#how to use alpaca finance

[awaketake]

What is Alpaca Finance

Alpaca Finance is a lending protocol which allows you to yield farm using leverage on BNB and Fantom. And it was the first one who implemented leverage that way.

Lenders get safe and stable yields while borrowers get uncollateralized loans for leveraged yield farming positions to increase their earnings.

Even safer are the Automated Vaults apply a market neutral strategy, working both in bear and bull markets, with said leverage to multiply slightly stable profits.

However, that doesn’t mean it can suffer from smart contract attacks like other protocols or chains.

What is DeFi

If you have already used similar platforms, websites or daaps you already know that Alpaca falls under the DeFi category being a decentralized platform.

That means you will need to pay fees depending on the blockchain you are using and send some funds from your wallet, but generally BNB and Fatom fees are not that expensive.

Protocol Info

If you want to know a little bit more about what’s happening underneath you can check out Alpaca Finance on DeFi Llama for some stats such as Total Value Locked (TVL), Chains, Tokens, Token Inflows and USD Inflows.

For more details you can click on view on BSCScan to look at the contract, transactions and more.

Lend

Just like other lending products you deposit a certain amount of a coin and then earn interest on it.

There are different coins on BNB and Fantom, but they usually stack both Lending and Staking rewards so that you can get higher APYs.

Some assets you can lend are:

ALPACA

CAKE

BNB

BUSD

USDT

USDC

TUSD

BTC

ETH

Right now, ALPACA and CAKE have the highest APYs, but to earn that with ALPACA you would need to lock up your funds for 1 to 52 weeks.

Such high APYs can be achieved because Alpaca offers high capital efficiency to borrowers, allowing them to open undercollateralized loans for yield farming.

As a result, our utilization rates and lending interest rates are consistently 2x(or higher) than that of other protocols.

Farm

On the farming section you will see the leverage playout as you can increase it from 1 to 4.50% to increase the base APYs.

Leverage Yield Farm is the core product of Alpaca Finance which allows you to multiply your yields.

Although it’s a great feature it’s not free. You will need to pay borrowing interest to use those borrowed funds for leverage.

You will see all the active pools and be able to filter them according to the DEX and Paired Asset. And sort the pools by TVL or APY Percentage.

Of course, a Higher APY will give you higher returns but might also be riskier so you might want to check out what assets are in that pool.

Usually, long-standing projects with a higher or decent MarketCap are less risky especially if they are paired with a stable coin such as USDT.

They still can provide you better than average returns with leverage so that’s what I would recommend. Some examples would be:

ALPACA-BUSD (57%)

ETH-USDT (52%)

BNB-USDT (30%)

CAKE-USDT (162%)

Automated Vaults

On the farm section you also have the automated vaults with Neutral and Savings Vault strategies and some balanced options when it comes to APYs and risk levels.

The automated vaults run complex strategies like an edge fund to improve profitability over a period.

Neutral Strategies are leverage yield farming strategies that farm both long and short positions at the same time and are rebalanced to keep a neutral exposure. So that they can have high yields and low risk.

Savings Vault Strategies are long strategies like staking or lending one coin but earn higher APYs with higher leverage.

Vaults have a certain capacity and the higher APY ones are often filled very quickly due to their great risk/ reward ratio!

There are 3x and 8x leverage vaults. 3x are public which means everyone can use them while 8x are private and can only be used by xALPACA and AUSD3EPS holders.

APYs usually range from 10-40% depending on the asset and strategy. And will need to deposit both assets to get it going.

By clicking on invest you get some more info about the vault including an Annualized Returns Chart and a Backtest Analysis Chart with some Key Statistics and Expected Returns.

AUSD

AUSD is an auto-farming stablecoin that earns passive yields for you.

Here’s what you can do with it:

Stake AUSD

Sell AUSD into lending assets to leverage up lending positions

Sell AUSD into other assets to open high yield leveraged yield farming positions

Sell AUSD into other assets to deploy in external protocols

On the section itself you have a few pools where you can borrow or supply AUSD to earn yields.

Those yields are not that high as the resulting rewards are from Lending and Staking a stable coin which does not appreciate.

Stake

Here you can stake tokens, NFTs or AUSD for some lower yields. But I cannot confirm that for the NFTs as I do know own any Alpies myself.

There’s no use of leverage, it’s just regular staking where you deposit your funds, support a network, and earn rewards.

Alpies

Alpies are Alpaca Finance Protocol NFTs that are sold on multiple marketplaces.

I’m not going to cover much more than this regarding NFTs as the goal of the video is to talk more about investing and yields generated by using the Daap.

But there’s a video on the channel covering how to make money with NFTs using different strategies so click on the card to check it out!

Graze

Grazing is accessible through governance staking. Where essential you lock up some ALPACA and earn ALPACA rewards plus grazing ranges.

[cowboyjen68]

my girlfriend and i are saving up right now to buy land and eventually run a farm full time! do you have any advice on things to look out for, how to start and what it's like to have a farm? im very excited and looking forward to this new life in the next few years and i was just wondering if you had any tips!

It kind of depends on if you want to run a full for profit farm or a hobby farm or just line on an acreage with a garden and some pet live stock. Some things I have learned that will apply to any of these.

 1. If the house is a fixer upper (ie old farm house) consider financing enough to have a professional contractor do the bigger jobs.. roofing, siding, flooring, plumbing etc. The things that will make the house (bathroom, kitchen, bedroom) livable and comfortable. It sucks to work outside all day and have to come in to construction and debris

 2. Consider hiring people to also to the small stuff, paint, trim, seal etc. If you move in with the intention of redoing all that stuff I can guarantee in 10 years you still don't have trim in the bathroom or paint on that blue peeling wall. 

 3.GOOD WELL 

4.Good Septic

 5. Good electrical 

 6. First priority is to make sure you have power and water that won't freeze in the winter to anywhere animals will live. Hauling buckets in 5 feet drifts of snow in the winter is NOT fun. Working in the dark (at 5 pm) is not either. 

7. DO NOT go get live stock until you have AT least shelter/some fence or enclosure and the basics in place. If you go to just "LOOK" you will buy something had have to scramble to find hay, feed, shelter and a fence for that new baby goat and one eyed alpaca.

 8. Good fencing that is appropriate for any animal you MIGHT get. Goats require more than horses. You can start small and work out. Sturdy is better than more area

 9. If you get dogs or a dog make sure they have low prey instinct and introduce them to live stock. Or you will have a bunch of dead chickens and a dog that is quite pleased with herself. 

 10. Cats are pets and also, working animals on a farm. Feed them, vet them, love them, have them in your home as part of the family. Keep at least two.

11. Tools, tractors, boards, equipment etc can often be purchased for much less at auctions. dds on FB market place for things you need are often free or cheap. Don’t be afraid to put a list out there. Lots of people need to clean the 8 shovels out of their shed or garage.  (Don’t over spend.. know the cost of new before you buy what looks like a good deal only to find out you can get that same shovel for half brand new at Menards)

12. Keep WD-40 in all cars, out buildings, garages and house. Spray all metal tools after each use before putting them away>  Just takes a second and will prevent rust. 

13. Decide how many coffee cans and jars of random screws and bolts you ACTUALLY need of they will take over you work place and your children will inherit them> 14. Keep a cheap hammer in every building. And a pair of scissors

15. Get a good pocket knife. I prefer the roper style. Does not need to be metal or heavy or expensive. One with is sharp and locks. Get used to putting it in your pocket every morning. 

16. There is, of course, much more, tools lists, tips and tricks etc. But one last piece of advice. IT is worth taking days from the outside fun stuff or needed yard up keep to clean and organize work spaces. Clean and organize work benches and tools, pick a place for things like electric tools, hand tools, trailer hitches and supplies, bungee cords and ratchets, and gas cans. What ever. Hang old cabinets or recycle wood for shelves. All that work will be so helpful. NOTHING is worse than spending an hour trying to find something for a project or having to stop and run to town to buy a new hitch before you can haul the wood or hay. It will get messy through the year so it has to be done at least yearly (Especially if you live with others). SO worth the time spent.

Good luck and I hope you find your dream homestead soon!!

[buckthegrump]

Miscommunications

Summary: Bucky’s not an idiot. In fact, he’s very smart. However there is one person who makes him a little dumb, a himbo if you will.

