Chris Riley shearing an alpaca on his farm, Golden Touch Farm
Spring is always hectic for everyone here at NEAFP. Although technically it's our off season in term of product sales, it seems each year our spring and summer months get busier and busier. In the last 7 weeks we have run 5 fiber collections spanning from Springfield, MA to Columbus, OH and have collected thousands upon thousands of pounds of alpaca fiber. In between the collections our sorters are diligently working through the fleece to get it ready to enter the manufacturing chain and update each farm's fiber bank accounts. The rest of the team is building up inventory in preparation for the colder month rush, readying new products and prototypes, and mapping out our manufacturing schedules for the rest of 2012 and '13.
The NEAFP team celebrated this passed holiday weekend a bit different than most. Instead of enjoying the three-day weekend cruising about on the boat or BBQing with family and friends, we spent it shearing 55+ alpacas at Chris and Shelley's farm, Golden Touch Farm. As it touched on 90 degrees and 100% humidity on Saturday we knew the weekend would be a hot one for us, but even hotter for the animals if we didn't put our heads down and get to work. Shearing is hard but very rewarding, especially for us as we are in a unique position to oversee the entire process of first growing the fiber, and then manufacturing it into a wide variety of finished products.
With a great group of volunteers, family and friends, we harvested 350+ lbs of alpaca fiber and helped Golden Touch's alpaca herd greatly reduce their heat stress. Although we all are a bit tired and sore from a busy weekend spent at the farm, there is a great sense of accomplishment across the entire team.
As the freshly shorn cria's pronk across the front field, celebrating their new hair cut and enjoying the breeze on their backs, you can't help but feel grateful and proud to be part of the growing U.S. Alpaca fiber industry. This holiday weekend we didn't get a few extra hours of sleep, we didn't lounge around by the pool, but we feel just as refreshed and invigorated to hit the ground running and continue to expand U.S. Alpaca's reach!
We hope you all had an amazing holiday weekend!
-The NEAFP Team
+ Family, Friends, and Helper Bees!
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New Resource: Browsing Products by Fiber Grade Requirement
Next time you head to the online catalog keep your eyes peeled for this new navigation box below the normal product category list. It will allow you to browse our products by the grade of fiber they require to purchase.
NEAFP has been utilizing ALL GRADES of alpaca fiber for 15 years, here is a breakdown of the 30+ items we offer utilizing each grade of fiber:
Prime: Afghans, U.S. Alpaca Ski Hat, U.S. Headband, Snowflake Earflap Beanie, Heirloom Cable Knit Beanie, Cable Knit Scarf, Cable & Lace Scarf, Boucle Lined Mittens, Mittens, Knitter's Yarns, Survival Socks, High Calf Boot Socks, & Diabetic Socks
Secondary: Low Profile Ankle Socks, All Terrain Gloves, Fingerless Gloves, Ribbed Knit Scarves, Snowflake Watch Caps, Classic Watch Caps, Radar MASH Hats, & Camouflage Masks
Third-Grade: Boot Inserts, Garden Fabric, Laundry Basket, Knitter's Tote, Waste Basket, Mayflower Purse, Heart Shaped Rug, 2x3 Rug, Placemats, & Trivets
This list will continue to expand in the coming months, stay tuned for exciting new product announcements!
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Further Reading and Resources
News Articles of Interest
+ Old MacDonald had a farm, and Mini Golf - Boston Globe
"Farms evolve into purveyors of fine foods - and entertainment"
+ Farmer's embrace Retail Agriculture Trend - GPB News
"Georgia farmers are using retail agriculture to increase profits."
+ The Emergence of Retail Agriculture By Gary Matteson
Resources
+ NEAFP: Fiber Harvesting Guide (PDF)