SFF Project Summary

Alpacas: making the transition from a cottage industry to a sustainable pastoral livestock option

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Reports:
Final Report
Alpacas - Making the Transition from a Cottage Industry... [ 42K PDF]
AANZ Census Results 2000-2004 [ 49K PDF]
Results of the Health Census 2004 of Monitor Farms [ 37K PDF]
Trace Mineral References Ranges for Alpaca [109K PDF]
Haematology and Biochemistry References Ranges for Alpaca [ 65K PDF]
Ryegrass Staggers Free Pasture - Establishment and Management [ 50K PDF]
Alpaca - Dealing with Dung [ 94K PDF]

Final Report

Background

The Alpaca Association NZ (AANZ) recognised that alpaca farming had the potential to become a profitable and “easy care” pastoral farming alternative for mainstream livestock farmers and small block/lifestyle block owners in New Zealand. Research by AANZ identified a number of needs based on the wide differences in production levels within the industry. Those achieving at the upper end of performance were demonstrating there is a basis for an extremely valuable and viable industry on commercial farms and lifestyle blocks alike.

Objectives

The projects objectives have been formed to meet the needs identified by the AANZ research. The objectives are:

  • To identify appropriate management methods to achieve high performance within a low cost farming system
  • To have this information and knowledge documented and presented for adoption by both existing farmers and new entrants to the industry

Approach

This joint project between the Alpaca Association NZ and the Sustainable Farming Fund, has implemented several approaches to help members research, monitor and better understand the feeding, health, reproduction and fibre needs for sustainable alpaca farming. The project initiated a number of specific activities and also supported and extended numerous other initiatives, which were already underway or being planned by sub committees and regional bodies within AANZ. Where the required resource or capability was not available within AANZ, expertise was employed from outside.

The approaches and activities undertaken included:

  • Farmer Survey prior to commencing the Focus Farm and Monitoring programmes
  • Focus farms in the North and South Islands
  • Monitoring: Alpaca Blood Mineral Sampling Survey with Gribbles Alpha Veterinary Laboratories
  • Benchmarking:
  • Annual AANZ Census
  • Alpaca Health Census
  • Information Dissemination: Field days, paddock cards, AANZ Alpaca Information Folder, AANZ newsletters, magazine and website and the rural media.

Special projects: Included TB protocol, Strategic Planning, Across-herd Genetic Evaluation (AGE) Service and Breeding an Alpaca Industry Series, Dealing With Dung Study and the establishment of a Camelid Branch of the NZ Veterinary Association.

The project management structure included an AANZ group, comprised of a Project Leader, Financial Manager, Focus Farmers and the AANZ President and an independent facilitator. The facilitator was contracted by AANZ to co-ordinate activities and complete project management requirements. The project group reported to the AANZ National Council.

Project Activity

Farmer Survey

The project commenced with a member survey seeking expressions of interest in the focus farm and monitoring initiatives. Information and monitoring needs were also sought. A positive response with high levels of support were received from both North and South Islands. The main information and monitoring needs were animal health, reproduction and fleece, which included a need for fleece sales outlets.

Focus Farms

The project had planned to establish two focus farms but the depth of interest resulted in three farms being established, in Bay of Plenty, Manawatu and Canterbury. Local community groups determined the priorities and programme for each focus farm. The result was a wide range of meeting topics, with guest speakers covering subjects ranging from soil health, fertiliser options, pasture species and management, supplementary feeding, animal health issues and options, fibre preparation, shearing and sale options to collecting and composting alpaca dung.

The farms also held Public Open Days as an opportunity for members of the public to learn about farming alpacas and alpaca fibre. They proved very popular with 200 to 400 people attending each day.

The Bay of Plenty and Canterbury Focus farms operated for the duration of the project from 2002 to 2005. The Manawatu Focus Farm operated until 2004, after which time the AANZ Central Region’s activities assumed the role of the focus farm. They ran a very successful Alpaca Evaluation Training Day, which provided both the theory behind evaluating and assessing alpacas and practical hands-on experience.

Strategic Planning

The AANZ National Council held two strategic planning sessions during the duration of the project, in December 2003 and February 2006. On both occasions independent facilitators lead the process to clearly define a Vision, Strategies and Goals to provide direction for AANZ. This process has proven particularly beneficial and important for AANZ, whose members farm alpacas for a wide range of reasons including fibre production, stud breeding and sales, showing and as companion animals within very diverse systems. The SFF project activities became part of the 2003 strategic plan by providing the means to achieving some of the objectives and goals.

