What matters most?
The show characteristics of an alpaca, or its ability to produce fineness and
density repeatedly in all offspring? For some it may be the showing qualities, because for the
present time they can produce recognition and sales. For others it is the
fineness of the fleece for spinning that matters most and still others have an
attainable vision of fleece that rivals the Incan glory days on a large scale.
Each of these may still play into everyones hopes and goals but on a different
timing schedule
Have you thought of what might happen if the economy gets
worse and the sales suddenly come to halt? Most of us have, and although no
alpaca owner wants to see or feel it happen many have enacted a diversified
plan some time ago just in case it does happen. Ultimately the pursuit of
fineness and density should be every alpaca owners goal, making a fleece that
can produce unrivaled fashion products that can sell for many times the value
of the current alpaca market. The Incans made it their lifes work to attain
the goal of a balance of fineness, density, quantity and overall fashionable
fleece that was only worthy of royalty. With our technology, medical science,
nutrition and 21st century ingenuity, why are we not back at that
point? After all, that is what the world market is looking for.
Is it possible? Have we lost that vision?Would you actually sell more fleeces and make
10 times more profit doing so? Well let us take a look at the ranges:
Alpaca fleece due to its current wide range of micron count
averages $2-$3 raw, while its progenitor the vicuna can range from $70 an
ounce up to $300 an ounce in its processed form. Wow! That is quite a
difference, and its rarity does play into that equation, however fine alpaca
fleece is currently rare and especially ones that stay extremely fine. Many of
the top names in the country you will find that their long term fineness is
what primarily is their top selling point along with the ability to instill
that quality into their offspring.
This whole topic is
beginning to gain momentum in every part of the world. Australia for example has well over 250,000 alpacas and has
spent countless hours and dollars on research in order to propel their stock
well past their sheep in fineness and weight. Although they are not quite there
yet, the newest generations of Australian alpacas are astonishing in every way.
It could be argued that it is due to their registry still be opened and the
fact that they learned from our mistakes in the selection process. Or it is
solely that they have a long-term vision and goal and are determined on
achieving it.
Peru has an in house talent being Dr Jane Wheeler who is
determined to find the answers to what the makeup of a pure alpaca was in the
Incan time period. She witnessed first hand beautifully fine fleeces with
incredibly low standard deviation on mummified alpacas and it must have been so
awe inspiring that she dedicated her life to finding the answers. Although she
is partially there her work has helped change the direction of breeding
decisions in her country and others. There are farms both here in this country
and others that raise funding for her research and perhaps it is a coincidence
or not but their fleeces are of some of the highest qualities, even enough to
have only private auctions year after year for their in high demand animals.
There are still others that are in pursuit of fineness by using long used
techniques of inter breeding camelids such as the Paco-vicuna. While there are
documents of this being done in Peru and Chile even in the early 1900s and
probably as far back as the Incan time period, many do not agree with this
approach. Whether is due to a lack of knowledge as to the history and genetics
of camelids and the fact that even most alpacas contain vicuna genetics along
with guanaco and llama, or a scare of a new fad taking the place of the alpaca
industry or the overseas vicuna industry I cannot say. But the fact remains
that Fineness was King and still is! Did you know that there are alpacas in
this country and others that are in the 13-19 micron range and holding? Yes
they are few but they are there, proving that it can be done. Australia I hate
to say it but they have many more of these fine ones than we here in the USA
do.
I urge you to simply take a moment on your next vision
thinking to examine the future of this industry and your farms future. Does
purely having a goal of Fineness in your breeding make the most sense? Should
you take the time to fully understand every fact and number that you can obtain
from your micron testing? Should you pursue a goal of determining what
correlating factors you can pull out of the always fine fleeced ones are so
you can find more alpacas that have those standards. Should you learn basic
genetics and markers and then breed out the llama and guanaco genes? Yes some
of the aforementioned can be somewhat mind-boggling and time consuming but I
assure you the dividends will pay off and have for many already.
Author: Daniel Ramage is the owner
of Pacuna TM, Guanaco, and Alpaca in Chester, NH.
