As someone who has been in the Alpaca business for 10+ years, I think Alpacas are one of the best, if not the best livestock opportunity for a small farm or ranch in Colorado.
But before I get into all the reasons why, I’d like to discuss the question I get asked most often by folks interested in the Alpaca business and that is, “why is there such a large discrepancy in the prices for Alpacas?”
In 2010 a single Alpaca stud sold at auction for $675,000. (You can look it up if you want, his name is Snowmass Matrix, auction date of 2/27/2010. Celebrity Sales was the auction house, you can probably still find the 2010 auction results on their website.) On the other end of the spectrum, a quick search on craigslist will most likely turn out a few Alpacas for sale in Colorado for as little as $100.
In the simplest explanation, the difference is in microns. A “micron” is 1/25,000 of an inch and is the measurement used in AFD (or Average Fiber Diameter) micron test reports.
Everyone has heard of cashmere right? (A search for “100% cashmere yarn” will yield results such as Artyarns Cashmere 5, 50 gram skein for $51.85, that’s $470.37 per pound, and Karabella Supercashmere, 50 grams for $55 or $498.95 per pound.)
A cashmere sweater or scarf is often prized (and expensive) because it is so soft and in the fiber business, soft garments translate to fine fibers. Cashmere by definition, can only contain fibers from cashmere goats with an AFD of 19 microns or less. That is the reason cashmere is so soft, because the fibers are so small they are too small to irritate the sense receptors in human skin. Because of a few characteristics specific to Alpaca fiber (smoother scales, longer staple length), Alpaca fiber up to an AFD of 20 microns or less will feel just as soft to human skin as 19 micron cashmere.
So in a nutshell, if your Alpaca is producing fiber at 20 microns or less, that fiber, when made into a garment will feel very soft and not “itchy”, like a more common inexpensive sheep’s wool sweater. If your Alpaca is producing fine fiber, he or she is worth much more than one that produces coarse fiber.
In the case of the $675,000 stud mentioned above, his yearly micron test reports were published as follows: year 1 = 14.4 microns, year 2 = 15.6 microns, year 3 = 14.6 microns, year 4 = 16.7 microns, year 5 = 16.6 microns. He also had a proven history of passing on his exceptionally fine fiber on to his offspring.
Because we raise Alpacas here in Colorado for their fine fleece, micron test reports are the primary assessment to price an individual Alpaca but of course there are other qualities that matter.
The Alpaca’s fleece color is probably the next most important factor; Alpacas come in 22 natural colors. This is significant because most other fine natural fibers such as cashmere, angora and the finest sheep wools only come in 3 or 4 natural colors while others such as yak down, mohair and silk only come in one color. This means these fibers must be artificially dyed, usually in a chemical process that not only is harmful to the environment, the process strips and damages the fiber, thus weakening it and resulting in a less durable garment that must be replaced more frequently.
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***)Other qualities I look for when I am pricing an Alpaca include lineage, fleece density and crimp, the animal’s conformation, body score and bite, the Alpaca’s age and temperament, as well as breeding, medical and showing histories.
So for the purposes of this discussion, let’s say there are three tiers of pricing concerning the Alpacas you can buy in Colorado today.
The first tier, or “entry level” Alpacas are most often priced from $100 to $1,000. There can be good ones in this group but usually they are not production or breeding stock quality. Most Alpacas are very docile and can make good 4H stock and even therapy animals. Most in this tier will be males that did not make the breeding cut or retirement age females.
A perfect example of an Alpaca from my ranch that would fit this tier is Mojo. In 2007 I put a lot of time and effort into breeding one of my true black females to a fine silver grey male from Ohio and Mojo was the result. Mojo got his sire’s rare silver grey fleece but not his fineness. It truly is a remarkable natural color and he produces 6 to 7 pounds per year so he would make a fiber artist very happy. But his 6th fleece measured in at 34.5 microns, so this is not something you would want to wear, it would work best in carpets or wall-hangings.
The second tier, or “mid-level” Alpacas are priced in the $1,000 to $5,000 range. If you want to get started with breeding Alpacas and have more time than money, this level is the place to begin. In 2005, I purchased Lucy, a true black female that fits this category. In 2008 Lucy had Mary Jane as a result of a match with Pulitzer, one of the best sons of the renowned Caligula. In 2011 Mary Jane had Ginger after being bred to Phoenix, our premiere stud and half paternal brother of Matrix, the $675,000 stud mentioned above. And in 2015, Ginger had Dark Knight by our Millenium Falcon, grandson of Legacy, the $1.5 million Alpaca. Dark Knight is one of the best Alpacas I have produced and can stand with the best in Colorado, despite his humble beginnings.
The third tier, or “top-tier” Alpacas are priced in the $5,000 to $10,000 range. These are Alpacas that are in the top 25% in quality and do not require much improvement, if any. I would expect the Alpacas in this category to be strong breeding stock and producing 5+ pounds of sub 20 micron fleece each year. Expect to pay towards the higher end of the scale for show ribbon winners, rare colors and exceptional fineness and/or density.
A perfect example of an Alpaca from my ranch that would fit this tier is Pulitzer’s Pixie. In 2006, I traveled all the way to NorthWest Alpacas in Hillsboro, Oregon to purchase a daughter of the famous Hemingway G171, one of the top two best studs to have ever been imported from Peru. Later that year I took my Hemingway daughter all the way to Magical Farms Alpacas outside of Cleveland, Ohio to breed her to My Peruvian Accoyo Pulitzer, one of the best full Accoyo sons from the other of the top two best studs to have ever been imported from Peru, the renowned Caligula G4572. A true HemiAccoyo, Pixie won first place in a very competitive white class at the ABR Fall Festival in 2008.
There is a special category for Alpacas above the third tier and this is what all serious breeders hope to create. The best of the best. The top 1%. Color Champions. Herdsires of the Year. The truth is these are even rarer than you might think because they seldom come up for sale. You can make much more building a breeding program around a truly remarkable stud and selling his offspring. Better to sell the golden eggs rather than the goose that lays them.
Please Visit Additional Alpine Ranch blog posts:
Superfine Natural FibersThe Making of a Cornerstone Foundation Female, A 12 Year JourneyTop 10 Reasons to Get Started with Alpacas in ColoradoThe Best Natural FiberAlpacas at Alpine Ranch is the home to 50+ Alpacas, with numerous animals available for sale from each of the three tiers described above. Breeding quality Alpacas since 2004, we specialize in Foundation Females, Starter Packages & Stud Services for sale. 27 miles S/E of Denver, 32 miles N/E of Colorado Springs, due east of Castle Rock off Hwy 86, located in Elizabeth, Colorado.