Alpaca Associations

Alpaca Owners & Breeders Association

The Alpaca Owners & Breeders Association (AOBA) began in 1988 and gained non-profit status in 1991. It serves the following purposes: (1) To promote public awareness and membership appreciation of the Alpaca's unique qualities; (2) To educate the membership on the care and breeding of the Alpaca; (3) To promote the growth of the Alpaca industry as a whole; and (4) To foster the establishment of the breed outside of its native land by encouraging husbandry and breeding practices based upon, but not limited to, herd health, overall soundness, and alpaca fiber production and products.

AOBA's Board of Directors and Sub-Committees: Marketing, Education, Affiliates, Fiber, Government, and Show are volunteers who oversee everyday operations. Since AOBA's formation, with 87 members and a known alpaca census of 392, its membership has grown steadily to over 4,000 members with over 100,000 registered alpacas in North America.

The Alpaca Registry

The Alpaca Registry, Inc., established in 1988, is a Nebraska-based non-profit corporation that mandates blood typing for registered alpacas. It accepts only offspring of registered alpacas that qualify by blood typing. ARI owns the database that houses genealogy, blood typing and ownership records of North American alpacas. It is governed by a five-member elected Board of Directors. ARI membership includes all owners of living, registered alpacas. Board members serve staggered terms and are collectively responsible for policies and procedures governing registrations, transfers of ownership, and the screening of unregistered, non-pedigreed alpacas.

Alpaca Fiber Cooperative of North America

Incorporated in 1998, the Alpaca Fiber Cooperative of North America, Inc. (AFCNA) is an organization of nearly 700 North American alpaca producers. Most are small farmers, who have decided to raise alpacas to enjoy the country lifestyle and satisfaction of raising larger volumes of fiber and market products made from alpacas, on a national level. livestock. AFCNA pools their annual shearing of alpaca fiber and benefits from processing larger volumes or fiber and market products made from; alpacas, on a national level.