Local Fiber Pool – a work in process

My 4 neighboring farms and I decided this year (2009 clip) to try pooling our fiber.  The goals were fairly simple:

1. By pooling our collective fiber, working together and sharing our own skills and labor to sort, skirt and grade we would expect to end up with a higher quality result in our end products without incurring the cost of having to pay someone else to do that work.
2. Because of the variation in our herds by Age (Fineness) and Color and Type (Suri & Huacaya) we would expect to end up with a wider array of finished products than we would have each been able to achieve from just our own herd.
3. Since our combined “incoming” collected fiber was more than 1000 pounds, we expect to achieve volume discounts from processors (mini-mills) that will provide a lower cost for all of us than we would have had individually.
4. Although we would still need to use non-local mills to process, we expect that having a local “farmers cooperative” flavor would be useful for marketing purposes.
5. By having a larger amount of consistently graded products – yarns, socks, rugs, knitted/crocheted items – than we could produce individually from our own herds, we expect that will help increase sales.  Better to have 20 skeins in a single color/grade batch to sell than 4 skeins from 5 batches as an example.

So far we have met objective #1 – higher quality – very well. After sorting and grading, we will have a higher quality finished product whether that be handknitting yarns or more highly finished products.  But, as is to be expected we also learned a few things which we would do differently next time.

Lesson 1: It was bit complicated to schedule us all for several days to sort and grade that much fiber.  Turns out that sorting and grading is quite slow, dusty, dirty work which means being on your feet with your back bent over a skirting table which is never at a comfortable height… for anyone!!  We learned a good bit from the experience which will probably make this process better and more efficient next time.  Perhaps it would be better if each farm did some upfront work – both on shearing day to avoid contaminating blankets with seconds or shorts/2nd cuts and by pre-sorting by previously agreed upon color groups.

The second lesson we took away relates to accounting for contributions.  For the 1st year we decided to use a simple Divide by 5 method to allocate any expenses or profits from the pooled fiber but it was obvious that next year we will want to use a more complex system of allocating “share” based on amount and possibly even type of fiber contributed to the pool.  For example, I had already sold some of my fiber so my total amount of fiber contributed was significantly less than that of the other 4 farms.  However, what I had sold was my Adult and stronger grade fibers so what I did contribute (Fine & Baby grade) to the pool was of higher perceived value (in my own mind at least!) than other farms who contributed large quantities (multi years worth) of Rug or Mulch grade.  They put in a LOT more fiber into the pool by weight than I did but it will be more challenging to find profitable applications for it.

Objective #2- greater variety – is also being met very well.  Although our sorted result is heavily skewed towards Adult, Rug and Mulch grades we do have a real good distribution of colors in both Suri and Huacaya fiber types in all the grades.

It is in our expectations for Objective #3 – volume discounts – where we are having the most disappointment so far.  The cost to process (and shipping!) is very expensive and for the most part we have not achieved sufficient volumes to qualify for discounted processing.  Even where we have – the cost, even divided by 5, is more than any of us are in a position to spend.  Also, most of the time the mills expect half or even all of the processing cost to be paid in advance so you have that cash tied up for whatever amount of time it takes to get your product back plus whatever amount of time it takes you to sell those products.

Take the case of socks.  We were very excited to think of having socks custom made from our very own fiber.  We have all been selling socks already and felt that “local fiber” socks would sell very well.  And, we had pooled quite a lot of Adult grade fiber so we could get into a volume discount.  But.  To process that amount of fiber would have been an upfront expense of more than $600 per farm and we would end up with 260 pairs of socks to sell.  Selling a few dozen pairs over the course of the fall to spring season is one thing – committing to sell over 20 dozen pairs is a bit intimidating to say the least.  Not to mention that with lead-times for processing, we’d probaby receive our socks right as the weather is warming to summer when sock sales are the slowest.  So our cash would be tied up for probably a whole year – which none of us can really afford to live with.  On the other hand, if we drop down into a lower volume to process – and fewer socks to have to sell – we increase the average cost per pair and end up with a much smaller profit.

So, at this point we are still very much struggling with what to do with our fiber now that it is sorted and graded.  At our last meeting Susie made a great proposal to start with a budget to spend on a per farm basis and then figure out what we can do within that sum.  We may not be able to do everything we want to do all at once.  I think that’s going to be very helpful to us.

