Coarse Broads

Coarse Broads driving and exciting goal is to promote and develop a fiber based industry that is creating products using all grades of alpaca, thereby maximizing North American Fiber for North American Alpaca Producers.  Foremost on our agenda is educating North American Alpaca Producers about profit opportunities, uses for fiber, and the expanding and viable American market that is available today.

Seminars Available

Fiber Sorting for Maxium Profit:  Uniform fiber creates product consistency and is key to developing a North American Fiber Industry.  Think beyond yarn, think beyond first, second, and thirds.  Think beyond histograms and micron counts.  What are your options for your annual harvest.  Explore the following:  There are many grades of fiber

  • **All grades have value and are income opportunities

  • **If a histogram says 17 microns, it doesn't necessarily mean the whole alpaca is 17 microns.

    The Myths of Fleece and AAFL
    Excerpt from Fleece article by Michael Jack AAA Ltd. Central Coast & Hunter NWS Region Fleece Liaison Officer

    “Firstly, it appears that the myth of using a mid-side sample as a guide to the commercial value of alpaca fleece is still considered by some breeders to be a good guide to the value of their fleece. Let us be quite clear about this; the mid-side sample is useful as a breeding guide, provided samples are always taken from the same place and used in comparisons between animals. However, the mid-side sample is of no use whatsoever as a guide to the commercial value of a fleece.”

  • **A uniform alpaca fleece is vital to ease of processing, keeping costs down, and a higher profit margin.

Presented by:   Carrie Hull and Robyn Kuhl 

Profitable Fiber Herds:  Have you been thinking of raising alpacas for their fiber?  Explore the possibilities.

What constitutes a good, fair, or poor fiber alpaca?  How to determine what to do with all that fiber. Outlets for the end product.  Basic care requirements.

Presented by: Robyn Kuhl

Alpaca Evaluation for Sale , Purchase and Breeding; Learn the tools and points you need to know when you look at an alpaca to purchase or sell and how to use the information you gather for future breeding decisions and herd management.  Use objective measures in the areas of physical, fleece and reproductive evaluations. 

Presented by: Carrie Hull

Uterine Torision
A barn guide to detection and management
Learn to recognize uterine torsion, understand the contributing factors to this condition and learn ways to prevent or lessen the likelihood of this life-threatening problem. This interactive class gives students the chance to practice the Flank to Plank Method of resolving uterine torsion and integrate the concepts learned with several hands-on, physical activities. This class does not replace sound veterinary advise and assistance, but helps breeders help themselves when veterinary assistance is not available.

Coarse Broads Speaking fees:

  • $500 / day / each speaker

  • Deposit to be determined on a case by case basis, to be paid at the time of booking. The deposit will be credited towards the speaking and/or reimbursemnet fees incurred by the host farm/organization.

  • Reimbursement of expenses to include

    • Airfare / speaker

    • Meals / speaker

    • Lodging / speaker ( speakers can lodge together)

    • Travel day expense to include; travel to the airport, parking, ($125 for the first speaker $100 for the second speaker if traveliing together) hotel the night before if flight leaves before 10:00 a.m. add $130 for Hotel the night before flight.

    • $.45 / mile round trip plus travel time if speakers are driving to the event.

If you are having 1-2 classes presented, 1-2 speakers can do that.

If you are interested in having all 3 classes 2 speakers will be required.

A Workshop is 3 hours and includes the Power point presentation, and hands on instruction.

Day long seminars are 7 hours and includes up to 2 topics.  Power point presentation and extensive hands on experience make up the seminar.

Seminar/Sort Days are 7 hours days.  The first day includes Power point presentation followed by 3 hours of hands on experience with training for your shearing helpers.  The next day is sorting while shearing.

Please asks for a quote that fits your unique situation.

Seminars can earn credits for Alpaca Breeders Fiber School. For information contact info@abfschool.com.

Sorting Services Available

Sorting of Fiber into industry standard grades.

A clip summary and end use suggestions for each grade of fiber, including processor information. Individual fleece record for each alpaca graded to aid in sales, breeding decisions, management, etc.

Coarse Broads Sorting Fees

Sorting Fees:

  • During shearing, $15/alpaca

  • Out of the bag  $20/alpaca

$200/ day minimum. 

For example:  If you have 8 alpacas then it would benefit you to coordinate with another ranch close to you who also wants to have their fiber sorted as well.  When we are finished with your sorting we can then go directly to the other ranch or ranches to sort.

Reimbursed expenses:

  • Airfare for each sorter

  • Meals for each sorter

  • Lodging costs for each sorter ( sorters can lodge together)

  • Mileage if sorter drives .42 / mile

The number of sorters required depends on the shearer you are using and how many alpacas are to be shorn in 1 day.

Benefits

The benefits to the producer:
What the producer receives with sorting services:

Yearly harvest of fiber sorted into grades by color and length.

Individual Sort record on each animal with data that includes the weight of each fleece by body area, grade of each area, comments on luster/brightness, density, and uniformity of crimp, test for tenderness, and sorter commentsoon the fiber.The individual records are useful in marketing, breeding and general management decision by the producer.

Sort Summary for the entire clip. The summary provides information on the amount of fiber in each grade, color, and length category. This enables the producer to make manufacturing decision for their clip and allows them to track their farms productivity and average fleece weight per alpaca.

Increase in usable fiber: Utilizing the Certified Sorted Method™ reduces the amount of fiber that ends up in the garden, the burn pile, or trash bin. When we first started sorting, most producers were throwing away at least one large bag of fiber per animal. With good shearing, collection and sorting, typical waste per alpaca is less than 8 oz. per animal!

Increase in potential profit: Producers increase profit in several ways.

  1. More useable fleece per animal
  2. Superior products created from sorted fiber commands higher prices and repeat customers
  3. Sorted fiber has less loss during production. Some mills have commented that the loss from processing is 10-15% less than average.
  4. The opportunity to become NAAFP Coop member, having access to reduced processing costs, access to retail outlets, and marketing.

Suggested uses for each grade of fiber. The sorter can assist the producer in recognizing fiber goals, then sort fiber in a manner that best supports those goals. Appropriate uses for each grade will be discussed as well as general processing information and resources to assist the fiber producer. The average grade of the fiber producers’ herd can be calculated, giving them feedback on goals they may have already set.

Assistance with herd management: Because the sorting process is very thorough, external parasites, skin conditions, stress on the animal which create fiber breaks, etc... are identified and can be address.

At the end of the day, shearing and sorting is completed and a summary of the yearly clip is compiled.

Shearing is over!
There is no need to skirt the fiber at a later date.
Total weights are recorded by grade, color and method of processing.
Your clip is ready for processing!
Data available to plan for fiber use and management issues.

When the fiber producer understands what they receive with sorting, they can recognize the tremendous benefit sorting has to offer and how economical it is for them. Usually the sale of the products from the leg/chest/belly will pay for the sorting itself. Other interesting benefits have been reported, including the increased sales of breeding stock due to the ability to answer that age old question,"What do you do with the fiber?"

Example of Sorted Fiber Profitability

Instructions for Mailing Fiber

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