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Fleecing the herd
  
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By TANA ROSS
When heads pop up in the herd for Bob and Kay Goshen to count, it’s not cattle but alpacas they are counting — and they are not just counting the animals but counting on them, as well.
Seven years ago, Bob Goshen, an international marketing consultant, decided to look into alpacas as a business investment and weighed the profits.
“We love livestock and I love a healthy bottom line investment,” he said. “We had always been into horses, Arabians, and showed with our daughters. It was an easy transition to make.”
The couple that established Crown Crest Farm in Tulsa, Okla. have recently moved their operations to Magnolia to be near their grown children and grandchildren, and they are enjoying the lifestyle their new 20-acre ranch affords.
“This was a horse facility and lends itself well to our herd,” Bob Goshen said. “And, our show barn is just about finished now.”
With more than 30 alpacas on their Noak Road ranch, the Goshens keep busy with daily chores and running the business in addition to Bob Goshen’s consulting work — he is currently working on his book, “Why Should I Be Led,” and is a frequent guest speaker specializing in leadership skills.
Indeed it is the business of alpacas that attracted the Goshens to begin the new venture in 2000, after nearly 40 years of marriage. Unlike trendy tax shelter livestock that has come and gone, Bob Goshen said the alpaca market is very dependable.
“The alpaca market has been steady for more than 20 years,” he said. “The price point has remained the same, but the animals are better.”
The Goshens said alpacas offer three revenue streams — breeding and selling of animals (there are slightly more than 100,00 in the United States); fleece sales and resulting retail products. In addition, alpacas offer deep tax cuts under Section 179 with nearly 100 percent write-offs for newly acquired assets. But that is not the primary reason Bob Goshen encourages others to join the industry.
“I don’t tell people to get in it for taxes, I say get in it for the profit,” Bob Goshen said. “What’s nice is that people can come in at any level. You can start with an animal and breed up.”
Bob Goshen even helps investors like the executives and professionals recently profiled in the Wall Street Journal (Oct. 3) who chose alpacas over stocks. He says planning is key to making a profit and helps others set up beginning five-year plans to grow alpaca profits.
The slender cousins of the llama don't give milk and in the U.S. people don't eat their meat. But their fleece is gaining in popularity and the 52 different colors they naturally grow are sought after by top designers and high-end clothing manufacturers.
While Bob Goshen focuses on the business end of the operation, his wife, Kay, is a little more philosophical. Indeed the mystical mountain creatures of South America seem to have an ethereal quality that inspires wellness.
“You’ve got to like being outdoors. A lot of people can retire into this,” she said. “I just like sitting on a bucket in the middle of the pasture and letting them come all around me, it is very peaceful.”
Riding out the market in the ruff
Investors have long turned to hard assets in market downturns, the idea being that investments in something real like alpacas will not disappear, even if its value declines. Here are some facts about raising alpacas:
The U.S. began importing of alpacas in the mid 1980s; importing ended in 1998, creating a breeding stock to improve bloodlines.
One acre can sustain five alpacas.
Gestation for alpacas is 11 months; disallowing “flooding” of the market, according to investors.
Reproductive life of a female is 15 to 20 years.
Reported sales of alpacas on the Internet vary widely from $500 to $84,000 per animal and are not available from the Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association.
Average annual cost per animal to raise alpacas was reported at $161 by the American Fiber Cooperative of North America.
For more information on raising alpacas visit the Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association web site at, www.alpacainfo.com. For more information about the Crown Crest Farm in Magnolia visit, www.crowncrestfarm.com.
Seven years ago, Bob Goshen, an international marketing consultant, decided to look into alpacas as a business investment and weighed the profits.
“We love livestock and I love a healthy bottom line investment,” he said. “We had always been into horses, Arabians, and showed with our daughters. It was an easy transition to make.”
The couple that established Crown Crest Farm in Tulsa, Okla. have recently moved their operations to Magnolia to be near their grown children and grandchildren, and they are enjoying the lifestyle their new 20-acre ranch affords.
“This was a horse facility and lends itself well to our herd,” Bob Goshen said. “And, our show barn is just about finished now.”
With more than 30 alpacas on their Noak Road ranch, the Goshens keep busy with daily chores and running the business in addition to Bob Goshen’s consulting work — he is currently working on his book, “Why Should I Be Led,” and is a frequent guest speaker specializing in leadership skills.
Indeed it is the business of alpacas that attracted the Goshens to begin the new venture in 2000, after nearly 40 years of marriage. Unlike trendy tax shelter livestock that has come and gone, Bob Goshen said the alpaca market is very dependable.
“The alpaca market has been steady for more than 20 years,” he said. “The price point has remained the same, but the animals are better.”
The Goshens said alpacas offer three revenue streams — breeding and selling of animals (there are slightly more than 100,00 in the United States); fleece sales and resulting retail products. In addition, alpacas offer deep tax cuts under Section 179 with nearly 100 percent write-offs for newly acquired assets. But that is not the primary reason Bob Goshen encourages others to join the industry.
“I don’t tell people to get in it for taxes, I say get in it for the profit,” Bob Goshen said. “What’s nice is that people can come in at any level. You can start with an animal and breed up.”
Bob Goshen even helps investors like the executives and professionals recently profiled in the Wall Street Journal (Oct. 3) who chose alpacas over stocks. He says planning is key to making a profit and helps others set up beginning five-year plans to grow alpaca profits.
The slender cousins of the llama don't give milk and in the U.S. people don't eat their meat. But their fleece is gaining in popularity and the 52 different colors they naturally grow are sought after by top designers and high-end clothing manufacturers.
While Bob Goshen focuses on the business end of the operation, his wife, Kay, is a little more philosophical. Indeed the mystical mountain creatures of South America seem to have an ethereal quality that inspires wellness.
“You’ve got to like being outdoors. A lot of people can retire into this,” she said. “I just like sitting on a bucket in the middle of the pasture and letting them come all around me, it is very peaceful.”
Riding out the market in the ruff
Investors have long turned to hard assets in market downturns, the idea being that investments in something real like alpacas will not disappear, even if its value declines. Here are some facts about raising alpacas:
The U.S. began importing of alpacas in the mid 1980s; importing ended in 1998, creating a breeding stock to improve bloodlines.
One acre can sustain five alpacas.
Gestation for alpacas is 11 months; disallowing “flooding” of the market, according to investors.
Reproductive life of a female is 15 to 20 years.
Reported sales of alpacas on the Internet vary widely from $500 to $84,000 per animal and are not available from the Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association.
Average annual cost per animal to raise alpacas was reported at $161 by the American Fiber Cooperative of North America.
For more information on raising alpacas visit the Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association web site at, www.alpacainfo.com. For more information about the Crown Crest Farm in Magnolia visit, www.crowncrestfarm.com.
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