As I said – it’s a work in process and I just wanted to share how its working out so far.

National Alpaca Farm Days 2009

The last weekend of September will be here soon – the turning of the leaves, the cooler nights, the lower humidity… crias are due any time and it’s once again time for the Annual Nationall Alpaca Farm Days.  My friends and I will welcome the public at my farm and the farmhouse will be turned into a fiber arts showcase.

Everyone who came last year had such a great time – and what alpaca farmer wouldn’t love the chance to tell as many people as they can reach about the joys of raising alpacas.

Here’s the Press Release

On September 26 and 27 five WNC alpaca farms will join alpaca breeders from across the United States and Canada in the 3^nd Annual “National Alpaca Farm Days” by opening to the public.  The public is invited to come to meet alpacas and learn more about these inquisitive, unique animals.

From 11 am to 3 pm Saturday and Sunday Alpacas of Merritt Farm, EverThanks Farm, Last Penny Farm, Lorien Alpacas and Venezia Dream Farm will welcome guests to join them as they showcase their beautiful friendly alpacas and lovely products made from alpaca fiber.  Knowledgeable and experienced alpaca farmers will be available to answer questions and explain all about alpacas. There will be demonstrations of spinning and other fiber crafts.  all FREE!

Local fiber artisans and alpaca farms will be selling a wide selection of products made from naturally luxurious alpaca fiber including roving for spinners and yarns for knitters as well as a variety of ready to wear clothing and household décor.

The location for the open farm is:

Venezia Dream Farm, 276 Jones Cove Rd, Asheville, NC 28805

To find out more about Open Farm Days at Venezia Dream Farm or for directions to the farm, please visit www.AlpacasWNC.com or call 828-298-9166.

It’s in the Bag

Shearing 2009 is done!!!   I love shearing but I also love when it is over.  With my helpers – Linda, Ron, Jenna, & Christine; plus Kim & Lynette, Nick, Sarah, Dakota & Cheyenne; we got all 19 done on Sat and Sunday.  I am sore but happy that I made it without anybody animal or human getting hurt.  The alpacas, especially Rodger Dodger, look so cute when they are fresh shorn.  They couldn’t wait to get out and roll in the grass, the dust, everywhere.

I haven’t weighed the fleeces or checked staple lengths yet.  Hopefully I’ll get to that today.  I can’t wait to get my samples sent off for testing.  My hand says that I have some really good fleeces this year.  Definitely their good health shows, really nice brightness under the dirt!

I still need to shear for 2 clients who bought alpacas from me last year and I’ll be a helper at Linda’s for her shearing day so I still get a little more time on the mat but it feels so good to know my herd is done and ready for summer.

Fiber, Fiber, Everywhere – what to do with fleece

In essence there are 3 things to do with your fiber. You can literally process it yourself, you can hire the services of someone else to do some or all of the processing for you, or you can join a cooperative, pool or similar collaborative group of some sort to have your fiber utilized. Well, there is a 4th thing – do nothing – but that’s not worthy of discussion!

Do it yourself

There is a wealth of information on internet for how to wash, comb, card & spin alpaca fiber, including how to blend and how to dye. I have a pamphlet available called “Turning Fiber Into Gold” where I have already collected much of this information for your convenience.

Hire it done

There are many custom mills that can process your fleeces and return it to you in whatever form you desire. Some will also knit or weave finished items for you. Cost and quality may vary greatly from mill to mill. Be sure to ask for and to check references for the mill or other custom processing you choose.

Here is a link to AlpacaNation where several mills are listed. http://alpacanation.com/alpaca-services/alpaca-services-2.asp?servicetype=12&servicename=Fiber%20Mills/Processing

Wild Fibers Magazine has a directory of mills listed in the back of each issue. Also you will usually find several ads for mills in this magazine. http://www.wildfibersmagazine.com/

International Camelid Quarterly magazine http://www.llamas-alpacas.com/ and AOBA’s Alpacas Magazine http://www.alpacasmagazine.com/index.asp also have ads for custom fiber processing.

Team up with others

A cooperative is a special type of corporation in the eyes of the IRS – the members are shareholders who own and operate (co-operators) the business. Profits from Cooperative corporations are taxed differently than regular corporations because the US Government recognizes the importance for small farms to be able to work together and pool their efforts.