Warnings: swearing, that’s it

Word Count:1269

A/n: this is for @heli0s-writes​ ‘s writing challenge my prompt is bolded this is the first of a collection of one-shots with our favorite himbo also the gif has nothing to do with this fic i just think it’s hot

Bucky wasn’t sure how romance worked in the 21st century. So he was slightly lost in where to start. Not that any of that mattered, he highly doubted he was able to find someone that he liked enough to try.

But then Y/n joined the team.

She was a hacker and got her place because she hacked into Tony’s system. For the first few months, she was quiet and resourceful. She also had taken over the team’s finances, claiming that she was more trustworthy than some shmuck who went to Harvard and had a bad hair cut. She also wasn’t about to turn down more money.

Bucky wasn’t sure when exactly he began to fall for her but one day he looked at her while she stared at the computer screen as she typed away. She was gnawing away at her bottom lip and drinking a steaming liquid from one of Tony’s mugs.

Her eyelids were heavy and no matter how much she moved around it seemed like she was three seconds away from giving in to sleep and falling off the chair. 

He didn’t know how to talk to her, at least not in the way he wanted to. He could hold a friendly conversation with her but damn was that getting frustrating. Sam wasn’t making it any better by teasing the poor man.

Natasha walked into the kitchen just as Bucky had opened his mouth to make a comment. They began talking about something trivial and Bucky decided to let them have to themselves and walked away.

Something that Y/n said something that caught Bucky off guard. “Yeah, I think I want some goats -”

Bucky didn’t really hear anything after.

* * *

It was a few weeks later when Bucky and Y/n were the only ones in the compound for a few days because everyone else was out on a mission.

Y/n was sitting on the couch playing a video game when Bucky walked into the family room. At first, she didn’t pay much attention to it but then she heard a sound that didn’t make sense. She knew logically what the noise was but it in her mind it didn’t belong in the compound.

She turned to look at Bucky who was holding a rope and at the end of the rope was a goat.

“I have so many questions I’m not even sure where to start,” she muttered, mostly to herself but she knew that Bucky heard her.

“It’s a goat,” he said as he lifted the rope.

“Yes, that I can see I’m just confused as to why. Also, how did you get a goat here? Do you have your driver’s license?”

“You mentioned to Nat a few weeks that you wanted some goats,” he said sheepishly.

Y/n bit back a smile. “Goat’s milk, babe.”

Bucky tried not to let himself get to excited by the nickname, she called everyone that. And then the rest of her sentence clicked in his head.

“Oh,” he said feeling his cheeks heat up. 

She got up from her place on the couch and walked over to him.

“It’s a very sweet gesture but I was talking about trying a recipe with goat’s milk. But since you have the goat here -”

* * *

“What the hell is that?” Sam’s scream could be heard throughout the compound. 

Everyone was seated in the dining room waiting for the pizza to be delivered when Sam had his outburst. Very quickly and subtlely Bucky and Y/n shared a look. 

About a minute later Sam came into the room with the goat in tow.

“Why the fuck was there a goat in my room? How did it even get there?” Sam yelled at the team.

An argument broke out over who put it there and why. Somehow, neither Bucky nor Y/n got blamed for it. Tony however did.

* * *

One would think that the goat incident would be the last time that Bucky brought a farm animal into the compound.

It was not.

Wanda was sitting with Y/n looking at a funny video on the internet when Bucky walked in with a llama or an alpaca Y/n wasn’t quite sure which.

The two women stared at the supersoldier and his new friend silently. No one said anything for a long time, while the poor farm animal made noises and looked like it was waiting for food. Steve walked in and was about to ask the girls what they were staring at until he looked over at Bucky.

“Whatcha got there, Buck?” Steve asked.

Bucky held up a cup that no one had noticed he was holding. “Coffee.”

He then looked to Y/n who was trying to read his expression, but it was completely blank. Bucky began petting the animal as he took a sip of his iced coffee.

“You wanna pet it?” He asked.

“Bucky, why do you -” Steve started but Y/n got up from her spot and brushed by Steve to take Bucky up on his offer. “How did you even get a llama?”

“It’s an alpaca,” Bucky deadpanned.

The alpaca was so soft Y/n wanted to shrink to the size of ant-man and camp out in the animal’s fur for a weekend. 

“I’ve always wanted a sweater made of wool from their fur,” Y/n said and Bucky started choking at the comment. “Who’d you rent it from?”

Bucky waved his hand vaguely. “Oh, ya know -”

Y/n’s hand froze. “Take it back.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he muttered and guided it out of the compound.

Steve and Wanda shared a look before turning back to Y/n, who only shrugged before getting back to her laptop.

* * *

Y/n, being in charge of finances, was used to seeing large sums of money being used. Mainly by Tony and Natasha. But every once in a while Steve or Sam would have something that cost a few thousand dollars, but they always warned her about it.

So when she came across one of Bucky’s bills that was massive she unironically did a spit take and chocked on the leftover water in her mouth.

“You ok?” Speak of the devil. Bucky walked over to where she was at the table and sat next to her.

“Umm yeah, I was just going over some things and I found something odd,” she pulled held out the piece of paper that sent her into her coughing fit, “According to this, you owe them eighty thousand dollars.”

Bucky nodded then looked up at her and continued nodding. She furrowed her brows in a questioning manner.

“Yeah,” was all he said.

“Ok but like, you spent eighty thousand dollars in one place,” she reiterated. “I didn’t even know you had that kind of money.”

“Well, turns out that if you spend more than seventy years as a prisoner of war and it’s your own government’s fault they feel pretty guilty about it and then give you a shit ton of money to try and make up for it,” he explained, “that and Tony may have threatened them or something.”

“That still doesn’t tell me what you bought,” she said.

Bucky smiled, stood up, then gave her a kiss on the forehead. If she hadn’t been so preoccupied with the fact that Bucky apparently had enough money to just blow eighty thousand on one thing, she might have actually reacted to the out of character affection.

“Don’t worry about it,” was all he said as he walked away.

“That makes me worry about it more!” She yelled out after him but she didn’t get a response.

[sideblogformindtrash]

CW: mild NSFW(kissing, implied), implied nocon, Lots of swearing, stupid insults, prostitution(?), slave/pet whumpee, creepy/intimate whumper, panic attacks, insinuation of physical abuse, hair pulling, deshumanization;

Sorry if this one is too convoluted, I runned out of meds and the abstinence of them is weird, I just feel my head like it’s full of cotton today. Also, this perspective is trick to write a bit, his world is a little different. Thanks to everyone who is reading these, by the way (◕ܫ◕✿)

Part of:  Same as: one, two, three four and five 

there is this one here as well I just forgot to link 

order is wathever, although maybe reading five before this one would help.

That man touched his scars, running his fingers all over his back, pressing on the texture of the old whip marks. It took all he had not to turn around and kick his face. Instead, he turned and pulled the man into a kiss, forcing him to at least put his hands somewhere else.

Sometimes, he wished saliva could be venomous. That would be fun.

Snake. Pestilence. Venom, poison! the darkness cries. Well, he has a serpent-soul. It’s tiny, but furious, and hoards gold with the same intent as a dragon would. It’s hiding now. It doesn’t want to be touched especially not by the soul of that old fucker.

The old fucker was followed by a tower-like creature, always too big for the room he was in. It had tentacles that spread just around everything, in search for absolute order and control. On the tower top, it had a glowing, all seeing-eye. Funny how despite appearances, that eye was almost blind, and could not find the serpent.

“Sweetheart, you were wonderful today”

The man smiled, tiny white teeth, some bathed on gold, as he leans in and caresses his cheeks, pulling the dark strains of hair out of his sweaty face.

Impure. Impure. Mess. Sinner.

“I’m glad I made a good impression.” He chuckles “But you… You are wonderful, every single time, darling”.

Wonderful… Yeah. That man is about as interesting as a bottle of hot dog water… But judging by the creature that follows him, at least he is pleased for today. The man kissed his forehead and gets up on his feet, searching for his robes.

Why is it always these type of people? No one else seems to like him. Not even tolerate him. But people like the old fucker like to keep him around, like their own personal freak. He can interact with them just fine, he can manipulate them… But he can barely talk to normal people.

They are bad too. Just like you.

Just like you.

Darkness screams… No. Shut up. I’m not this. I refuse to be like him.

“So, do you remember I said I had a gift for you?”

His snake gingerly puts its head out from the hiding spot, sliding up his body and rolling around his arms.

“How could I forget? You are always so good to me” Pay my bills old fucker. “And your gifts are the best���.