Monitoring

In conjunction with Gribbles Veterinary Pathology a blood mineral sampling survey was carried out. Fifteen farms participated and blood samples were collected from adult female alpaca in spring, summer and autumn. The analysed results established blood trace mineral reference ranges for alpaca in New Zealand. Prior to this project the only ranges available were from overseas. Roger Ellison of Gribbles presented the results at the Bay of Plenty and Canterbury Focus Farm Field Days in 2005 and they were printed in the AANZ magazine. The results were also distributed to all NZ veterinary laboratories and made available to veterinarians. AANZ gratefully acknowledges Gribbles Veterinary Pathology for their role in completing this survey and also for providing a discounted price for testing the blood samples.

See attached reports, Blood Trace Mineral Reference Ranges for Alpaca and Haematology and Biochemistry Reference Ranges for Alpaca.

Benchmarking

AANZ Demographic Census – Data held in the AANZ registry of the International Alpaca Registry (IAR) was analysed to provide demographic information on the NZ alpaca industry. This analysis was carried out with assistance from the Australian Alpaca Association (AAA), which administers the registry. The results were presented to AANZ members at their annual conference in May 2005. See attached report. This information also proved very valuable when AANZ were approached by MAF for information as part of a ministerial briefing for the Prime Ministers visit to an Alpaca farm.

Alpaca Health Census - In October 2004 thirty farmers were invited to trial an Alpaca Health Census, a Necropsy Report and Body Condition Score/Liveweight Recording Charts. The trial Alpaca Health Census was analysed and the pilot results were distributed to members (attached). They were also been used to compile a revised smaller Health Census, which was then distributed to all AANZ members for completion to provide a fuller picture of animal health issues, prevalence and distribution throughout NZ.

Special Projects

TB Protocol

An Alpaca TB protocol has been produced. To inform all members the Health and Education sub committee in consultation with the Animal Health Board have written a TB paddock card for inclusion in the AANZ Information Pack.

Dealing with Dung

The project contracted Lincoln University’s Dr Tim Jenkins to analyse and report on soil, pasture and dung samples from paddocks at the Canterbury Focus Farm. Tim presented the results of his alpaca dung study in a ‘Dealing with Dung’ paper to AANZ members at a Canterbury Focus Farm field day. The paper includes results of the analyses and presents options for dung management including grazing management and composting. The report is attached. Other presentations on the same day included ‘Parasites in Alpacas’ by veterinarian Donald Arthur and Ryegrass staggers management.

AGE service and ‘Breeding an Alpaca Industry’

The Across-herd Genetic Evaluation Service (AGE) for alpacas is being adopted by AANZ with support from the SFF project. Allan Casey, Livestock Breeding Specialist working with AGE in Australia, ran a workshop in Rotorua to train members of the AANZ Breed Development sub committee on the workings of AGE and the opportunities it can provide to AANZ members individually and collectively. With this knowledge the sub committee introduced AGE to AANZ members throughout NZ. When up and running the service will allow AGE members to obtain genetic performance values for breeding animals and their progeny. The Alpaca Breeding Values produced by AGE will allow participants to compare their animals to those in different age groups and different herds, as well as against an industry “standard” or “benchmark”. AGE offers the potential for Alpaca breeders to obtain a significant increase in their herd’s rate of genetic improvement and all members are being encouraged to record fleece data for inclusion in AGE. To inform AANZ members of the practices and potential of good breed management the Breed Development sub committee produced the ‘Breeding an Alpaca Industry’ series of articles and the project supported a major push to get the majority of the young alpacas born since 2000 recorded on the AGE programme.

Compilation of Scientific data

The AANZ Health and Education Sub-committee gained permission to publish, on the AANZ website, NZ scientific papers of alpaca research as a resource for AANZ members and members of the veterinary fraternity. AANZ’s interaction with veterinarians continued to strengthened by successfully holding veterinary section’s at its conferences. This culminated in forming the Camelid Vet Group, a branch of the New Zealand Veterinary Association.

Camelid Vet Group

The Camelid Vet Group, a branch of the New Zealand Veterinary Association formed in 2005/06, with the mission statement: To form a network of like-minded Veterinarians to provide a high quality of services for the profession and camelid owners in New Zealand. Actions include identifying willing and interested camelid Veterinarians in every region of New Zealand and establishing close links with Australian Alpaca Veterinarians, AANZ, Llama Associations in New Zealand, Massey University and Oregon State University. AANZ president Russell Nelson wrote the following message after the Camelid Vet Group was established.

AANZ is the major sponsor of the Camelid Group of NZVA.

We cannot emphasise enough the importance of checking with your local Vet any

Animal Health information received from the Internet, field days, seminars and workshops etc. Your Vet will have the knowledge of local issues affecting animal health and therefore should be consulted before the introduction of any Animal Health plan. It is a priority of the Camelid Branch to up skill fellow members of the Veterinary profession.

Alpaca Fibre Management

Alpaca fibre was an important focus of this project. The growing, monitoring, harvesting and marketing of a high quality and quantity of alpaca fleece was targeted.

