JUNE FANTASY FARM ALPACAS NEWSLETTER

Gray Females for Sale

Gray alpacas are some of the highest sought after alpacas in the United States.  Recently, Fantasy Farm Alpacas acquired a number of 2 – 3 year old bred gray females.  These females come from some of the finest pedigrees in America and are bred to some of the most sought after sires in the country.  The females are all either rose gray or sliver gray and have been bred to sires that are either gray or genetically have the propensity to throw grays.  We do not have many of these fine grays and offer them to our clients on a first come first served basis.  At every alpaca sale I go to across America, the gray alpacas always go first and usually as some of the highest prices.  In Texas, not many farms have grays.  If you are considering growing your alpaca operation either for the potential tax benefits, the income potential or just for your own family’s personal enjoyment, I encourage you to contact us quickly on these animals.  These grays will not last long as we are selling them at below market prices with three year financing with 25% down.  The majority of these gray females are scheduled to give birth in 2008.  For more information, photos and pedigrees contact me personally at 210-347-4770.

Update on Fiber Purchasing

With summer here us and shearing behind us, I wanted to give you an update on ways to sell your fiber.  As you all know, there are a number of ways to sell alpaca fiber.  Some clients sell it directly on the internet, some sell it to local cottage industry weavers and spinners in their communities, while others use AOBA‘s (Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association) fiber coop (Alpaca Fiber Cooperative of North America, Inc. (AFCNA)).  In addition there are a number of cottage mills throughout the country that can take your raw alpaca fiber and spin it into yarn to be sold or used personally.  All of these are excellent choices.  However, I wanted to update you on another extremely viable option for your fiber that will soon be available to all alpaca owners.  Fantasy Farm Alpacas has formed a joint venture and created the American Alpaca Fiber Federation, LLC (AAFF).  AAFF has searched the world in an attempt to find a major textile mill that would purchase alpaca fiber as a major commodity.  AAFF is pleased to announce that it has entered into a joint venture with one of the largest textile mills in the world, GFM Parras.  With mills both in Mexico and Italy, Parras is one of the largest manufactures of denim in the world.  With our new joint venture with Parras, AAFF and Parras are finalizing testing and manufacturing of high fashion denim consisting of approximately 80% cotton and 20% alpaca fiber.  Our first shipment of alpaca fiber was sent out in early summer to Parras.  Although we are still in the testing phase, we are extremely excited about this opportunity.  We will keep you updated, but we anticipate being able to start purchasing fiber in late 2008.  For more information visit AAFF’s web site at www.americanalpacafiberfederation.com. 

Herd Health Care

With summer in Texas here, all alpacas should be sheared by this time.  As we have shared with each of our clients, alpacas must be sheared in late April or early May in Texas.  In addition to shearing, once a year or so you will want to look at your alpaca’s teeth and toenails.  Should you need assistance with any of these healthcare needs, or if you have questions regarding alpaca heath care, please always feel free to call our herd manager Frank Garcia at 210-823-2319.  Frank schedules on site visits to our client’s farms on a weekly basis.  We always encourage you as with any livestock to have a veterinarian in your local community who can assist you with any major health issues should they occur.   At Fantasy Farm Alpacas, Frank is always available for questions and animal maintenance.  Also remember that Fantasy Farm Alpacas sells alpaca feed, pens and some health care products.

Alpaca Males

Many of our clients have started their herds with young alpaca males.  Currently Fantasy Farm Alpacas has a very nice selection of young males.  We will be throughout the summer at events such as Canton First Mondays, Bowie Second Mondays and McKinney Third Mondays.  Feel free to call Thomas ahead of time to preselect any of these little boys or remember, you are always welcome to visit our farm in Boerne, Texas.  These inexpensive young alpaca males are a great way to obtain your livestock exemption on your property taxes, thus providing you significant tax savings on property tax in Texas.

For assistance with your Alpaca program or for assistance in purchasing additional Alpacas, always feel free to contact Fantasy Farm Alpaca’s Ranch Manager on his cell at 210-347-4770.