Certified Sorting Services
I sort in the Certified SortedTM System. It involves going thru the entire fleece, blanket and neck to separate it out by grade, length and color. The system is very thorough.
To get your fiber to me: Robyn Kuhl
1635 Rapid Lightning Rd. Sandpoint, ID 83864I highly recommend you become a member of NAAFP, if for nothing else, to receive the corporate shipping discount.
Send Blanket and Neck only to be sorted.
I do not sort fleeces that have been tumbled.
PRICES:
Bagged fleece - Blanket $15, Neck $5
Noodled fleece - Blanket $10, Neck $5
Live sorting ( at the time of shearing) Blanket $10, Neck $5
What you get for $15...
- Yearly harvest of fiber sorted into grades, by color and length
- Individual sort records for each alpaca, with data that includes the weight of each fleece by body area, grade of each area, comments on luster/brightness, density and uniformity of crimp, test for tenderness, and sorter comments on teh fiber.
- Interactive Inventory sheet for the entire harvest. The summary provides information on teh amount of fiber in each grade, color and length category. This enables the producers to make manufacturing decisions for their clip and allows then to track their farms "productivity and average fleece weight per alpaca.
- Increase in usable fiber. Utilizing the Certified SortedTM Method, reduces the amount of fiber that ends up in the garden, burn pile, or trash bin. With good shearing, collection, and sorting, typical waste per alpaca is less than eight ounces / alpaca. Sorted fiber has 10%-15% less loss in teh mill than unsorted fibers. Remember that charges for processing may be based on the weight before processing - you pay for the loss that results in the processing in dollars and reduced product.
- Increase in potential profit. Producers increase profit in several ways:
- More usable fleece / alpaca
- Superior products created from sorted fiber command a higher price and repeat customers.
- Sorted fiber has less loss during production. Some mills have commented that the loss from processing is 10% - 15% less than average.
- The opportunity to become NAAFP coop members, having access to greatly reduced processing costs, retail outlets and marketing.
- Suggested uses for each grade of fiber. The sorter can assist the producers in recognizing fiber goals, then sort fiber in a manner that best supports those goals. Appropriate uses for each grade will be discussed, as well as general processing information and resources to assist the fiber producer. The average grade of the fiber producers' herds can be calculated, giving them feedback on goals they may have already set.
- Assistance with herd management. Because the sorting process is so complete, the sorter will notice things that typically go unseen. External parasites, skin conditions, stress marks, etc are identified.
- Assistance with Breeding Decisions. The sort record identifieds each alpacas strengths and weaknesses.