The AANZ regions all provide seasonal shearing clinics to present best practice of alpaca and fleece management pre, during and post shearing. Alpaca fibre, its processing and end use have been regular discussion topics at Focus Farm meetings.

The project promoted the fleece mid-side sampling techniques and testing requirements for farmers and the industry to gather fleece data. With regard the monitoring of fibre and fleece statistics for the New Zealand herd, it was decided that the most effective means at this time was through the AGE programme. This conclusion was reached after exploring options of analysing the data held by fibre testing houses, which unfortunately did not include the necessary details of animal age and length of growing period to generate useful or robust results. The project supported a major push to get the majority of the young alpacas born since 2000 recorded on the AGE programme. A revision and updating of the Fibre Manual within the AANZ Information Pack has also been undertaken to provide an excellent resource of information on all aspects of alpaca fibre.

In 2005 two Alpaca Fibre Field Days were held in conjunction with the Bay of Plenty and Canterbury Focus Farms. Both events were enthusiastically and well-attended and included excellent information on the options breeders have open to them for the end use of Alpaca fibre. Issues and options, both commercial and craft, of the end use of alpaca fibre were discussed and demonstrated including spinning, knitting and felting. Diane Boyack of Just Alpaca spoke about fibre pooling and retail options.

The Canterbury meeting was well supported by industry participants and also included tours of Tai Tapu Wool Carders, which offers processing of alpaca lots as small as 3 kilograms.

The conclusion to the processing and sales debate was that AANZ would not take an active role in the processing and selling of Alpaca fleece, but rather leave it to individual and to commercial initiatives. The result has been the emergence of a commercially lead regular pooling of alpaca fibre for carding and spinning which provides a vehicle for producers of small and large clips to process their fibre.

Outcomes

The project has produced many tangible and intangible outcomes of improved knowledge, skill, confidence, practice and results arising from the many and varied project activities and outputs some of which are recorded in this report. Financial benefits have been realised by farmers as they improve their management of alpaca feeding, health, reproduction, pasture management and marketing practices. Environmentally alpaca have a low impact on the soil by the nature of their soft Camelid feet. With good feeding and grazing management practices this advantage can be capitalised on.

Networking

One of the very significant early and ongoing outcomes of the project for AANZ members individually and collectively has been a social benefit through the development of strong networks around the focus farms and the smaller and more localised cluster groups. These types of groups are of real value for industry members both experienced and new for the knowledge sharing, problem solving and problem prevention benefits. This networking offers a particularly valuable opportunity to new members, many of whom come to alpaca farming with limited if any farming background.

Future Plans and Activities

A feature of the alpaca industry over recent years has been the rapidly increasing membership from new entrants to the industry, many of whom have limited, if any farming experience. This trend highlights the important ongoing role AANZ has in informing its membership. All the information gathered and presented during this project holds AANZ in good stead to provide valuable support for its rapidly increasing membership.

The successful networks developed during the project will continue formally and informally. Ongoing cluster groups and regional activities offer participants the opportunity to strengthen their businesses through shared knowledge, problem solving and good management techniques.

Information Dissemination

Through the life of the project information was disseminated to existing and potential alpaca farmers through a wide combination of physical events and written media.

Physical events included AANZ focus farm community and public field days, regional and cluster group meetings, the Alpaca EXPO and AANZ conferences as alluded to in the Project Activities above.

Written information dissemination has occurred via the AANZ newsletter, magazine and website, farming press articles and most significantly in the revised AANZ Information Pack, a large ‘Black Folder’. This provides a comprehensive resource of paddock cards and commentary to assist AANZ members to better understand and manage the care, feeding, health, reproduction and fibre needs of their animals. As well as production of the paddock cards and information pack revision, the project also funded the production of a Fibre Wall Chart, a Fibre Ruler and sourced for members the booklet “Pasture and Forage Plants for New Zealand” as an excellent resource on pasture species, management and feeding, all of which continue to be popular issues for alpaca farmers.

Most of the above information dissemination techniques are well established within AANZ and will continue beyond the completion of the project to ensure farmers have the opportunities to acquire the information, knowledge and skills they require for sustainable alpaca farming.

Acknowledgements

Many people from within and outside AANZ have contributed to this project and the success it has achieved. AANZ wish to acknowledge and thank all contributors, particularly project leader Lindsay Riddle, focus farmers Kaye and Graeme O’Dea, Eric and Gaye Lister and Sheryl and Lindsay Riddle, AANZ presidents Jude Henry and Russell Nelson, AANZ National Council and sub-committee members, the Sustainable Farming Fund, Gribbles Veterinary Pathology, Australian Alpaca Association and the many quest speakers and contributors for their valuable assistance.

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