“I hope you like this one. It’s a bit different than the gifts I usually give you. A bit ragged as well… But still a very nice item” He moves out the door. Orfeu assumes it’s on the small office he has connected to the bedroom, but no, he leaves the chambers, closing the door, tower-like monster following. The room looks much more empty without that thing roaming around.

He gets into the bathroom to wash up and get dressed. So many mirror, so many expensive stuff, he thinks to himself, stealing a bit of cologne.

Monter.

Demon.

Impure.

Shut up. Shut up, shut up, shut up- He looks angrily at his own back. He can still feel fingers there, tracing those fucking scars. He wanted to cover them up with tattoos, like he did with some of the others, but a full back tattoo would be. Too. Expensive. He needs to eat. Food money.

He could try and seduce one of the old fucker… But he doubted he could. He and his little friends enjoyed seeing scars on his back…. A reminder that he was inferior maybe.

Inferior.

Show them. Beat them into the ground. Let the darkness come.

“Shut up” he whispers to the mirror. Okay, apply some makeup again, fix the hair… And good to go again. Reptilian eyes stare at him through the mirror, his shadow-like soul sliding in and out of existence.

He goes back to sit on the bed, a bit bored. Why is it taking so long? He just wants to get whatever it is and go back home. This place is disgusting.

Loud noises downstairs, shouting, stuff falling. Oh. The old fucker is fighting with his son, who is the human embodiment of stubbing your toes on a table, with the additional of having the haircut of an Alpaca. 

Something heavy falling down, a muffled scream, steps on the stairway. Office door opens… Something hits the floor. Old fucker is back, with a nasty smile. His soul is disturbed and it doesn’t try to enter de bedroom this time. It stays back on the office.

“Hello again” he smiles, teeth just a bit too sharp.

“…Hm, sweet, tell me you have come to my parties before, haven’t you?”

Yeah of course. And stood by the corners while most of his guests stared at him like he was monster or a piece of meat, at least until the old fucker called him so he could show off his personal little freak.

Freak, freak, those people thought. Uncanny, go away.

Or alternatively, that they needed to have him, to control him, to show who really is the monster.

Joke was on them, because it was a great occasion to pickpocket, these parties.

“Of course I have darling. It’s such an honor to be there!”

The old fucker’s smile is unusual, something like someone making a commercial of toothpaste on gun-point.

Controlling, all-consuming, Danger danger.

“Well, you remember my little songbird?”

…Something the old fucker liked to display even more. The young man was put on a sort of pedestal on the beginning of those parties, and would sing and perform gracefully to the guests, before coming to sit and serve his master. By later hours he was tossed around all the guests, and when the party was over, there wasn’t much left of him anymore.

“Sure. The one with the long white hair” He saw him sometimes, walking around the house, always following the dumb ass son of the old fucker. They never really interacted. “Your son’s pet. What about him?”

“Oh no. It’s not my son’s anymore.”

He frowns, and the old fucker’s grim widens. He gesticulate for Orfeu to follow him into the office, where… The boy is there, shivering, covered in bruises and cuts. Ragged.

Fragile. Ice. Thin, thin ice.

…On no. Hell no. Please please no.

“-You…?”

Master grabs the boy’s hair and pulls him up, as he lets out a faint whimper. The boy’s soul… It’s keeling on the ground, but its arms, painfully long, too broken and mangled… They are strangling the boy right now. He can’t breathe right.

No.

Nononononononononononono.

“He is yours now, darling!”

Fear. Anxiety… Anger?

“Are you… giving me a person?”

Nope nope nope nope nope. Can’t interact. People don’t like me. He’ll be scared. He’ll be terrified. He will see me as monster. Won’t be able to help. No nononon.

…He bites his own cheek so much it draws blood. Calm the fuck down. Keep the façade.

“Oh, no darling” the man chuckles “It’s not a person, it’s a pet. Remember how you told me you wanted some company, but you can’t have animals at home? They are scared of you or something, you said. Well, this one is perfect, I’m sure. He won’t dare run away.”

The man comes closer, dragging the poor boy to his feet, with that nasty, nasty smile. That’s why his controlling tower-soul stood back, keeping those arms and tentacles wrapped around the boy’s soul.

“Little songbird here needs a home. He doesn’t sing anymore… So I don’t really have a use for it. He would be very happy to go with you, wouldn’t you?”

He pulls his hair again, so hard he lets out a whimper. The crooked soul mimics its owner to perfection, the tentacles of the old bastard all over it.

“-Y..Ah-“ he shrieks, shivers, raises his head so the tears don’t roll down.

“…He doesn’t talk much anymore. But then again, dogs don’t either” He sighs “I wanted him to be clean of fresh wounds when you took him, but my son got his hands on him somehow.”

Somehow. The soul shivers. The boy cries.

“Well… I know it’s a bit sudden, but it’s your choice after all. You want him? He can clean, cook, do some stuff for you.”

Say no say no say no say so you can’t do this wtf this is wrong and bad and you can’t take of him you can’t barely take care of yourself it will be worse if you don’t he will be killed or tortured that’s not fair it’s not his fault it wasn’t your fault he deserves better than you he won’t get any chance-

“Of course I want him.”

Panic panic – don’t. Don’t panic. Fuck this.

You wanted someone in the darkness for you, and no one ever came… So be the person. Be there.

“Good!” Old fucker says, too loud “Aren’t you happy, songbird? I won’t have to dispose of you after all”

The poor thing tries to answer but can’t. And he noticed how old fucker moves, about to smack the boy, so, on a swift movement, Orfeu  falls to his knees and cups his hands around the boy’s face. Old fucker crosses his arm instead.

“It’s okay if he can’t answer. I’m a quiet guy, believe it or not!” he chuckles “Is just you… that makes me want to talk so much, dear! I’m only chatty around you, cause you have so many nice things to say…”

…Like bragging about his stocks and finances and complaining about being a failure of a father who raised a monster. The usual.

“Well… That’s good to know, I’m special to you!” old fucker smiles victoriously “If it does happen that the pet sings again, make sure to tell me, I’d like to hear”.

Yeah, sure. Like hell he would.

[solsticexolos]

My Farm

I spend most of my time thinking about my farm. Right now I run a very small scale poultry breeding operation- I have two breeding groups of Orloffs and one group of turkeys- but I have much greater plans than that. I think about it constantly, because it is everything to me. So many plans I’ve had have become impossible due to finances, mental health, and disability. This, though, this is my goal and dream, the result of learning what I can and cannot do, what I do and do not enjoy doing. It will provide me the opportunity to learn hands-on, something I wanted to do via university but my health and finances won’t allow me to do. 

I have many loose plans right now, but I haven’t written much of it down. I’m feeling blue at the moment, so I figured typing it out might help me.

My farm, currently named Equinox Giants farm (but my mom is arguing about registering our cattle under that name so it may change lmao,) will be a heritage livestock and poultry operation. We will specialize in dual purpose animals, predominantly in breeding in order to provide other people with stock. 

Grain for the livestock will mostly come from spent brewery grains. These grains come from brewing various types of alcohol (especially beer!) Brewing companies cannot use these grains and must often pay for them to be hauled to a landfill. However they are nutrient-dense for ruminants. While not nutritionally complete on their own, when paired with good pasture (and/or hay), they make up a large portion of the diet and cut out the (very high) cost of livestock grain. Not all livestock can use them, but cattle, sheep, and poultry can. There are many breweries in New York, so finding one close will be easy enough. This also cuts down on waste in landfills!

All land in the USA is stolen land, and I cannot help that I was born and live here, but I can acknowledge that when I own my farm, that will be on land that once belonged to Indigenous peoples. So, where ever we end up, I plan to reach out to the tribe whose land we’re farming on and basically finding out what I can do about it. I don’t know what the options are, but I am sure there’s something.

Waste products will be collected and composted, the resulting fertilizer then will hopefully be sold to local greenhouses/gardeners (and used for my own tiny garden, I like to grow tomatoes!) 

Now the animals themselves! Pasture land is the biggest factor currently on deciding where we move and establish the farm. We need enough to be able to rotate pasture, as that will seriously limit how much grain we have to feed and hay we have to buy (if we have the extra pasture for it then we’ll probably rent out the field to someone who hays in exchange for a portion of the hay.) All of the livestock breeds I’ll be breeding are heritage animals that are capable of thriving on very little. Dexter cattle and shetland sheep are excellent at using whatever forage is available. Rotating the Dexter herd and the Shetland (and Alpaca) flock on different pastures will allow the grass to continue growing through the growing season, providing the animals with food. Livestock guardian dogs will be kept with the herd and flock to help limit conflict with native predators (and keep stray/roaming dogs away, which can seriously destroy a herd.) 