Naturally, a cooperative is not the only form of business which can be involved in pooling fiber or collaborating to process fiber for groups of farms.

Here is a listing of farmers cooperatives and other businesses involved with pooling alpaca fiber:

http://www.afcna.com/ AFCNA (Alpaca Fiber Cooperative of North America Inc) is the biggest alpaca fiber cooperative in North America with over 2000 farms in the US and Canada and the oldest, established in 1998.

http://www.fibrecoop.ca/ The Canadian Camelid Fibre Cooperative (CCFC) is the only nationally based fibre co-op in Canada.

http://www.naafp.us/ NAAFP (North American Alpaca Fiber Producers) is an agriculture cooperative of alpaca fiber producers who have their fiber sorted by a certified fiber sorter, using the Certified Sorted(TM) system.

http://www.neafp.com/ The New England Alpaca Fiber Pool (NEAFP, Pronounced NEEF) is an Alpaca Fiber processing service. Private company, not a co-op.

http://www.alpacablanketproject.com/ The Alpaca Blanket Project is collaboration of American alpaca growers. As far as I know, there is a single owner. Not a cooperative.

http://www.llamafibercoop.com/ The Pacific Northwest Llama Fiber Cooperative (PNWLFC) is a member owned company whose specialty is the fabrication and marketing of high quality llama fiber products.

It’s all about the fleece!!

Whether you choose to do it all with your own hands from soup to nuts or to have minimal personal processing, do SOMETHING with your fleece each year promptly after shearing. Improperly stored fleeces degrade rather quickly or become infested with moths or other pests. Even in the most optimum climate and humidity controlled storage, unwashed fleeces can become dry and brittle in about 3 years time. It’s literally a case of use it or lose it.

Alpaca Fiber Symposium

The Alpaca Fiber Symposium held this past weekend in Gaston, NC was excellent!  http://www.alpacafibersymposium.com/

There were many presentations from different perspectives but I heard a common theme, a concern which is very important for fiber producers to take to heart.

Mills want clean fleeces to process.  For commercial mills who don’t offer scouring service, that means washed before it comes to them.  Most mini mills include washing service.  For all mills that means fleeces well skirted to remove VM and other non-fiber contaminates. I personally recall the recommendation to blow/vac fleeces coming from a mill who is using a card or dehairer to remove particles which should have been removed from the fiber before it was submitted for processing.  (not that my memory is all that good!!!)  His point was that its easier to clean up the alpaca before shearing than it is to clean up a filthy fleece afterwards.  I personally believe we should bring reasonably clean alpacas to the shearing floor rather than trying to blow/vac them right before shearing.  Heck, Shearing Day is busy/stressful enough without that thing roaring and blowing and sucking!!

Another couple of points I took home:

Producer education - all of the above plus much more.  Fiber production starts the day after shearing and ENDS on shearing day.  Everything after that point when the hair is cut off the alpaca’s body is manufacturing.  Your every day husbandry plays a critical role in your fleece being the best your alpaca is genetically capable of giving.  producers ought to insist that their shearer give them a quality shearing job for their pay.  I’m talking second cuts/chopped fleeces as well as blankets contaminated with hairy/short pieces because the shearer won’t slow down enough to let you collect the blanket before he continues with the other parts.  Again, if you skirt the bejeebers out of a fleece you should be able to clean up those shorts and hairy parts but wouldn’t it be easier if you could get a reasonably clean fleece to start out with on shearing day?

Collection, sorting & grading - Inconsistency of grading between co-ops & pools and/or no grading.  AFCNA sorts by micron 1 way, NAAFP does it another, I’m not sure what CanCan does but it’s probably slightly different as well.  Some people sort into many bins, some just use a sort of “feels good” kind of test.  Same thing with color – sure there will be variation in color with all the wonderful shades of alpaca but I think we need to establish a “North American” standard… 1 standard that we all agree to abide by.  Micron ranges, staple lengths, colors, whatever it may be, we need a “standards committee” to resolve the current differences.  Particularly if we think we may want a national quality mark.

