Alpaca Journal

    As I grow older, I take notice of things that never occurred to me in my immortal youth. These days I glance at the obituaries, taking note of the newly departed’s birth date, paying particular attention to those that were subsequent to my own. About two months ago my wife Julie and I lost our beloved border collie, Lucy. She was about ten years old. As I was mourning Lucy’s passing, it occurred to me that we had outlived two dogs at Northwest Alpacas. Read more

    Alpacas.com has added another breeder tool to the website: a pregnancy calculator.

For anyone who has ever drawn a blank when calculating the due date of a bred female, we have created a tool to solve the problem. Click here, enter your breeding date, and the answer appears.

    The gestation period for alpacas is generally from 315 to 370 days; it averages 355 days. This is a much wider variable than for most species. The time of year at which mating occurs can affect the gestation period. Longer pregnancies occur after spring matings and shorter ones can occur with fall matings.

I hope you find the tool to be useful.

   The Alpaca Chronicles is at the printer and should be ready for holiday delivery. You can order a copy by visiting the alpacas.com website.

    The new book is very different from any of my previous books. The storyline covers the history of the alpaca industry in the United States. There are chapters on imports, closing the registry, and how ARI and AOBA were formed and grew. The personalities, conflicts, and growing pains are all documented―no punches pulled or mysteries unsolved. Read more

Section 179 deduction

nbsp;     In 2003 alpaca tax benefits got a lot better due to the "Jobs and Growth Reconciliation Tax Act." which was enacted into law on May 28, 2003. The new rules added several powerful incentives for people who buy alpacas. The 179 deduction which is the cornerstone of this act has been raised to $108,000 for 2006. If you purchase any amount up to $108,000 before year end you can claim the entire purchase price as a 179 deduction on your 2006 taxes. This benefit expires in December 2009. Read more

Related links:
Alpaca Taxes 2007: Why Not Let Uncle Sam Help?

By Lisa Banks
Marketing Director and senior alpaca copywriter at SEO Advantage,

With 73% of the U.S. population using the Internet according to 2006 reports by Pew Internet & American Life Project, there is almost no business that can afford to forego a Web presence.

The Internet has become a favored source for information, news, advice, and communication for most people - including those in the alpaca industry. That includes alpaca rancher wannabes searching for information as well as established alpaca farmers looking for good livestock to invest in. A website for your alpaca farm can give you several significant advantages in reaching the growing alpaca market online.

Indeed, with the majority of alpaca ranchers already online, your alpaca farm could be placed at a disadvantage if it doesn’t have a website. Read more

By Lisa Banks
Marketing Director and senior alpaca copywriter at SEO Advantage,

You’ve done your homework. You know alpaca ranching is the business for you, and you’re prepared to invest in marketing to help make your business profitable.

While the alpaca farmer faces dozens of alternatives for marketing his or her ranch, none has the potential to create such great reach in so short a time as an alpaca website.

Let’s look at best practices that have emerged for this Web 2.0 environment and how you can take advantage of them to add value to your alpaca website and business – whether you’re a veteran of the alpaca industry or just starting out. Read more