We will start small, and build slowly. One of the main reasons that new farms fail shortly after startup is starting too big and growing too fast, before the owner learns how to actually manage it.

The Dexter herd will ideally start as 2-3 bred heifers. Their offspring will be raised by the cows, and then once weaned the steers will be sold to feeders (where they go to mature more until butcher), and cow calves will likely be sold (unless any art particularly nice, which we’ll keep then to add to the herd.) We will acquire a polled dexter bull from a different source, so he can be used for breeding in the future. Temperament, health, and quality are of the upmost importance in all of my breeding programs. We’ll work with all three Dexter colors- red, black, and dun. This small herd will be grown slowly, over time as we adjust to rearing cattle and figure out what we can handle. I would like to milk the cows on a very small scale so that I can make my own cheeses and butter. The bull will be named Papa Moofasa. 

The Shetland sheep herd will also start off small. Shetlands themselves are teeny tiny, so you can keep a large number in small pastures. I’d like to start with 3-5 ewes and one ram. Specifically selecting for a medium crimp and length in fiber. I’ll be part of the Shave ‘Em to Save ‘Em program, which works to connect fiber produces directly to fiber artists. I would like to get decent equipment to card and spin the wool and fiber myself so that I can sell yarn. I may also keep some Friesian sheep as dairy animals to make my own sheep cheeses.

Due to the different texture and quality of Alpaca fiber to sheep fiber, I’d also like to keep a small herd of Huacaya Alpacas. Mostly because when I’ve worked with Alpacas in the past I really enjoyed their company and noises. Pleasant little fellows. I need to do a lot more research into them, though.

Chickens are one of my biggest joys, and will likely be my largest flock as far as quantity of individuals goes. I specialize in Russian Orloffs, but will also keep and breed Wyandottes, Chanteclers, Modern Game, and Sanjak Longcrowers. I will sell eggs for hatching, chicks, grow-outs, and mature breeding birds to people interested in showing, breeding, or simply having pets. I will also process to sell whole carcasses, and will sell eggs for eating as well. 

Turkey varieties will be black and chocolate, and I will sell poults, grow-outs, and meat. I’m greedy and turkeys are seasonal layers so eggs I’ll keep for myself for hatching. (May sell some for eating on rare occasion.) 

As far as selling goods, it’ll be done mostly via direct to buyers. During warm months I’ll sell at local farmer’s markets. Eggs, chicks, and grow-outs will be sold to anyone in the lower 48 USA via shipping. Mature birds (and grow outs) will be sold at poultry shows. The big goal for the goods is to find the right markets. Specializing in humanely raised, heritage livestock and poultry already gets me into a nice niche with that. Advertising small-farm, pasture-raised, heritage livestock and poultry looks good (as it should! It’s more sustainable!) and helps with marketing, haha.

As with most start-up businesses, especially farms, it’ll be a while before we’re breaking even, and longer still until we’re turning a profit. This is something I recognize going into it. I ain’t in it to make money, if I wanted to make money I would not get into livestock, haha, but to preserve these breeds, provide people with a source of ethically raised products and well-bred animals, and hopefully give back to the community in meaningful ways.

Anyways, just felt like rambling for a little bit to help my frazzled brain relax. Happy New Year, y’all.

[butternutsims]

4K/1K FOLLOWER GIFTS - ALL.

I just wanted to provide a master post for the 3 parts and also give some insight and thanks for this last week.

There was a fourth item, an eyeshadow, but it doesn’t look as great as I thought, so I omitted it from this pack.

This last week has been super surreal, I kinda had really bad panic moments to complete shutdowns of my brain to any new information. Info has been coming in hard and fast, we’re going into Stage 3 shutdown shortly, which is like, don’t go out unless it’s ridiculously essential. I’ve stepped out of my role for a few weeks, I see the finances where we work and the amount of work we are losing and in the long run, it will mean I will have a job waiting for me, so I’m happy to make the sacrifice. 

I want to give big big big thanks and hugs to my friends in the Sundance Discord, especially @crafty-lil-alpaca and Pugs, who are both Melbourne girls like me, and we have just been talking everything out and getting info and just sharing in how we are feeling, and above all else, having fun. Thank you so much to both of you, @sleepywillowsims, @flying-womrats, @palemistsofwindenburg, @treefroot and everyone else who have joined in convo’s, sharing what’s going on on their side of the world, and just been super sweet.

If you want to join us, you might be another Aussie, or from anywhere in the world, and you want a safe place to chat and share, please come join us - you will be welcome! Sundance Discord

Anyways, here’s all three parts in case you missed one A Very Mixed Pack of Cross Stitch 4 | SaurusxBOP Buttercup Dress Recolour | Dahlia Bazaar Easy Listening Set

Enjoy! x

[hopscotchfriday]

Richard Stanley’s Color Out of Space

There was a clear intake of breath from film nerds at the announcement of Stanley’s Lovecraft adaptation. Here was the promise of a serious adaptation of the Providence native’s fiction that would not simply focus on gloopy ooze and cosmic horror (while at the same time serving it up), but be willing to add a critical dimension to Lovecraft’s work.

The rising popularity of the author’s fiction, resting on a bedrock of American bigotry distinct even for the period, is troubling as news of rising racial tensions around the world continues to assault us on our devices, our televisions – the gossip of workplaces. H.P. Lovecraft has found his cultural moment and I almost wish he hadn’t.

Richard Stanley, meanwhile, has spent the last two decades in the wilderness. A South African émigré to the United Kingdom who somehow managed to court controversy even as his interests were strictly marginal – reminiscences featured in the documentary Future Shock!: The Story of 2000AD indicates comic creators still remember his lifting of Steve McManus and Kevin O'Neill's story Shok! (featured in prog 612).

Indeed, Stanley endured a reputation for many years as a promising young director, whose career was marred by this accusation of plagiarism and a disastrous failure in the Australian rain forest.

Fired from the set of The Island of Doctor Moreau, Stanley missed his shot at a Hollywood career. Refusing to simply fade away, the rejected director haunted the Northern Queensland locations in disguise as one of Moreau’s creations. He was even rumoured to have made some black magic workings to curse the production. The film-maker has continued to pursue his interest in the occult with indie documentaries.

Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Island of Dr. Moreau released in 2014 was the perfect forum for a reappraisal of the troubled director. David Gregory presents Stanley as a bleakly whimsical naïf, crashing on the rocky shores of Hollywood business. Interviews with bemused cast members and crew paint a picture of a visionary incapable of communicating his ideas to the money-men, trusting instead to puckish confrontation.

It did not pan out, with John Frankenheimer being air-dropped in to complete a mediocre adaptation of the H.G. Wells tale.

Gregory also introduces concept art for Stanley’s excessive vision, presenting the experiments of Moreau escaping into the modern world, with hallucinatory chaos ensuing. His fascination with Wells’s themes of man playing god, and colonial contempt for indigenous people, inspired a spectacle of karmic revenge on the streets of London.

Color Out of Space (oh yes, that is what this is supposed to be about) features a similar inversion of the original work’s thematic concerns. The original story features working-class New England farmers, the Gardner family, doomed by a mysterious alien meteorite that contaminants their well and corrupts them physically and mentally. Lovecraft’s thematic nihilism is touched with a degree of class derision for the Gardners, their fate recounted to the reader by an educated visitor from Boston who pieces together the events of the story.

Stanley makes a number of changes that retain the cosmic nihilism and essential beats of The Colour Out of Space (why drop the ‘u’, does it signify his contemporising of the test?), while challenging the privileging of Lovecraft’s classist hauteur. Now the Gardner’s are urbanites-turned hipster land owners, clearly out of their depth in raising alpacas in the New England countryside. Nicolas Cage’s head of the household Nathan mentions cooking the meat of the animals in the following year, which daughter Lavinia (Madeleine Arthur) has to point out is exactly what you don’t do. Alpacas are raised for their wool; it is a waste to eat them.

Here the Gardner’s privilege marks them as alienated from the land. Their lack of experience with farming is underlined by how the household’s finances derive from mother Theresa (Joely Richardson), who works as an online stocks advisor and is frustrated by the poor internet.

As for the Gardner children, Lavinia has embraced magic ritual to affect an escape from the drudgery of her parents’ escape to the countryside. She is also introduced attempting a healing spell on behalf of her mother’s cancer. But of all the Gardners, Lavinia is the character most approximate to the otherworldly force that invades their farm. Son Benny (Brendan Meyer) is stoned, too online, and disaffected, while the youngest child Jack (Julian Hilliard) is overly attached to Theresa.

