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AlpacaNation Q&A with Avalon Farm Alpacas
Donna Pearre & Carole Van House
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118 McLaughlin Road, Skandia, MI 49885
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906-869-4086
AlpacaNation: Tell us about yourself
Avalon Farm Alpacas: Carole (Van House) and I (Donna Pearre) met in graduate school where we were both in the Counseling Psychology doctoral program. We became good friends, and later found ourselves working together as faculty members in Northern Michigan University's graduate program in Counselor Education and in the University Counseling Center. Eventually, Carole left Northern to go into private practice as a psychologist while I remained at the University as the Vice President for Student Affairs. It was my "mid-life crisis" and my early retirement that were the impetus for the change that resulted in the purchase of our farm. The original plan was to share a home in the country where we could have a couple of pleasure horses. Not long after the move, however, we decided that we wanted to have a farm based business to help earn income, make the farm tax deductable, and give me something productive to do (Carole's idea!). Thus began the search that led us to alpacas and to becoming alpaca breeders.
AlpacaNation: How long have you been in the alpaca business?
Avalon Farm Alpacas: Wow, it's hard to believe it, but this is our thirteenth year as alpaca breeders. We purchased our first 3 alpacas in September of 1995, quickly followed by the purchase of 6 other females and a weanling male. Like many others who are just getting started, we spent the fall and early winter preparing our farm for the alpacas. During this time, our alpacas stayed at the farm from which they were purchased so that they could be bred. This also gave us more time to get our farm ready for them. We decided to develop our first pasture on land which adjoined our old wooden barn. The site was convenient and afforded us a great view from our main living room. But first we had to deal with the old apple orchard. We knew the trees had to go when one fell on Carole after she tapped a limb with our new John Deere tractor. Visions of alpacas being smashed by falling apple trees were very scarey. We decided the trees were "out"...the alpacas were "in". Our first alpacas came home the next spring.
AlpacaNation: How did you decide on your farm name? Is there a special meaning behind the name?
Avalon Farm Alpacas: Avalon Farm, our farm name, has special meaning for us. Taken from the best selling novel, "The Mists of Avalon", the name Avalon belongs to the mythical isle that is part of the lore associated with King Arthur and the Celtic religion. When we first moved to our farm we were enchanted by the privacy and peaceful beauty that surrounded us. As we watched the mists roll across the fields from the surrounding woods, the name just seemed to fit. We knew that, like the isle of Avalon, this farm, too, would be magical and would touch us spiritually. And so, Avalon Farm was born. Later, when we made alpacas a part of our dream, the business became Avalon Farm Alpacas.
AlpacaNation: Describe your first alpaca purchase... would you do anything differently today?
Avalon Farm Alpacas: We always feel slightly sheepish when sharing this story, but here goes... After reading about alpacas in a small article in "Small Farm Today", getting information and past issues of "Alpacas" magazine from AOBA, and talking by phone with breeders around the country, we decided it was time to actually see a "real" alpaca. We made an appointment with a large breeder in Ohio and set off for the 12 hour drive. All through the night we talked about alpacas and our plans to become breeders. Over and over we reminded ourselves that we were just going to look and learn, NOT to buy. In fact, our parting words to each other as we got out of the car the next morning for our 8 a.m. appointment were, "Now remember, we're just here to look". Right! We were enchanted by the 1st alpaca we saw; out the window went our carefully crafted business plan. When we got back into our car 8 hours later, we were the proud owners of 3 females: 1 bred adult, 1 open yearling, and 1 weanling. We were hooked!
AlpacaNation: What has been your biggest success story in terms of showing alpacas?
Avalon Farm Alpacas: Our biggest success story and our most exciting moment in the show ring would have to be the 1999 AOBA National Conference Show in Columbus, Ohio when our adult fawn male, AFA Royal Peruvian Aristocrat, won two blue ribbons! These wins were especially meaningful to us since Ari was one of the first four crias born on our farm. We knew he was special from the first time we saw him, but to have him win at the National Show...WOW, that just took our breath away! What an exciting moment! It was a great show all around. We were the Barn Managers for the Conference. That role gave us a chance to met many nice people, but also made showing our animals hectic. We were showing our three herdsires AND six weanlings/yearlings! In the end, everyone of our animals won a ribbon at the show, including a third place for our white adult male, AFA Peruvian Nevar, and a second for our medium rose grey yearling, Avalon's Durango (both AFA studs). At the end of the day we were exhausted, but thrilled.
AlpacaNation: What sets your farm and herd apart from others in the industry?
Avalon Farm Alpacas: The "Avalon Advantage" is our attempt to put together a full program of service and post sale support. Since we are a small/mid-sized farm, we have the opportunity to work with our customers on an individual basis and to follow the progress of the alpacas we sell. Outside breedings are limited to afford us the time and resources to provide our "guest females" with the personalized care and attention that we would want for our own females when they are away from home. Limiting breedings to our males also increases the likelihood that the value of their crias will remain strong. Included in the Avalon Advantage, also, are special Customer and Priority breeding rates. The Priority rate, in particular, is a reduced breeding rate for any female we sell that follows her for her breeding life, regardless of owner. We hope, in this way, to be able to make outside breedings to high quality males affordable for our customers and to be able to keep in touch with the females that we've sold.
AlpacaNation: What has been your biggest lesson learned in terms of breeding?