Infrastructure - Scouring (by which I mean gently washing alpaca fiber) on a “right-size” commercial scale is an opportunity waiting for the right entrepreneur.  Currently there is nothing between a mini-mill capacity to a mega-scouring facility.  That is going to be a limiting factor in growing our fiber market unless someone steps up & starts a business (or two).  Dehairing – another opportunity awaiting the right person because there is NO commercial scale dehairing process left in North America.  Mini-mills can do it on a small, slow scale.  Some mills can “kind of” manage it with extra combing, but what we need is a good solution to dehair large volumes quickly and efficiently.  Any mechanical wizards out there?

Research - currently as an industry we do not fund any alpaca fiber related research.  We cannot resolve many questions about our industry until we are able to have research performed – original research or even just a literature review of what is already published in Australia or South America. We farms generously fund health related research individually as well as through our Organizations.  Why don’t we start to set aside a few dollars for fiber research?

We must hang together or we will surely hang apart - What I thought was the best part of the Symposium was an initial effort to link up our many components of our fiber industry.  I’m not talking merger but I am talking joint projects or “industry standards committees” instead of each of us going along on our own path.  We are just not big enough (in total!) to separate into fractions… well, at least not yet.

I’m totally charged up after this Symposium.

& let’s remember, the United Nations has declared 2009 the International Year of Natural Fibers!!

http://www.naturalfibres2009.org/

This is a great time to be in the alpaca business!

Buying and selling Alpacas

I’d like to sell alpacas but it’s much more important to me that people who buy alpacas – whether from me or someone else – get them with the right expectations.  If you just want alpacas to love (pets) or for fiber, taking care of them is easy to do and totally a joy.  But if you want to make income raising and selling alpacas or alpaca fiber products as a business; that’s a much more challenging role for most people.  Which can also be a joy – it’s a great pleasure to me to help a new farm get started that wouldn’t be possible if I wasn’t selling alpacas – but you have to work at sales and marketing to make it happen.  Most people don’t think about that side of the business enough when they are in the planning phases.

I personally only feel like I’ve succeeded when my clients are also successful in their goals.

Buyers Clinic follow up

Despite the weather (rainy and chilly) I think it went real well.  We had 5 couples and 2 individuals in attendance but we could have had more if we had more space!  My little farmhouse was wall-to-wall people…  We already have a waiting list of people who want us to put on another one.  But, spring is such a busy time on the farm – shearing, seeding, gardens etc – so the very earliest we could do it would be late June.

For our 1st time, “we done good” and we learned a lot that will hopefully make future events and seminars even more successful.  Based on the Evaluation forms from the attendees, we really gave them what they wanted.

Alpaca Buyers Clinic

The neighbors and I are hosting a seminar on March 14 here at my farm. What I like about my neighbors is that we all have the same feelings about selling alpacas.  Which is – that we would like to sell alpacas because that is what our business is based on but we have no need or desire to sell alpacas to people who are not ready, willing and able to take care of them and make their own farms successful.

We’re reaching out with this Buyers Clinic to people who are interested in alpacas but are not sure if they are the right choice for their farm or not.  We believe that what people want to help them make a decision to buy or not is simply frank and honest information from people who have done it.  What are the risks and pitfalls to watch out for when starting an alpaca farm, what works, how to tell if an alpaca is a good value for breeding stock (and not all are!) or a plain & simple fiber producer (not that there’s anything wrong with that!), how hard are they to take care of.  With over 50 years of alpaca care experience between 5 farms, we have the answers you need to the questions you have.

We also would like to use this seminar to provide some affordable education for folks who may have recently bought alpacas and (for a variety of reasons) don’t have a mentor farm to help them learn the ropes of caring for alpacas or developing their alpaca business.  Money is tight everywhere and several farms have sold alpacas at bargain basement prices in herd reduction dispersals or from going out of business sales.  More and more frequently my neighbors and I hear (often from our vets) about folks who are new alpaca owners and don’t have anyone to help them with questions or problems.

Alpacas are not that difficult to keep healthy but there are some basic things that prospective or current owners need to know about and do or their alpacas can suffer very serious consequences.  So, whether you are just looking into alpacas or have already made the leap, look into this Buyers Clinic seminar.

Barn kitties storm the castle

2 of my barn kitties (Atia & Titus) came in from the cold Tues evening. I tried to get them to stay at the barn when I fed them but when they showed up on the porch about dark covered in snow and the wind started blowing, it was all over for them being “barn” kitties! Jake is accepting it better than I expected – much better as a matter of fact. He is even playing a little bit and making chirpy noises instead of demon kitty sounds so I think this is going to work out.

