Podcast Episode 3 - Alpaca Visit and Figure 8s

Episode 3 of Rose "Spins a Yarn" is live.  This episode does a quick visit with the alpacas outside (the barn was too dark to get anything worthwhile to show), as well as how to tie your handspun (or any yarn) with figure 8 ties.

Open House at the Farm Saturday October 18th, 2014 11am-4pm

Announcing our first open house of the holiday season! 

Saturday October 18th, 2014 11am - 4pm

Sebastian really hopes you will join us! 

New inventory is rolling in daily from the mill, our co-ops and of course being made by hand on the farm.   So it's time to jumpstart your holiday shopping as there are only 72 shopping days left until Christmas.

For those of you that cannot make it to Rhinebeck this weekend, why not spend the day with us? Bring your knitting/spinning/crocheting and hang out and craft in our "Spinners Circle".

Browse the new inventory:

• Farm roving fresh from the mill
• Hand painted and kettle dyed fiber 
• Spinning/Felting Batts
• Art Batts
• Farm yarn fresh from the mill
• Hand Spun Yarn fresh off the wheel
• Gloves, hats, scarves, socks 
• Dryer balls
• Felted soap

And MUCH more!

Meet an Alpaca !  (See pics at www.AlmaPark.com) 

See the space and layout for the new store and fiber studio

See a spinning demo

Sign up for spinning or knitting classes starting in November

Learn more about raising alpacas by asking alpaca related questions, fencing, barn layout etc 

And MORE! 

Click here for DIRECTIONS

• Mention this blog post to get 10% off your purchase*
• Can't make it on Saturday? Well pop on over to our online store www.yourLYSonline.com and take 10% off *using coupon code OPEN10 - new inventory is being posted to the website all week - so check back often! 

*Excludes: Virtual Adoptions, Dyes, Blending Boards, Clubs and Animal Purchases

Open Farm Day - Sept 29-30, 2012

Come join us for open farm weekend at our NEW farm, Sept 29-30, 2012 10am-4pm both days.  Lots of things to see and do!  Lots of yarn and products available. Come see what is happening with the new store, what we have planned etc.  Bring your knitting or spinning and stay awhile.

For all details and directions, click here. 

Don't disappoint this face :)

Alpacas in the News (again) - CBS Sunday Morning

CBS loves alpacas - they have had several reports on them through the years - here are a few videos that I think are worth a look. 

December 1, 2008 --  Peggy Parks   (Johnstown, PA) click here to view - this video is a little outdated with prices etc, and does talk about the "emu bubble", but does talk about the positives.  (Originally on CBS evening news)

March 16, 2011 - Alpacas on CBS in Australia - an alpaca gets amorous behind the reporter - funny - click here to view.  Talks about the different types and is quite amusing as well.

May 11, 2011 - Not really news (and wasn't on TV), but a cute video of a sleepy cria - click here to view - just darn cute

March 25, 2012 - Amber of Colorado and  Bill and Lori from Harley Hill Alpacas in (Quakertown, PA) talks about alpacas for fun and profit - click here to view - this video is more up to date and talks about fiber, taxes, nutrition and thier "Muppet" like qualities. (Originally on CBS News Sunday Morning)


Click Here for a blog post on other great alpaca videos from TV and around the web.

NJ Sheep and Wool Festival September 10-11, 2011

Alma Park Alpacas™ and The Yarn Shop at Alma Park™ will be a vendor at the NJ Sheep and Wool festival September 10-11!  Come out and enjoy the fibery feast!!

Ringoes NJ at the Hunterdon County Fairgrounds.

See directions, list of vendors and more about the fair here.

AOBA Old Commericals - a Compilation

AOBA has stepped up it's advertising game (finally) and has produced some videos - now if I would just see them on TV or hear on radio rather than just youtube !! Look at the older 30 second spots and then look at the new Fashion and radio spots - getting a bit better.

Some Old AOBA commercials -
Comm1
Comm2
Comm3
Comm4
Comm5

Back with the daily ALPACA Buzz!!

Hi All - I have been out of touch for a while having a "cria" of my own!  In any event, I am now on a pretty good schedule that will allow me to bring you the almost daily, witty, albeit sometimes controversial commentary that you have to expect and I hope like!!  Stay tuned for an article a day over the next week or so while I get all caught up on the buzz that is happening!!  Lots of interesting stuff has been happening while I was "away".

Link to Stossel's Latest Alpaca Segment - the one where AOBA didn't show up !!

Here is the link to the latest segment on alpacas.

Alma Park on Fox News with John Stossel

The alpaca segment John interviewed me for will air at 9pm this Friday (December 17th) on Fox News.  Here is a blog post John just posted about the segment.