The stage is set then for Stanley theme of the self-proclaimed wholesome American family being torn apart when encountering something outside their regulated life. Theresa’s cancer is the spectre that haunts the passive aggressive sniping between the children and Nathan’s failures as a father. The cancer is an early corollary for the metastasising corruption of the ‘color’, which arrives via meteor and quickly mutates and assimilates animal and plant life, before enveloping the Gardners themselves.

There is a studied weirdness in the script to the interactions between the Gardners, hinting at the family’s already festering tensions and resentments. A scene of romantic banter between Nathan and Theresa descends into an exchange that emphasises his possessive hold over her as a literal sex object; Lavinia and Benny exchange insults exclusively focused on their respective genitals. In Stanley’s inversion of Lovecraft, it is the family unit that is already a corrupting trap.

The alien intelligence that plagues the Gardners manifests what is already working on the clan and their presumed normality.

Stanley’s other coup is to remove the passive epistolary tone of the story. Instead he introduces hydrologist Ward (Elliot Knight), who at first tries to rescue the family from what he regards as a water-born illness. For his efforts he is then targeted by the alien intelligence at work.

There’s plenty for gorehounds to enjoy here, from twisting masses of flesh, limbs being lopped off and the always reliable – murderous trees – but Stanley has also produced an evenly paced, visually exhilarating meditation on alienation and invasion.  

Color Out of Space is now available On Demand via Telstra, Google Play, iTunes, Fetch TV, Foxtel & Umbrella Entertainment plus DVD & Blu-Ray. 

[awildhanmonster]

Character Ramblings for Wyrd!

At Wyrd’s behest, I’m trying to write down a little master post of some recent characters she bullied— I mean enabled— me to create.  This is for our casual Loserverse world— i.e. the fast-and-loose All The Myths Are True low fantasy trope where a bunch of well intentioned idiots try to get by in an apartment complex for largely mythical creatures.  I’ve accidentally made up a lot of new side characters in the past month and it’s getting hard to keep track of them, so here we go!

THE HOMESTEADING SHAPESHIFTER TRIO: AKA NELL, LEONORA AND BARNES

I’m listing these three together on their own because they are an active “couple” (… trio? I’m not sure what the right polyamory term is) who all live together in a more rural part of the county on some acreage generationally owned and tended by Nora’s family line.  Their personal plot is pretty manageable (just a few acres) and a small portion of the entire property.  They have a little flock of maybe 2 dozen combined sheep and goats, some chickens, and possibly an alpaca.  The land is woodsy and picturesque with an old country house they share.  

Nell J. Harriet, aka Nell: approximately 32 years old, born intersex, happily nonbinary (pronouns are ‘they’).  The tallest of the bunch at around 6’ even, with a pale wiry frame and knobby, angular corners all over.  Jet black hair with a striking chunk of white smack dab at the front of the widow’s peak like the trail of a dog’s blaze, one solid brown eye, one split tweaky blue/brown mess.  Shifted form is a black and white border collie with (surprise!) heterochromia and a chunky white blaze cutting through the forehead right at the widow’s peak.  

Despite being born to a mother with a long family history of (gene-recessive) shifters cropping up every generation, Nell was still a surprise to everyone involved, given that their father had presumably been human.  Their mother— who I’ll call Meryl for now— comes from a fairly mundane lineage of canine shifter (while being a non-shifter Rr carrier herself) which typically manifests in early childhood and has a certain period of semi-conscious malleability during the formative years in which things like coat color, length, ear set, and other minor (external) features can be changed through great effort and trial/error before eventually “settling” into a constant, unique physical identity with time.  They heal several times faster than average humans, scar less, and tend to show greater physical resilience, taking a few seconds to painlessly and more-or-less fluidly change shape, but lack any kind of “burst healing” mechanic or unusual magical attributes.

Everyone else in the family before Nell had turned out some kind of pleasantly functional “mutt” shape in the end, but Nell erupted onto the scene as a full blown black-and-white border collie looking thing from day 1 of the change as a bouncy toddler.  Meryl could only guess that the father (long since vanished from their lives with no hard feelings, the affair was brief) was a similar, incidentally compatible shapeshifter himself, but that’s about as well as anyone can guess since he’s not around to ask.  

Nell, for their part, is exactly the kind of plucky, sunshiny, high-energy velcro person you would expect from a border collie on two legs.  They struggled in early childhood with some rough ADHD and OCD type tendencies, but managed to get through public schooling with the help of family support/tutoring, and wound up not pursuing college in favor of trying out a more rural living, instead.  They met Leonora while bouncing around odd jobs a couple years after high school and the rest is history.  They’re much happier now with a largely outdoor existence and animals to tend to, burning off the excess energy that plagued them for years without a direction prior to homesteading.  They’re one of those types who thrives with an outlet for physical and mental stimulation but loses their mind for lack of it.  As one would expect from any good BC.  The farming life is an ideal fit.  

Leonora Basso: aka Nora, but only if you’re close to her.  Approximately 34-ish, a shameless bohemian woman from a long line of shifters almost functionally identical to Raiker/Nicky’s species, with the exception of taking on the form of giant (thanks, conservation of mass) white maremma type guardian dogs instead of akbash.  Built square, stocky, and a little short (probably around 5’4’’), with olive/bronze-y skin, brown eyes, and a giant fluffy mess of fluffy, platinum white-blond hair the exact color and texture of maremma fur.  

She’s chill, with admirable patience for things that warrant it and a long fuse for small annoyances, though she’s also the only member of the three to ever knock someone’s teeth out, so take that with a grain of salt.  Like any good guardian dog, she’s placid until you start messing with her flock— literally or metaphorically.  Then she’ll be the one to quietly walk across the bar and slam your head into the table.  She met Nell during a trip to the inner city by complete happenstance when the two hit it off over conversation, during which she invited them to come visit her farm over a public touring weekend, and within weeks wound up dating.  Their relationship was exclusive up until Barnes came along  and none of them are quite sure how it happened, but they’ve never been in a better place.  

Chancellor Barneston Augustine-Kingslay, aka Barnes: and ONLY Barnes, okay.  Repeat his full name N E V E R or he’ll just, seriously, die.  Of embarrassment.  The youngest of the bunch at around 27-28 or so, Barnes was adopted by his (human) parents as a (human, presumably) infant, and had a perfectly normal (human, presumably) childhood until one day when his mother came in and found that her napping four year old was suddenly a napping 40 pound maine coon cat— or at least, what LOOKED a whole lot like one.  Needless to say, the following week was a scramble of buying every “Help!  My Child is a Shapeshifter, What Do I Do!” parenting book off Amazon and learning how to cope with a toddler who could suddenly vault over double stacked safety gates unaided, but they learned how to adapt, and life continued on happily for the little family anyway.  He’s an average sort, and arguably handsome to some: about 5’8’’, not especially pale or tan, hazel eyed, and sporting what looks like perpetually dark-ticked mouse brown hair, cut short.  He performed well enough in public school with a mostly human peer group who went largely unaware of his “talents” and even went on to earn a bachelor’s in business/finances/something akin, which seemed like the thing to do.  He wouldn’t describe himself as unhappy in his accomplishments; by every metric he was doing fine in life, and could easily figure out a career in some white collar job that paid his bills well enough.

He just couldn’t shake a certain feeling of restlessness and dissatisfaction about the idea, and wound up making a habit of weekend demos and classes to see what else was out there in the world: one of which happened to be a sheep shearing weekend out at the Basso Homestead.  On a whim, Barnes attended a demo headed by none other than Leonora while she was using a feisty ram (named Ramses) to walk visitors through the shearing process, Ramses was being fighty, Nell wasn’t around to help wrangle him, and Barnes, thinking he was capable, volunteered (despite Nora warning him repeatedly that rams were pretty feisty) to help hold him down.

… Needless to say he earned a spectacular nut shot via ram horns in the groin and wound up sitting out the rest of the day with an ice pack and a lot of sympathy, but it got him talking to Nora, and then Nell, and the three of them just gelled in a way that kept bringing them back together.  He’s realized in hindsight that he’s much happier in the suburbs than the big city, and enjoys putting his schooling to use by handling the home taxes and business numbers.  

(Fun fact: years later, when it Ramses got too big for his britches and was sent to the abattoir, they were given part of him by the Basso family and cooked a roast to celebrate the asshole sheep that brought them all together.  Ramses was delicious.)