Avalon Farm Alpacas: PATIENCE! I would have to say that the biggest lesson we've learned is to be patient. Learning to be patient means giving young males and females time to mature before we expect them to start breeding. It means waiting until the female's behavior tells us that she has developed a ripe follicle and is most likely to have a successful first breeding. Our goal is to get our girls, and our guest females, pregnant with one breeding, if possible. This means consistent behavior testing and careful observation of the behavior of both the male and the female. Good record keeping is a must in getting to know and understand the breeding behavior of your alpacas so that you can interpret what their bodies are trying to tell you. We find that being patient is especially difficult for new owners/breeders who are eager to have their first crias and to stay on track with their buisness plans. We understand, but believe that in the end, being patient will pay the biggest dividends!
AlpacaNation: What has your marketing experience been like in the industry? What hurdles have you had to overcome?
Avalon Farm Alpacas: Probably our greatest challenge has been finding ways to reduce the distance between us and our prospective customers. The Internet has been a primary tool for bringing Avalon Farm closer to prospects both from our region and from across the United States. We were one of the first alpaca farms to develop a web site [www.AvalonFarmAlpacas.com]in 1996. The site has provided us with a vehicle for reaching countless visitors with full information about Avalon Farm, our alpacas, and us. Additionally, we made the choice to exhibit our alpacas in regional and national shows to demonstrate in the showring the quality of our breeding program. This has meant long hauls (usually from 5-14 hours of driving) with our Suburban and alpaca trailer...considerable time, effort, and expense, but with a big payoff. Our alpacas have done very well in the showring, which has enhanced our reputation and given good visibility to our farm.
AlpacaNation: What tools (Internet, mailings, shows, etc.) have been successful and what have not?
Avalon Farm Alpacas: Referrals from satisfied customers; attendance and success at regional and national shows; and visibility and accessibility on the Internet have probably proven to be our most successful marketing strategies. Our very first sale was primarily handled over the Internet. I was on an email list, Alpacasite, with other alpaca breeders. One day I saw an email from a breeder who was looking for a young herdsire prospect. I thought we had just the alpaca she was looking for, so I responded. In order to get pictures to her quickly, I actually went out and bought our first digital camera...a good decision! We were able to do in a couple of days what would otherwise have taken weeks. Having our farm website, a presence on AlpacaNation, membership in the "Ilovealpacas.com" marketing cooperative, and a lisitng on the AOBA website have also given us an Internet presence. In addition, we always have an ad in the AOBA Farm and Ranch Guide and get good visibility and calls from that source, too.
AlpacaNation: Any suggestions for easy handling and transporting of alpacas?
Avalon Farm Alpacas: Yes! Don't wait until the last minute to work with your animals and then expect them to automatically do what you want! There never seems to be enough time to do all of the things we plan. Then, all of the sudden, it's time to get those shots done...NOW...or to get the alpacas in the trailer to go to a show, or... Then we find ourselves under the gun to get whatever it is done and, as much as we may be determined to be patient...well, sometimes we aren't. Then the alpacas get upset, we get upset, and everyone has a stressful experience. Our advice is to make time to be with your alpacas and to work with them far in advance of when you will need them ready to get in the trailer, go to a show, or stand for nail trimming. Don't wait until you don't have the time to be patient. In the end, most alpacas will respond very positively if given the opportunity to understand what we are asking them to do. And, if possible, attend clinics like our Marty McGee-Bennett clinic in August.
AlpacaNation: How do you see the industry developing as the U.S. market grows rapidly?
Avalon Farm Alpacas: Although we currently continue to enjoy a strong breeder's market, it is inevitable that, over time, the industry will become more and more dependent on the marketability of alpaca fiber and the end products produced from that fiber. We believe, as with any business venture, that each of us will need to monitor the market and make adjustments in our business goals and plans accordingly. The best breeding stock alpacas will continue, we believe, to command high prices as breeders seek to upgrade the quality of their herds. However, we think that the price gap will grow between those at the high end and those with conformational concerns or weaker fiber characteristics. We expect that we will begin to see the increasing development of "fiber herds". These herds would be composed of gelded males and non-breeding females whose primary purpose will be the production of a luxurious, high quality fiber for the North American alpaca fiber market. We have a very exciting future ahead!
AlpacaNation: How do you see your farm and alpaca business growing over the next 5 to 10 years?
Avalon Farm Alpacas: We expect the breeder's market to remain strong during the next 5 to 10 years and beyond, especially for "high end" breeding stock. At the same time, there will be an increasing emphasis on the luxurious fiber that our animals produce. This emphasis will include the development of a North American industry founded on the production of end products made in North America from North American alpaca fiber. We will also begin to see, we believe, the creation of "fiber herds" to supply fiber for our industry. With this vision in mind, Avalon Farm Alpacas continues to support the North American Alpaca Fiber Cooperative through our membership. We are currently considering the establishment of an "on farm" store to promote and distribute alpaca products. At the same time, we will continue to refine our breeding program to produce breeding stock huacaya alpacas with exceptional fiber fineness, character, luster, and density in the full range of natural colors..."Natural Color at Its Finest"!
AlpacaNation: What advice would you give to those just getting started in the industry?
Avalon Farm Alpacas: Buy your alpacas from breeders who will offer full disclosure about their alpacas, who will stand behind their animals in the event of problems, and who will be available to consult with you when you need help. Don't be afraid to ask for the names of other customers that you can talk with before you make a commitment to purchase. Who you buy from can be more important to your success as a new breeder than the particular alpacas you purchase! There are many nice alpacas, but as a new breeder you will have dozens of questions and concerns that come along during that first year, and you will want to have someone you can call for advice and support. Here at Avalon Farm, we put lots of time and energy into making sure that our customers have the information they need to care for their alpacas and to be successful. All Avalon Farm breeding stock come with excellent guarantees, and our customers receive the support of the "Avalon Advantage".
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