Now while I do usually find John to be spot on - I don't think that tax breaks made alpacas "explode", but as I have been saying for months if not years - prices need to come down to a "reasonable" level in order to support their true purpose  . . . . FIBER!!!!!  

Before people comment and bash John Stossel --- I think some posters on his blog and the alpaca chat sites are missing the point of the article. He is NOT  bashing the alpaca industry.  He is pointing out that tax breaks may help the serious farmer or business person etc, they also invite people to use them as a tax shelter which artificially inflates prices and creates a bubble.  People who simply board their animals and are completely hands off for example.   When the bubble bursts, all get hurt.  I lowered prices years ago - but there are still people out there on the precipice of the bubble waiting for the economy to recover and the huge prices come back.  I am not waiting!  I lowered prices and I am selling, and selling alot!  Economics 101 - "an item is worth what others are willing to pay for it".   I also have a thriving fiber business which is the commodity that MAKES alpacas viable livestock - FIBER.  

Read more: http://stossel.blogs.foxbusiness.com/2010/12/15/have-uncle-sam-buy-you-alpacas-9pm-friday-on-fox-news/#ixzz18DjfJBzf

A brief description of the whole show is below (Alpacas fall into #6):

Please tune in to the FOX NEWS CHANNEL this FRIDAY at 9 PM ET to see Politicians’ Top 10 Promises GONE WRONG with John Stossel

Politicians make promises, and brag about the results of their work, the “seen” benefits, but they ignore the unintended consequences—the “unseen” harm-- of their laws. Politicians PROMISED that…

10… CASH FOR CLUNKERS would save the auto industry.  Instead, it increased the costs of USED cars (the ones that poor people buy), decreased charitable donations, and just moved auto sales from other months into July and August.

9… increasing the MINIMUM WAGE would guarantee everyone better pay, but it ended up killing jobs.

8…TITLE IX would end discrimination against women in sports, but instead it has taken sports away from both men AND women.

7… Big projects like STADIUMS, ARENAS, and CONFERENCE CENTERS will create jobs.  Instead, they steal money from the local grocery store.

6… Politicians manipulate the TAX CODE to “save small farmers,” and “save the environment,” but instead create an explosion of ALPACAS, give rich people like Stossel free GOLF CARTS.

5…CREDIT CARD REFORM would save us from horrible bank fees, but “reform” led to higher credit card interest rates and less credit for the poor, which drove them to worse forms of credit.

4…the HEALTHCARE bill would give us cheaper more comprehensive healthcare, but instead it’s causing insurance companies to stop offering health insurance altogether.

3…ETHANOL would relieve our dependence on foreign oil AND save the environment, but instead it’s increased the cost of food, done MORE damage to the environment, and to taxpayers.

2… Politicians said more HOME OWNERSHIP was good for America, but their subsidies created a bubble that made life worse.

And tune in for the #1 PROMISE GONE WRONG.  

New Yahoo Group For Brainstorming on All Things ALPACA

- Want a forum to discuss ideas on how to make the industry better?
- Want a common place to brainstorm ideas to take to our affiliates?
- Want a voice?


Come join our group - Brainstorming Alpacas

Click to join brainstorming_alpacas

Alpacas on The Today Show With Jane Pauley (video link as well)

Cascade Alpacas of Oregon (the same folks featured on the American Express commercial) were featured on NBC's Today show with a segment co-branded with AARP (Your Life Calling) .  The segment spoke to how Alpacas can be a good choice for people with no livestock experience and the peaceful nature of the alpaca.  While I would have liked to see a tour of their farm store, the segment was a good overall piece and was in a postive light unlike some other jabs from shows in the past.  Since it aired in the 8 - 9 am timespot - it is huge exposure for the Alpaca Community and is another way for folks to get to learn about these wonderful animals.

I still think that we need to get the message out there about the fiber, not just the breeding end, so that people that are not already raising alpacas can see a viable end product and the start of a true fiber commodity.

I also would like to point out that alpacas are not just for retirees - they are for every age - I see many new people coming into the community that are young and that really excites me!

You can view the video  here 

Priceless

$22 for a bag of feed. $8 for a bale of hay. Alpacas in an American Express Commercial - PRICELESS. . . . .

Once again, alpacas will be hitting the air waves! RFD TV’s national series “Time Well Spent” will include a segment about alpacas this Friday, January 15th at 10 p.m. Eastern Standard Time and Saturday, January 16th at 1:30 p.m. EST.

Also recently launched is a new American Express commercial starring alpacas. Now that’s priceless!

See the latest alpaca TV special "It's a green Christmas"

The Market for Alpacas

My graduate work was in Economics. Economics is not a pure science as there needs to be a little interpretation to make sense of the graphs and numbers, which is probably why I still find it more fascinating than another other subject I have studied in my life. 