Barnes, incidentally, still has no idea just WHAT kind of shifter he actually is thanks to being a doorstep baby/anonymous adoption acquisition by the foster folks— aside from a giant 100+ pound country cat, that is.  He’s observed that his shift is nearly as swift as Leonora’s, though there are queer persistences that he seems to have (pierced ears not healing instantly or trying to close after a change) that she lacks.  Coupled with the fact that he seems to be a magnet for comically mundane/irritating paranormal activity, he’s put in his research (mostly as a boredom hobby, not a necessary pursuit) but keeps drawing blanks on potential labels for his identity.  The TRUTH of the matter (which he’ll probably never know in canon) is that he’s actually a cait sith— born in the form of a cat, rather than a human, and bewitched by his mother to retain a human form as long as possible in the hopes that it would get him a better chance at finding loving parents.  His shifting has a much heavier magical component to it than his SOs, though he has no real sense for it, and it’ll probably just be a mystery the rest of his life.

Wow, yeah, this got super long!  I’ll make a separate post for the other losers I’ve made up lately, though these three are the most fleshed out so far.  

[mexckk]

MEXC Exchange: Easy Tutorial to Participate in New M-Day Program 6th Session — Solyard Finance (YARD)

Eligible users can join the ticket-claim process on both the MEXC website and APP during the period of 14:00, Sept 12–09:00, Sept 14 (UTC).

MEXC Official Website:

Users can first enter MEXC official website www.mexc.com or www.mexc.am and find [M-Day] in the tab of [Finance]. Refer to the picture below:

MEXC Official App:

How does the new M-Day work?

Users will be given a choice to claim the tickets and it would be based on a lucky draw basis. MEXC will announce the draw results after the event ends and airdrop corresponding YARD to winning users.

Two methods to gain eligibility for the token airdrop

Term 1: Major Cryptos (Spot, Margin and Leveraged ETF) Trading Round

Users who trade specific major cryptos on MEXC 3 days prior to the end of the ticket-claim time (i.e from 09:00, Sept 11 to 09:00, Sept 14, UTC+8) with trading volume no less than the minimum amount specified in the form below will be eligible for the lucky-draw. The larger the trading volume, the more tickets the user can claim.

The eligible pairs for Trading Round are (including Spot & ETF & Margin):

MX, BTC, ETH, EOS, BCH, LTC, TRX, XRP, BSV, ETC, ADA, DASH, NEO, LINK, QTUM, DOT, VET, XLM, XTZ, ZEC, SNT, JST, OMG, ATOM, VSYS, ONG, AE, SUSHI, BTS, RVN, WOO, ARPA, CKB, HT, IRIS, DCR, BNB, RIF, ZRX, BEAM, ALPACA, IOTX, AXS, TRIBE, YGG, UST, RAY, MINA, ORN, PINK, QUICK, FORM, EPK, BZZ, SKILL, BORING, C98, ALICE, LUNA, RUNE, AAVE, SNX, FTT, CAKE, SLP

Ticket Information:

Total number of winning tickets: 14,000

Each winning ticket includes: 1500 YARD

The details are shown in the form below:

Term 2: MX Holding Round Holders of MX prior to the ticket claim time with a holding amount no less than the minimum amount specified in the form below, will be eligible for the lucky-draw. The larger the holding amount, the more tickets the user can claim.

Ticket Information:

A total number of winning tickets: 4,000

Each winning ticket includes: 1,500 YARD

The details are shown in the form below:

Note:

1. In order to ensure the fairness of the activity, after the user claims the ticket, the MX used for the draw will be frozen until the end of the draw. During the freezing period, users cannot trade or withdraw MX. 2. The holdings considered in this session will be limited to the assets available in your spot asset account, excluding assets that may be pending or frozen. 3. Terms 1 and 2 are alternatives on an either-or basis, i.e. if a user meets any one of the term’s criteria, he/she will be eligible to claim the lottery tickets. 4. Ticket Claims can only be done once per term (1 for Major Cryptos Round, 1 for MX Round). Please make sure you have hit your desired trading volume before claiming your tickets for each round. Trading volume accumulated after claiming your tickets will not reward additional tickets.

Participation prize: Users who did not receive any winning tickets from the draw will still be able to claim from the participation prize pool of remaining airdrop tokens in proportion to the number of losing tickets in possession respectively.

Note: Users are required to complete KYC verification in order to join the ticket claim.

Event Schedule

Ticket Claim time: 14:00, Sept 12 to 09:00, Sept 14 (UTC)

Draw results will be released at 11:00, Sept 14 (UTC)

YARD airdrops will be distributed around 14:00, Sept 14 (UTC) to users who hold winning tickets.

Token Airdrop details

Airdrop quantity: 30,000,000 YARD

Listing Information

Trading time: 14:00 (UTC), September 15

Listing Exchange: www.mexc.com

Trading Pair: YARD/USDT

Project Brief Information

Solyard Finance is the new leveraged yield farming on Solana. It helps lenders earn safe and stable yields, and offers borrowers undercollateralized loans for leveraged yield farming positions, vastly multiplying their farming principals and resulting profits.

About MEXC M-Day M-Day Program is an event held exclusively on MEXC for mainstream crypto traders/holders to participate in to enjoy free project tokens airdrop.

For more details, please refer to: The New M-Day 6th Session - Solyard Finance (YARD) is Launching

Risk Warning

Cryptocurrency investment is subject to high market risk. Please make your investments cautiously. MEXC Global will make best efforts to choose high-quality tokens, but will not be responsible for your investment losses. As a digital asset trading platform that respects the community, MEXC adheres to the principle of truthful, transparent and fair trading, with no malicious intent. We are committed to providing users with a service that is safer, more efficient, and more reliable for the trading of digital assets.

[techcrunchappcom]

New Post has been published on https://techcrunchapp.com/is-wall-street-losing-its-tech-enthusiasm-breaking-news-tech-news-celebrity-news-bussiness-and-finance-news/

Is Wall Street losing its tech enthusiasm? – Breaking news, Tech news, Celebrity News, Bussiness and Finance News

This is The TechCrunch Exchange, a newsletter that goes out on Saturdays, based on the column of the same name. You can sign up for the email here. Over the past few months the IPO market made it plain that some public investors were willing to pay more for growth-focused technology shares than private investors. We saw this in both strong tech IPO pricing — the value set on companies as they debut — and in resulting first-day valuations, which were often higher. One way to consider how far public valuations rose for tech startups, especially those with a software core in 2020, is to ask yourself how often you heard about a down IPO this year. Maybe a single time? At most? (You can catch up on 2020 IPO performance here, if you need to.) IPO enthusiasm exposed a gap between what many venture capitalists and private investors were paying for tech shares, and what the public market was doing with its own valuation calculations. Insurtech startup Hippo’s $150 million private round from July is a good example. The company was valued at $1.5 billion in the round, a healthy uptick from its preceding private valuation. But if we valued it like the then-newly-public Lemonade, a related company, at the time, Hippo was priced inexpensively. This week, however, the concept of private investors being more conservative than public investors in certain cases (some eight-figure private rounds happened this year at valuations that were even more bullish than public investor treatment of IPOs, to be clear) took a ding as most big tech companies lost ground, SaaS stocks sold off, and other tech firms struggled to keep up with investor enthusiasm. Not only tech companies took a beating, but as I write to you on this Friday afternoon, the American stock markets were on a path for their worst week since March, CNBC reported, “led by major tech shares.” A change in the wind? Perhaps.  Notable is that it was just in September that VCs seemed resigned to having startup valuations pulled higher by public markets’ endless optimism for related companies. Canaan’s Maha Ibrahim told me during Disrupt 2020 that it was a time when VCs had to “play the game” and pay up for startups, so long as companies were being “rewarded in the public markets for high growth the way that Snowflake” was at the time. A16z’s David Ulevitch concurred. Perhaps that dynamic is changing as stocks dip. If so, startup valuations could decline en masse, along with the more exotic areas of startup-related finance. The SPAC boom, for example, may wane. Chatting with Hippo’s CEO Assaf Wand this week, he posited that SPACs were a market-response to the public-private valuation gap, an accelerant-cum-bridge to help startups get public while demand was hot for their equity. Without the same red-hot demand for growth and risk, SPACs could cool. So, too, could private valuations that the hottest startups have taken for granted. Whether what we’re feeling in the wind this week is a hiccup or tipping point is not clear. But the public market’s fever for tech equities may have broken at a somewhat awkward time for Airbnb, Coinbase, DoorDash and other not-quite-yet-IPOs. Market Notes It started to snow this week where I live, putting a somewhat sad cap on an otherwise turbulent week. Still! There’s lots from our world to get into. Here’s our week’s market notes:

Remember when we dug into how quickly startups grew in Q3? Another company that I’ve covered before, Drift, wrote in. The Boston-based marketing software company reported to The Exchange that it grew more than 50% in Q3 compared to the year-ago quarter, with its CEO adding that June and Q3 were the strongest month and three-month periods in its history. The fintech boom continued with DriveWealth raising nearly $57 million this week, with the startup being yet another API-driven play. That a company sitting in-between two key startup trends of the year is doing well is not surprising. DriveWealth helps other fintech companies provide users access to the American equities markets. Alpaca, which also recently raised, is working along similar lines.