I don’t know how cold it got Tues night but when I got up it was 5 and the wind chill was like -10. So now my worry is Lucius. He doesn’t come up to the house with Titus and Atia, seems to prefer the barn. He’s got plenty of places to snug down in the barn and he’s got his own hidey-hole in the log barn. But without his 2 cuddle-buddies for body heat I’m concerned he got too cold…

Man – what a cold day! Don’t know how he does it, but Lucius was toasty warm when he met me at the barn. He came running from the log barn. He must be part polar bear – he sure looks like one!

I reheated the snuggle safes and put them in the igloo with nice soft bedding – he wasn’t impressed. Enjoyed the warmed canned cat food muchly however, especially the part about not having to share with Atia and Titus.

Who, by the way, have not set foot outside the door today. Hey, this house living is niiiiicccce. Girl! Could you bring another bowl of kibbles over here please!?

Stupid alpaca boys were all cushed around the hay bunks – right out in the open with the wind and all. So I took a whole bale (via sled – that was fun!) down to their shed and parceled it out to the 4 corners with a big pile in the middle. Major munching and I haven’t seen them come out of the shed all day! I did put another bale into the 2 outside haybunks so in case they decide to go back out in the open, they’ll have something to eat. It is where they usually sleep at night.

Smart alpaca girls didn’t appear to have left their shed at all till I showed up dragging a bale for them. But, not so smart, they seem to think the closed part (the original shed) is just for potty. They are bunking down under the back lean-to which is still quite open to wind. It does have a fairly deep wasted hay pad for laying on. No one was shivering, not even Rodger, so I guess they are holding up OK.

I get such a kick out of Henry in the snow, what a knucklehead. Thinks he’s a canine snowplow I guess – puts his muzzle down under the snow… and then runs pushing the show up over his head. When he’s got a good pile, he likes to roll in it. Molly is much too busy for such playful nonsense. She’s busy tracking good smells (squirrels most likely) that always seem to dead end going up a tree. Whereupon the offending tree must be barked at long and loudly…

Snowing like crazy again. Sticking of course – never broke 20 Wednes. I’m totally OK with this, liking it in fact. Got my milk and bread and beer stocked up, plenty of good eggs (Joe got a double yolk!!) and butter. I don’t have anywhere I need to go and that’s a good thing…

Ruined as working barn kitties? I should say. Still won’t set foot outside. And oh my gosh are they having a big time. They have explored every square inch of this house. I didn’t have to show them where the litter boxes are, they found them. I didn’t have to show them where kitty food is, they found it. dog food, ditto. Bed… found it. Joe’s toes… found’em and got themselves whacked with his pillow. Strings that raise and lower the blinds in the bedroom – romping and stomping – major big fun at 4 am. As soon as it hits 30, I’m throwing their rampaging little butts out! Let’em burn off some energy! They’re so big I forget they are still only 6 mos old kittens.

We did get a another good amount of snow Wednes night but with the warm up coming it won’t last. The driveway iced over really bad, especially in that curve coming up to the house from the barn. The trash truck tried (which really surprised me!) but got stuck just after they made the curve. Had to back down to the barn lot to turn around and go back out the way they came. That was scary to watch! I kept thinking they were going to slide off and over into the creek. I bet the driver was crappin’ his Carhartts!! Joe still has the cans sitting out… thinks they’ll come back later today. Ha ha ha hah! yeah right, like next week! silly hubby.

Enjoy the snow while it lasts. Adore an alpaca, kiss the kitties, pat a pup, hug a hubby! Stay warm,
Starr

After the NAFD event

Wow!  That was fun.  I think the people who came really enjoyed a chance to get close and personal with cute (& well behaved!) alpacas and I know my friends and I were really happy to share our love of alpacas with so many interested people.  Plus, we sold some yarns and other fiber products.  And SELR raised some money for their rescue work.  And Beth raised some money for Breast Cancer research.  So, a good thing all around.

I have every intention to do it again next year.  I’m already making a list of ideas to make it easier and more fun.

Now it’s time to get ready for birthing and rebreeding season.  Can’t wait – I love those babies!  And the guys are happy to help with rebreeding.