer to heaven than any other living creature. At midnight in the Andean Altiplano; you can see forever as the shimmering alpacas leap from the icy mountain tops to the diamond set sky of the Sierra. They will reappear at dawn. Alpacas are magical.
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About Alpacas
The Alpaca Registry that we know in 2004, which has tens of thousands of alpacas, thousands of owners, a corporate structure with a board of directors, newsletter, DNA testing and other high tech trappings was an impossible dream back in 1986.
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Investing in Alpacas
In 2003 alpaca tax benefits got a lot better due to the "Jobs and Growth Reconciliation Tax Act." which was enacted into law on May 28, 2003. The new rules added several powerful incentives for people who buy alpacas. The 179 deduction which is the cornerstone of this act has been raised to $112,000 for 2007. If you purchase any amount up to $112,000 before year end you can claim the entire purchase price as a 179 deduction on your 2007 taxes. This benefit expires in December 2009.
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Investing in Alpacas
Getting Started in the Alpaca Business. The first step down the path to discovering whether raising alpacas might be a part of your future is to educate yourself.
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Investing in Alpacas
American alpaca ownership has been increasing for almost twenty years. More people have discovered alpacas and joined AOBA in the last 3 years than in the previous 11. How did we get to where we are?
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Investing in Alpacas
It is important to understand the difference between a business and an investment. While it's true that alpacas are the world's finest livestock investment, they are also a wonderful business. The concept of alpacas as a business opportunity should not be overlooked.
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Investing in Alpacas
I have given hundreds of seminars about alpacas in the last 20 years. There is one question that I am always asked: How long do you think the market for alpaca breeding stock will last? For years my pat answer was: At least five years. After fifteen years of giving that answer I realized that my answer was wrong every time.
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Investing in Alpacas
Raising alpacas can offer the farmer some very attractive tax advantages. In 2003 those benefits got a lot better due to the "Jobs and Growth Reconciliation Tax Act." which was enacted into law on May 28, 2003. It was amended for the 2005 tax year. The new rules added several powerful incentives for people who buy alpacas. The 179 deduction has been raised to $105,000. These benefits are for assets placed in service after May 5, 2003 and they expire in December 2006.
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Alpaca Fiber, Breeding Alpacas
Breeding for color: Genetically, there are two basic alpaca colors: red and black. The original South American camelids, vicuas and guanacos were reddish-fawn. Since alpacas are the descendants of these two species, the base color of alpacas is most likely reddish-fawn. Guanacos have both gray and black colors around their heads and this is probably the source of the black gene in alpacas. White is simply the absence of any of these colors.
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The alpaca breeder’s idea of type is created by their visual picture of the characteristics that are considered ideal for the breed. An ideal breed type is often based on the details of conformation and color that are not necessarily related to the economic productivity of the animals.
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Breeding Alpacas
The importance of the ability to select animals with skill and judgment when breeding them cannot easily be overestimated. In the absence of such ability mistakes will be made all along the line of the breeder’s work. He will not be able to make improvement save in a sort of accidental way, nor will he able to maintain it if perchance he should be so fortunate as to make it.
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Breeding Alpacas
Pure blood animal breeders around the world crave the ability to produce the best of their breed. They want their animals to reach the pinnacle of their potential. That is what animal breeding is all about: A self dynamic dream.
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Breeding Alpacas
To a person who has never bred animals, let alone alpacas, the technical aspects of genetics and animal breeding theory can be intimidating. It is important to step back and realize than common sense is the common denominator for success. People, who succeed at animal breeding use good information, are deliberate, patient, and consistent and they keep their breeding program simple.
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Breeding Alpacas
The herdsire for any breeding program is the single most important determinant of overall herd quality. It’s true for cattle, sheep, horses, or any other breed. For alpacas in North America the sire is even more important. Alpaca bloodlines are currently available for only four or five generations.
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Paleontologists tell us the camel family arose in the North American Great Plains about 45 million years ago. One group took the Bering land bridge into Asia to establish the populations of Bactrian camels and dromedaries, while the other chose the southern route through Panama when that land bridge rose from the sea about 3 million years ago. Several of those species prospered in South America, including the guanaco, vicuña, Lama owenii, and Lama gracilis.
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Fiber diameter is measured in microns. One micron is equal to 1/1,000,000th of a meter or 1/25,400th of one inch. Mean Fiber Diameter (MFD) is in common use internationally. MFD, Standard Deviation (SD) and Coefficient of Variation (CV) all relate to the (approximate) normal distribution of the animal fiber diameters. SD characterizes dispersion of individual measurements around the mean.
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Objective fiber testing can be a powerful marketing and genetic selection tool when used properly. Objective measurement is an assessment made without the influence of personal feelings or prejudice. Visual appraisal and fiber handling are fundamental aspects of fiber judging, but are very weak appraisal methods for accurately identifying average fiber diameter.
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What is Important in the Fleece?
How much attention do we pay to different fiber traits? I want to talk about “the fleece on the alpaca”, and should like to start asking, which are those important characteristics in the fleece?, and are those characteristics all equal in economical and technical terms?
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There are two ways that Huacaya breeders think about crimp in the United States. One group believes that crimp is not an important trait. The other camp says crimp is highly desirable. The show rings in all countries value crimp and many breeders around the world select for crimp. Is it important, or not?
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After many years in the show ring both as an exhibitor and more recently as a judge, I have some observations on what it takes to win. These are merely my opinions and you may or may not agree, but if they are helpful and you win a few more ribbons then my purpose is served.
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