This week featured two IPOs that we cared about. MediaAlpha’s debut, giving the advertising-and-insurtech company a $19 per-share IPO price, quickly exploded out of the gate. Today the company is worth nearly $38 per share. Why? On its IPO day MediaAlpha CEO Steve Yi said that he had chosen the current moment because public markets had garnered an appreciation for insurtech. His share price growth seems to concur. Until we look at Root, to some degree. Root, a neo-insurance provider focused on the automotive space, priced at $27 when it debuted this week, $2 above the top-end of its range. The company is now worth less than $24 per share. So, whatever wave MediaAlpha caught appears to have missed Root.  I honestly don’t know what to make of the difference in the two debuts, but please email in if you do know (you can just reply to this email, and I’ll get your note). Regardless, I chatted with Root CEO Alex Timm after his company went public. The executive said that Root had laid down plans to go public a year ago, and that it can’t control market noise around the time of its debut. Timm stressed the amount of capital that Root added to its coffers — north of $1 billion — is a win. I asked how the company intended to not fuck up its newly swollen accounts, to which Timm said that his company was going to stay “laser focused” on its core automotive insurance opportunity. Oh, and Root is based in Ohio. I asked what its debut might mean for Midwest startups. Timm was positive, saying that the IPO could highlight that there are a lot of smart folks and GDP in the middle of the country, even if venture capital tallies for the region remain underdeveloped.

I know that by now you are tired of earnings, but Five9 did something that other companies struggled to accomplish, namely, beat expectations and bolstered its forward guidance. Its shares soared. The Exchange got on the phone with the call center software company to chat about its latest acquisition and earnings. How did it crush expectations as it did? By selling a product that its market needed when COVID-19 hit, the accelerating digital transformation more broadly, and rising e-commerce spend, which is driving more customer support work onto phone lines, it said. A lot of stuff at once, in other words.  Five9 took on a bunch of convertible debt earlier this year, despite making gobs of adjusted profit. I asked its CEO Rowan Trollope how he was going to go about investing cash to take advantage of market tailwinds, while not overspending. He said that the company takes very regular looks at revenue performance, helping it tailor new spend nimbly. It’s apparently working. What else? Peek this week at big, important rounds from SimilarWeb, PrimaryBid and EightFold, a company that I have known for some time. Oh, and I covered The Wanderlust Group’s Series B and Teampay’s Series A extension, which were good fun.

Various and Sundry

What’s going on in the world of venture debt as VC gets back to form? We dug in. For the Europhiles amongst us, here’s what’s up with the continent’s VC receipts. Here are 10 favorites from recent Techstars demo days. And here’s some mathmagic about Databricks, after it was rumored to have an H1 2021 IPO target. We’re way out of space this week, but I have some fun stuff in the tank for later, including a Capital G investor’s take on RPA, a call with the CEO of Zapier about no-code/low-code growth and notes from a chat about developer ecosystems with Dell Capital. More on all of that when the news calms down.

Stay safe, and vote. Alex

Related

[magzoso-tech]

New Post has been published on https://magzoso.com/tech/robinhood-lets-you-invest-as-little-as-1-cent-in-any-stock/

Robinhood lets you invest as little as 1 cent in any stock

One share of Amazon stock costs over $1700, locking out less wealthy investors. So to continue its quest to democratize stock trading, Robinhood is launching fractional share trading this week. This lets you buy 0.000001 shares, rounded to the nearest penny, or just $1 of any stock with zero fee.

The ability to buy by millionth of a share lets Robinhood undercut Square Cash’s recently announced fractional share trading, which sets a $1 minimum for investment. Robinhood users can sign up here for early access to fractional share trading. “One of our core values is participation is power” says Robinhood co-CEO Vlad Tenev. “Everything we do is rooted in this. We believe that fractional shares have the potential to open up investing for even more people.”

Fractional share trading ensures no one need be turned away, and Robinhood can keep growing its user base of 10 million with its war chest of $910 million in funding. As incumbent brokerages like Charles Schwab and E*Trade move to copy Robinhood’s free stock trading, the startup has to stay ahead in inclusive financial tools. In this case, though, it’s trying to keep up since Schwab, Square, Stash, and SoFi all launched fractional shares this year. Betterment has actually offered this since 2010.

Robinhood has a bunch of other new features aimed at diversifying its offering for the not-yet-rich. Today its Cash Management feature it announced in October is rolling out to its first users on 800,000 person wait list, offering them 1.8% APY interest on cash in their Robinhood balance plus a Mastercard debit card for spending money or pulling it out of a wide network of ATMs. The feature is effectively a scaled-back relaunch of the botched debut of 3% APY Robinhood Checking a year ago which was scuttled since the startup failed to secure the proper insurance it now has for Cash Management.

Additionally, Robinhood is launching two more widely requested features early next year. Dividend Reinvestment Plan (DRIIP) will automatically reinvest cash dividends Robinhood users receive into stocks or ETFS. Recurring Investments will let users schedule daily, weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly investments into stocks. With all this, Crypto trading, and  Robinhood is evolving into a full financial services suite that will be much harder for competitors to copy.

How Robinhood Fractional Shares Work

“We believe that if you want to invest, it shouldn’t matter how much money you have. With fractional shares, we’re opening up a whole universe of stocks and funds including Amazon, Apple, Disney, Berkshire Hathaway, and thousands of others” Robinhood product manager Abhishek Fatehpuria tells me.

Users will be able to place real-time fractional share orders in dollar amounts as low as $1 or share amounts as low as 0.000001 shares rounded to the penny during market hours. Stocks worth over $1 per share with a market capitalization above $25 million are eligible, with 4000 different stocks and ETFs available for commission-free, real-time fractional trading.

“We believe that participation is power. Since day one, we’ve focused on breaking down barriers like trade commissions and account minimums to help people participate in the financial system” says Fatehpuria. “We have a unique user base — half our customers tell us they’re first time investors, and the median age of a Robinhood customer is 30. This means we have a unique opportunity to expand access to the markets for this new generation.”

Robinhood is racing to corner the freemium investment tool market before other startups and finance giants can catch up. It opened a waitlist for its UK launch next year which will be its first international market. But in just the past month, Alpaca raised $6 million for an API that lets anyone build a stock brokerage app, and Atom Finance raised $10.6 million for its free investment research tool that could compete with Robinhood’s in-app feature. Meanwhile, Robinhood suffered an embarrassing bug letting users borrow more money than allowed.

The move fast and break things mentality triggers new dangers when introduced to finance. Robinhood must resist the urge to rush as it spreads itself across more products in pursuit of a leveler investment playing field.

[childrenchildrenandchaos]

5 Podcasts You Need to Start Listening To

Hello Everyone!

This week I wanted to write about something on the easier side because I have a lot of things planned for the blog that I want to get done. I’m really excited about the changes to come! But for now, I wanted to mention a few podcasts that have helped me a lot recently.

We’re allowed to have headphones at my day job, so I tend to either listen to music or an audiobook. Lately, however, I’ve been binge-listening to podcasts. My friends know that for the longest time I have had a hard time finding a podcast I enjoyed or where I could stand to listen to a person’s voice for more than one episode (listening to the same voice for eight hours can get exhausting).

I’ve been listening mostly to things that help me get my life together but also say that it’s okay to not have my life together. Also on the list is a podcast for writers and a humorous podcast, both of which have helped me too. These are in no particular order, I enjoy all of them equally and think everyone can get at least something from them all. On that note, let’s just get into it!

Unf#ck Your Brain

Unf#ck Your Brain is a feminist podcast hosted by Kara Loewentheil. Her earlier podcast episodes were aimed towards lawyers, but she later changes her message to feminism and learning to control your brain to become better in your everyday life. Kara is a Master Life Coach and has degrees from both Yale and Harvard.