I predicted this recession, the foreclosure crisis and the fall of the real estate market well before it materialized last year.  Within my circle of friends I am considered Nostradamus when it comes to the financial markets.   So when people ask me about the Alpaca Market today and in the future, I thought I would do some research and pondering and come up with my predictions for the future of the industry. 

Many nay-sayers would tell you that the alpaca market is a speculative bubble.   A "speculative bubble" is defined by Webster's as "A rapid but often short-lived run-up in prices that is caused by irrational exuberance, rather than the basic underlying fundamentals of the market."  Tulips in the 1630s and internet stocks in the 1990s are examples of this.  Both these events were short lived and prices went up rapidly and when the bubble burst prices came down even more rapidly.

Let's break down this definition into two parts:  

• A rapid but often short-lived run-up in prices:  Alpaca prices have been stable for 15+ years in the United States and only recently have seen a decrease in price.  There was never a run-up in prices and the decrease has been gradual and not rapid by any means.  I attribute this both to the economic downturn as well as panic selling by smaller breeders who were not well capitalized from the start.  
• Caused by irrational exuberance, rather than the basic underlying fundamentals of the market: Exuberance is what all alpaca breeders feel every time a cria is born!  However, irrational exuberance would not describe me or any of my fellow quality breeders.  There is a solid underlying fundamental in the alpaca market in the form of fiber.  My fiber and yarn sales account for a large portion of my overall income and even more so in this economy.   If  alpaca breeding for investment and livelihood was irrational, then so is every livestock and agricultural model in the country. 

In the stock market, right before a bottom happens often seen is a "capitulation event" which is evidenced by steep price declines on abnormally high trading .  I believe that this has occurred in 3Q09  in the alpaca business.   It seemed that everyday, someone else was dispersing a herd, needing to sell due to ill health or downsizing for retirement.    I was like come on, lets call it the truth!  I read between the lines in those email and read "I am scared about the future and I really want to sell these animals at any price now!!"   Those emails have stopped (bottom predicted) and those folks are no longer in the alpaca business.  Many new people got into the business by buying those dispersed animals for a good price and many other breeders took the opportunity to increase their herds for a song.   I am glad that those folks sold out because I believe in Darwin's theory of evolution"  "Only the strong survive".   Many people fall in love with the cute faces of these animals but never treat it like a business.

My predictions:

• Prices will continue to stabilize in 2Q and 3Q 2010 and will be more realistic for the average consumer.   
• Sales of breeding stock will increase in 2010 year over year
• Sales of breeding stock will increase in 2011 and eclipse 2009 and prior years due to lower entry points and more "average" folks getting involved
  
• Local and regional organizations will find creative ways to make showing more affordable for the smaller farm or risk not getting the participation enjoyed in the past
• Newer breeders coming into the business in 2010 and 2011 will treat it as a business and make the industry stronger for that
  
• Breeders will come together in more cooperatives in order to propel the fiber industry forward. There is gold in that fleece and we need to mine it! 
  
• Auctions will no longer feature the best of the industry and will become a clearing house for lower quality animals

Please let me know your thoughts!!!






 

Herding Money??

Katie Couric had a great segment on Alpacas last night on CBS. Click here to read more.

Synopsis - more and more people are trading in their stocks and bonds for tangible, less traditional investments - like ALPACAS!

More great articles about Alpacas and the industry

The industry around the country and comments on a national herd.

Alpacas in and around Atlanta. I love Georgia!

On the lifestyle of raising alpacas.

Alpacas as an alternative investment in these turbulent economic times.

Alpaca Market and the Economy

I am sitting here (at midnight) reading the financial news after watching CNBC in the barn for part of the day . . .it is a crazy time for America. Banks failing, bailout plans and possibly a recession not seen in my generations lifetime.

My stocks are down, my real estate is devalued and I see small alpaca farms bailing out of the industry. Here is my take on it all . . . alpacas are valuable investments. They reproduce other valuable investments that can be sold or traded. They produce the most wonderful fiber that is such a pleasure to spin into yarn and then knit, weave or crochet.

Coming into a major election and the holiday season, the trends I see are that people are nesting. . .and they are continuing to purchase yarn and other alpaca items. I am selling more items then I did at this time last year even in this atmosphere of uncertainty.

So my advice to all is to ride it out, and look for other ways to add value to your business. Work with the fiber, buy yarn and other products from the co-op and resell it and above all keep advertising.

I am more positive than ever about the alpaca industry and will continue to help promote and educate about the "finest livestock investment" in the world. I love these funny little creatures!!

Btw - I am working on my economics masters and from all the signs 3 years ago in the financial and housing markets this was bound to happen and will be healthier for the country and economy in the long run.

Nite Nite --- sweet dreams!

Rose