How to Begin Showing Alpacas

Alpacas for Sale 2009

2009 Alpacas For Sale

Well, not much time left in 2009 but we wanted to let you know we still have many alpacas for sale. In fact we are even offering a package where you can get 8 alpacas for the price of one. Now isn't that a great way to see off 2009. Have you even considered looking for anyone who has alpacas for sale?

To see the package I am talking about please go to http://alpacaroseranch.com or click here.

We have been selling alpacas in Washington for about 10 years and this year, even though our economy is the way it is, we are still very excited about how many alpacas we have sold with great blood lines. I think this year, 2009 we have had about 24 alpacas for sale and just about all of them are gone. We hosted at our ranch for the 2009 National Alpaca Farm Day this year and last year. We met some great people and they had a lot of questions that we were happy to answer. Some even wanted to know how they could offer alpacas for sale. We were happy to help them get started with that as well.

To find out more about how you could offer alpacas for sale or to buy off our Alpacas that are for sale this 2009 please visit http://alpacaroseranch.com

National Alpaca Farm Day September 2009

NATIONAL ALPACA FARM DAY AT ALPACA ROSE RANCH

1. Want to know how to become an Alpaca Breeder?
2. How much land do I need?
3. How much do they eat?

These are just a few of the questions that we will answer
during the Alpaca Rose Seminar between 10:00 am and 11:00 am
Sat the 26th and Sun the 27th for he National Alpaca Farm Days.

We will have refreshments and a lot of information for those who
attend followed by taking a tour of the farm. Please make RVSP
by e-mail  info@alpacaroseranch.com

We hope to see you on Sept 26 or the 27th. We will be open from
10:00 to 5:00. We have lots of fiber to show you from the alpaca's.

Show Season

Even with the snow coming down and 2 feet still in the driveway and rain in the forecast for the next two days, Alpaca Breeders across the nation are trying to make up their minds what show to take their alpacas to. They are also trying to evaluate which alpaca do well in the up coming show season. They are checking their fleece for density and luster. Some breeders believe that their alpacas are not good enough and don't want to spend the money this year with money tight. Some will say their alpacas won't win a blue ribbon (not good enough) same excuse they used last year. A good number of these breeders have not sold anything and I believe this is one of the reason why. They don't attend Alpaca Shows.

It would be nice to win a blue ribbon and a color Championship ever year it would help any breeding program but part of the Alpaca business is receiving a and,3rd,4th,5th,or even a 6th place ribbon, but along with the ribbons you win your alpaca gets a verbal evaluation by the judge. This tool of hearing how a judge feels about your alpaca will help you in your breeding program and also let you know how well you are doing as a breeder.

A lot of breeder will not attend the upcoming Show season because they don't like to network with people. If you are just starting out in the Alpaca Business you don't have to attend the biggest shows in the US. I agree they have a lot of people their and they can be hard on the nerves. So if you don't like to be around a lot of folks then start out at the local shows in you area. See what they are like and learn to network with people then try the bigger shows.

Their are a lot of excuses to not attend Alpaca Shows and if you happen to have some yourself you need to learn how to enjoy them because they are a benchmark on how your breeding program is doing and will help you to get to know breeders who just may want to buy something from you.

One of the most important things we have learned at Alpaca Rose Ranch is that winning is not every thing. Two years ago we took 2 females to Seattle to a big show. They were both brown and we thought they would at least win a ribbon. Their were 16 brown alpacas in this class. They chose the top 8 and then started the judging. The rest of the field got what alpaca breeder know as the gate. Both of our girls got the gate. What a shock and disappointment. We had already enter both females in the 2 largest shows in the US. We let them go to those shows and they both brought back ribbons. The lesson learned is not every judge looks at alpacas the same. Some days your alpaca will show better also. So go to Alpaca Shows and have fun. We will see you at the PNAA Showcase that will be held in Pasco Wa this April 24 and 25th.

Where do you buy Your Alpaca’s?

I hope you all realize that each Newsletter that we write are subjects
that other breeders may look at and have a different way of looking at
what we are talking about.
 
This month we are going to discuss where you can buy Alpacas. As a
new breeder you should know there are some pitfalls you want to stay away
from.
 
The first place you can buy Alpacas is online.  I believe you can educate yourself
with knowledge about alpacas on line and that can be a great help in learning about
Alpacas but to buy one online without getting your hands on that Alpaca is not
a good idea.  There are a lot of Alpacas that have been bought on line.  If you
have a lot of money and can afford to make mistakes then I guess you will buy on
line. If you are looking to spend a lot of money or spend what you can afford and do
not want to make mistakes, I highly recommend you visit an Alpaca Ranch before you buy and
get your hands on that alpaca.
 
The 2nd place you can buy Alpacas is at Auctions.
Sometimes you can get a good buy at Auctions but a high percent of alpacas that are
bought at auctions are mostly  impulse purchase and I highly recommend not to do that.
Most of the time when you buy at Auctions you don't have time to evaluate that alpaca as well
as you might like to. At Auctions you don't get to look at the dam or sire.  My wife Lin and I
have bought one alpaca at an Auction but before we did we went to the ranch and learned more about the
alpaca. We got to know the breeder as well as the environment in which the alpaca was raised and got our hands on the alpaca.
 
The 3rd and last place is to Visit an Alpaca Ranch. I firmly believe this is the best place to buy alpacas.
Getting all the education you can online is great. Then you have some knowledge on what you
are doing.  You can get a good idea by talking to a breeder and finding out things like if he is going to take care of you.
The Ranch we have made purchaces from has been great.  They have become great friends and
have taught us a lot.  We like to think that Alpaca Rose Ranch does the same in making a friend
and teaching you how to become successful in the Alpaca business.  We believe the best decisions
made by a new breeder is  going to happen at the ranch you are visiting.  You will be able to see the
alpaca, get information on the dam and sire and if you are lucky see off springs of the alpaca you
are interested in.  Their are always a lot of questions that you will forget to ask and you want to
feal good about knowing you can call back at any time to get answers.  Whether you buy an
alpaca or your just gathering information we at Alpaca Rose Ranch would love to meet and show you
our alpacas.  You don't have to buy to be our friend.

Jerry - AlpacaRoseRanch.com

Burnt Buyers

There are buyers out there who have been burned by investments, wall street. They are
looking for tangible assets. There are people, couples, families looking for a better
lifestyle (natural) that has an income potential. There are fiber artists who could build a 
fiber industry worth more than an alpaca. Which one of the above are you.

The above mention prospect are the future of the Alpaca Business and these prospects are
the people Alpaca Rose Ranch would love to talk to and answer any of there questions.
How do we reach all of you and talk to you about getting involved in the alpaca business
and get you started in selling alpacas.

For the above mention reasons Alpaca Rose Ranch is going to put a question and answer
section on our web site. I hope it will be complete soon. We hope if you have an interest in
getting involved that you will ask questions. All question will be preview before they will be 
put on the web site. We want to thank everyone who has joined our mailing list for 2009 and
to remind you if you e-mail us please fill out the form with your name, e-mail address. If 
you prefer us not to contact you then put that in the information box.

Now to let you know what has been going on at Alpaca Rose Ranch in Dec 2008. We have been
spending most the month shoveling snow snow. We have some six foot fencing and you can not
see the top of them. We had a birth, a very nice Ice Dancer cria (male). His name is Alpaca Rose
Patch. I do not recommend Dec birth because of the weather. We will be posting photo’s soon.
We hope 2009 is a good year for everyone.

I would like to hear your thoughts. Please consider leaving a comment or question to participate in this discussion.

Jerry - AlpacaRoseRanch.com