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George
H.
Davis,
MS
When
you
look
at
an
alpaca,
do
you
see
a
nice
animal
with
some
fiber
on
the
outside,
or
nice
fiber
with
some
animal
inside?
I
am
sure
that
most
people
who
farm
alpacas
have
them
primarily
because
they
like
them
as
an
animal.
Nevertheless,
we
need
to
remember
that
the
processor's
interest
is
focused
entirely
on
the
animal's
fiber
as
a
raw
material.
For
the
breeder
in
a
fiber
industry,
quality
fiber
production
per
animal
is
the
key
to
profitability,
whereas
for
the
processor
it
is
the
processing
attributes
of
the
fiber
that
determine
its
value.
Both
of
these
two
different
goals
can
often
be
met
if
the
processor
sends
the
producer
the
appropriate
price
signals,
but
this
is
not
always
the
case.
It
is
therefore
important
that
some
fiber
attributes
are
not
promoted
to
an
extent
that
will
ultimately
work
to
the
detriment
of
the
alpaca
industry.
My
background
is
with
beef
cattle
and
sheep.
I
have
regarded
alpacas
as
basically
another
livestock
option,
and
this
has
been
reflected
in
the
production-type
research
we
have
carried
out
on
our
alpacas
at
Tara
Hills
and
Invermay.
Our
focus
has
not
been
on
alpacas
as
adorable
pets
and
cute
show-ring
exhibits.
Of
course,
after
researching
alpacas
for
the
past
seven
years,
I
became
hooked
and
now
have
fifteen
of
my
own.
So
much
for
my
credibility!
Even
so,
I
believe
it
is
important
that
we
don't
lose
sight
of
the
role
of
alpacas
as
production
animals
and
the
product,
fiber.
The
nonfiber
characteristics
affecting
the
productivity
of
an
animal
must
also
always
be
considered.
It
will
be
much
more
profitable
for
a
producer
to
have
an
alpaca
with
an
average
fleece
that
produces
a
healthy
cria
each
year
than
one
with
a
top
fleece
and
a
poor
reproductive
record.
Regardless
of
its
fleece
attributes,
an
alpaca
with
any
serious
physical
defect
or
with
an
unsound
reproductive
history
should
have
no
breeding
future.
In
South
America
another
of
its
products
is
meat,
but
as
long
as
we
regard
them
as
pets,
there
doesn't
seem
to
be
much
likelihood
of
the
Super
Macpaca
burger
making
the
big
time.
PRODUCTION
AND
PROCESSING
ATTRIBUTES
OF
WOOL
So
if
fiber
is
the
important
product
we
need
to
identify,
the
factors
that
influence
its
value
to
the
producer
are
the
most
important.
I
use
the
term
producer
deliberately,
because
there
is
a
danger
that
too
much
emphasis
can
be
given
to
the
value
set
by
the
processor.
Here
I
draw
on
my
experience
in
the
sheep
industry.
Processors
list
attributes
such
as
staple
length,
tensile
strength,
yield,
fiber
diameter,
wool
bulk,
and
color
as
being
all-important.
It
doesn't
matter
to
processors
whether
it
takes
two
hundred
or
a
thousand
sheep
to
produce
a
ton
of
fiber
because
their
interest
is
in
acquiring
a
certain
weight
of
fiber.
On
the
other
hand,
for
the
sheep
farmer
the
single
most
important
trait
influencing
profitability
is
the
weight
of
fiber
produced
per
animal.
It
is
this
factor,
more
than
any
other,
that
determines
whether
a
farmer
stays
in
business.
We
have
the
example
in
sheep
of
wool
tensile
strength.
Processors
insist
that
it
is
important,
and
farmers
know
that
they
can
manipulate
tensile
strength
by
shearing
in
late
winter
before
lambing.
However,
apart
from
obviously
tender
wool,
there
is
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