Certified Sorter Apprentice Extraordinaire

As of February 28, I am a Certified Sorter Apprentice.  So...what does that mean?  Well, it is changing my whole view on the alpaca industry, fiber arts and our breeding program here at the farm.

 

I don't even know where to begin with explaining it to you because my head is still spinning from all the information I learned.  Really!  Everything that we have been taught in the alpaca industry is so...well, everything we've been taught has been geared towards sales and the show system.  What I learned this last week was what we need to do as breeders and fiber producers to be textile.  I learned how my fiber boys can make money to pay for themselves plus a profit...

 

CERTIFIED SORTER APPRENTICES -CLASS OF FEBRUARY 2010

Cindy Mergo, Carrie Hull, Libby Johnson , Gary Henderson, Pia Masotta Al-Ubaidi, Steve and Val Schwall, WonderWhyGal (hey, that's me!), Marcee Stephenson, Martha Dobbins, Susan Frank, Karen Biscella, Jim Tomaszek and Robyn Kull.   Carrie and Robyn were our instructors and now are mentors and they are better known as The Course Broads.

Oh, I have your attention now, don't I?  How can that boy that is not herd sire material due to bowed legs, courser fiber or flat locks make me money?  Well...that's where you need to hire me, as a Certified Sorter Apprentice, to tell you.

So, I will give you a brief overview of what we learned in the next few posts but honestly, the best way to learn is to hire a Certified Sorter or Certified Sorter Apprentice, like me, to literally show you on your own herd.  It will blow your mind!

Of course, it wasn't all study.  If you know alpaca people, you know we enjoy our social time.

I will be utilizing the knowledge I gained last week to help shed the wisdom of textile to fellow alpaca farms.  I have a new view on Co-ops and commercial production along with further insight to mini-mills and the cottage industry I love.