Alpaca Barber

The following newsletter was originally sent to our client email list on 1-17-2022. It has only been edited to remove our personal contact information from this publicly available website to reduce the amount of spam calls and emails we receive, and to make it easier to read on this website's format.

Additional update 2-19-2022, newsletter to follow.

We finally heard from a spine specialist and Matt has been scheduled for back surgery to repair the herniated disks and other damage on March 10th. While the expected recovery time is only 6-8 weeks for this type of surgery, this means that a good portion of that recovery time will overlap the start of our work season, s ee updates 2 &3 in the newsletter below. Emily will be joining Katie for the season this year. Also as stated, we will not be taking on any additional new clients this year. We advise new inquiries to seek shearing services from one of the many other shearers servicing our wonderful state for this year. We may be able to take on new farms in the future but for the time being we have our hands full. Thank you for understanding!

Dear Friends and Clients

We hope everyone has had a good year and that this letter finds you well!

We at Alpaca Barber are beginning to set up the schedule for the spring 2022 shearing season and we have several updates we need to inform you of. We also request that you respond to this message by Friday, January 28th with the complete following information:

Do you need Alpaca Barber’s services this year? Yes or no

If No, would you like to remain on our contacts list for next year? Yes or no

If Yes you need our services this year, please send your full updated contact information (Name, street address, phone number, email) AND the following:

Number of Alpacas to shear

Number of Llamas to shear

Number of Sheep to shear

Number and species of other animals you do not need/want sheared and are seeking nail trimming services only for (example, you have 3 goats that need nail trimming while we are at your place for shearing)

Preferred month for shearing; April, May, June, or Anytime. We cannot accept specific date requests and ask at this time that you only specify your preferred month and nothing additional EXCEPT for dates that you are in NO WAY AVAILABLE for shearing such as vacation or work travel, weddings, graduations, etc…

Now for the updates, please read this entire newsletter and save a copy for future reference. Rates are included in update #4.

Update #1.

We have decided it is necessary to slightly downsize our business for health and stress reasons and to better serve our existing farms. We are highly unlikely to be able to take on new clients this year if they have not contacted us by January 31st. If you know of anybody seeking shearing services this year, please have them contact us IMMEDIATELY during our regular office hours to see if we will be able to work them in. Further, we will NOT be scheduling ANY shearing on Sundays or Mondays this year to allow time needed for rest, recovery, repairs, maintenance, and so on. This means that we have contacted a few farms separately to ask them to make other arrangements for this year. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Updates #2 and 3.

Many of you know of Matt’s worsening back problems (this is part of the reason for downsizing). We are at the time of writing this letter awaiting news from a specialist, but an MRI has revealed a herniated disk and we are expecting him to need surgery. This means Matt will not be as actively involved in shearing this year. Hence, update #3: We have hired one of Katie’s sisters to take over many of the duties Matt usually handles. Emily Binkowski will be joining us for the spring season. Emily joined us a few years ago and I’m sure many of you will remember her. For those who kindly provide meals during shearing, we ask you to please keep Emily’s food allergy to corn in mind.

Update #4

After nearly 9 years of keeping most of our prices stable, we have decided it is necessary to make to following changes to our rates in order to better cover our constantly increasing expenses:

Rates for April, May, and June 2022:

Alpaca/Llama full shear: $32

Alpaca/Llama barrel shear: $20

Show fleeces/Show shears: $35

Belly shear: $12

Sheep Shearing: $12

Toenail trimming: sheep and goats, $5-$10 depending on condition (severely overgrown nails will be charged the higher rate), Alpacas and Llamas, $5 on shearing day, $10 out of season, unruly animals or severely overgrown nails may be charged additional fees.

Teeth Trimming: $10, may be limited this year.

Mileage/Farm Call: charged per location based at our discretion on the following fuel costs and subject to change without notice.

For diesel prices up to $2.49/gal, $55

For diesel prices between $2.50-2.99/gal, $60

For diesel prices between $3.00-3.49/gal, $65

For diesel prices above $3.50, $70

Certain long distance and out of state trips will be charged differently, you will be notified at a later date if this applies to you.

Large herds of 25 or more alpacas/llamas combined receive a per animal discount of $5 per barrel, full, and show shear. All other rates remain the same. Herd count does not apply to sheep!

Note: Exceedingly long waits, farms with inadequate help, extremely difficult owners or animals, damage to our equipment that is not a part of normal wear and tear, etc. may be charged additional fees at our discretion to compensate our time and extra efforts or for repairs.

All rates are subject to change without notice.

Update #5

We will no longer be offering Goat shearing services. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Update #6

Another reason we are downsizing our business is because after over 10 years of marriage, we finally have a little one on the way, he or she is due in August. This puts additional stress on Katie to provide quality shearing services and concerns about maintaining our previous workload. In the best interest of her own health and wellbeing, we ask for your additional patience and understanding this season in particular. Thank you.

A few additional reminders:

*Please respond by Friday, January 28th! You will receive a letter when we have heard back from you and another within a few weeks containing a tentative date that we will ask you to confirm.

*Payment is due at time of services rendered. If you need to make payment arrangements, we are happy to work with you but you MUST notify us at least 30 days before your shearing date! Late payments may be charged additional fees.

*If you cancel your confirmed shearing date with less than a week’s notice, you will be charged a cancelation fee of at least 50% of the current farm call rate, if you cancel your date with 48 hours’ notice or less, you will be charged the full farm call rate except in extreme emergencies. We do not guarantee being able to reschedule canceled appointments.

*For medical reasons we cannot wear masks. If you feel the need to wear a mask, please feel free to do so, but we do not require it as we feel the risk is low in typical conditions encountered during shearing. Your vaccine and mask wearing status is your own personal health business, we will not ask nor interfere and kindly request the same courtesy in return. Thank you for understanding.

*Our office hours are M-F 9am-5pm. Calls or texts may not be answered outside business hours.

If you have additional questions or concerns, please contact us and we will try our best to address them. Thank you!

Katie and Matt Goff

Alpaca Barber

Contact info removed for privacy!!!

Please include your name when texting. Facebook is NOT a reliable way to reach us. Our voicemail fills up faster than we can keep up with it, so if we miss your call, please try again later during office hours. Thank you.