This podcast has helped me in multiple areas in my life because she discusses how to control thought process. Multiple times throughout the podcast she says that you cannot stop a thought from developing but you can stop from acting on it. Some of my favorite episodes include Complaining, Parenting, Self Care, and Social Anxiety. By listening to this podcast I’ve been able to manage my time better, improve my negative thoughts, and have a better understanding that every person’s brain interrupts things differently, that there is no right or wrong way in how your brain interrupts things, and that it is possible to improve your thoughts in order to improve your productivity and your life in general.

Directionally Challenged

This podcast is hosted by Candice King and Kayla Ewell. I’ve been in love with these two since their time on The Vampire Diaries. For those of you who don’t know them by their actual names, they play Caroline Forbes and Vicky Donovan on the show. The podcast is aimed at 30-something year old’s but they have so much advice that applies to women of all ages. The message of the show is to say they thought they would have their lives figured out by 30 but now that they’re in their 30’s they know they don’t.

I enjoy this podcast because I was led to believe the misconception that I would have my life together in my 20’s. And I definitely don’t. Knowing that some people don’t have their life figured out even in their 30’s really helps me when I tell myself that it’s okay to not have everything figured out. I also love the guests they have on the show as well, including some other TVD cast members. Some of my favorite episodes include “Anxiety and Productivity” with Bri Emery, “A Sucky Love Story” with Brittani Louise Taylor, “!0 Year Challenge” with Michael Trevino, “What Would Dobrev Do?” with Nina Dobrev, “After” with Anna Todd, and “Basic Witches” with Leah Knauer and Rachel Laforest.

Kalyn’s Coffee Talk

This podcast is hosted by Kalyn Nicholson. Many people may know her from her YouTube channel. Kalyn’s Coffee Talk focuses on living your best life, mental health, and wellness. I honestly started listening to this podcast simply because of the word coffee in the title. I was randomly looking up podcasts involving coffee.

What I found was a podcast that helps motivate me every Monday morning. I also started binge watching her YouTube videos on the weekends when I didn’t work and was completely inspired by Kalyn to get my stuff done. It might have also been the other podcasts I listen to as well but I love the sense of motivation she gives off in her podcast. I listen to each new episode on my way to work on Monday mornings. It gives me a good sense of starting off the week and since I leave for work at four in the morning that’s something that I look forward to to start my week off right. Some of my favorite episodes include “Witches Brew”, “Let Go Of What No Longer Serves You”, “Detoxing My Social Media”, “Why Morning Routines Work”, and “How To Enjoy Alone Time”.

I Should Be Writing

This is the podcast I mentioned that was for writers. The show is hosted by award-winning author Mur Lafferty. This podcast typically has interviews with other authors but focuses on discussing the issues that arise during the writing process or writing career if you write as a profession.

This podcast has helped me overcome many issues I’ve stumbled upon during my writing and I’m not even done listening to all the episodes yet. This podcast has been going since 2005 and has over 400 posts. Even if I do binge listen to it at work that’s still a lot of episodes to get through. Because it has helped me get through curveballs it’s definitely a high recommend from me for other writers. Since there are so many episodes and I haven’t finished listening to them all, I’m not listing my favorite episodes. My personal suggestion is if you want to listen to this podcast, start from the beginning or look at the titles to see what authors are guests on her show.

This Might Get Weird

Okay, here it is, the humorous podcast hosted by Mamrie Hart and Grace Helbig. This podcast is one hell of a ride. I have to admit I was skeptical about starting this one and I didn’t think I was going to like it. But I had already downloaded all the episodes and I was already in the parking lot at my work. So I decided if I didn’t like it by the time my first break came around then I would just switch to music. I’m glad I gave it a chance because I absolutely love it!

This podcast simply follows the interesting things that happen to both Mamrie and Grace in their lives. They write down things on their phones and share them over the podcast together. I can't get enough of them. My coworkers were staring at me like I was insane for over a week because I would be listening to this podcast and would randomly start laughing so hard because of things they said. That’s not an exaggeration, I had to stop what I was doing one time because I was laughing so hard that I kept dropping my components. If you enjoy a good laugh I highly recommend this podcast. Some of my favorite episodes include “Grace Takes the Wrong Pill”, “Mamrie’s Secret College Hookup”, “Mamrie Channels Her Inner Banksy”, “Grace Hits Herself With Bear Spray”, “Mamrie Shows Grace How to Catfish a Cow”, and “Grace’s Stands Off With An Alpaca”. These episode titles alone should make you laugh without having heard anything else.

There are many other podcasts I listen to as well but these five specific podcasts have helped me in the last few months. Unf#ck Your Brain, Directionally Challenged, and Kalyn’s Coffee Talk have all helped me to get my life together with inspiration, motivation, and personal challenges. I Should Be Writing has helped me improve my writing by talking with other authors and the challenges that occur while writing and how they overcome them. This Might Get Weird has helped me laugh. I’m sure that sounds weird but there are times when I need a break from focusing on work, finances, and even a break from my kids (who I adore) but having a good laugh at some unbelievable events has helped to relieve stress and give my mind a break from all the chaos going on around me.

Two other notable mentions I would like to include are the podcasts Basic Witches hosted by Leah Knauer and Rachel Laforest, and Mile Higher Podcast hosted by Josh Thomas and Kendall Rae. These podcasts are more on the preference side so if you don’t like tarot readings or anything related to witchcraft, Basic Witches would not be for you. And if you don’t like true crime or conspiracy theories, I wouldn’t recommend Mile Higher Podcast. However, if you like to expand your tastes, both podcasts are enjoyable and I learn a lot from them both.

If you liked this week's post please hit the like button, follow the blog, drop a comment, and share this with your friends. I have some new things coming to the blog next week and if you want a sneak peek follow me on my social media all of which are linked on the bottom of this post and to the right side of the page! Enjoy your Friday and have a great weekend!

- Chelsea <3

*Disclaimer: All Podcast photos above below are the property of said podcasts and are not in any way my photos. These photos are being used purely for reference for audience readers*

Original post at: https://coffeechildrenchaos.wordpress.com/2019/08/02/5-podcasts-you-need-to-start-listening-to/

[businessesforsalelive]

Grow Your Knowledge At One Of These Events...

We’re going to have a busy Autumn! We’ve got loads of events booked in and we’re excited about all of them.

We hope to see you at one, some or all!

HOTEL 360

For anyone in the hospitality industry, specifically anyone looking to run a hotel, we’ll be at Hotel 360 in September. This show will be packed full of keynotes, panel debates and live demos – everything any hotelier needs to know about running a successful business.

When and where:  Wednesday 18th and Thursday 19th September. London ExCel.

National Franchise Exhibition

Visit us at the National Franchise Exhibition in Birmingham to learn about all things franchising. This is one of the biggest events in the UK franchise calendar and will feature hundreds of brands looking for new franchisees. The British Franchise Association exclusively support this event, and in addition to the opportunities on offer, there are loads of other features including a matched meeting service, finance clinic and multi-unit conference.

When and where: Friday 4th and Saturday 6th October. Birmingham NEC.

 Women in Business Expo

We’re excited to be supporting this brand new event designed to deliver guidance and inspiration to women at any stage of their career or business journey. You’ll find a franchise zone, business zone and tech zone – plus 100 exhibitors and world class speakers including Karen Brady and Michelle Mone.

When and where: Wednesday 16th and Thursday 17th October. Farnborough International Conference Centre.

Holiday Park Innovation

We are long time regulars of this event and we love it. Usually because there are alpacas but also because it is a huge event packed full to the brim of content and suppliers designed to make your holiday business a success. It’s running alongside Farm Business Innovation, Country House Business Innovation, Family Attraction Expo and Sport, Leisure, Food and Beverage Expo and Leisure, Tourism and Hospitality World.

When and where: Wednesday 6th and Thursday 7th November. Birmingham NEC

 Takeaway and Restaurant Innovation

This is a must attend event for anyone running or looking to run a takeaway or restaurant business. Sustainability is going to be a hot topic at this year’s event, and there’ll be lots more to learn from the incredible speaker line up and panel debates on offer. If your business involves food and drink service, then there are more relevant events running alongside this one; Street Food Live, Coffee Shop Innovation, Restaurant and Bar Tech Live, Restaurant & Bar Design Show and the International Drinks Expo.

When and where: Tuesday 19th and Wednesday 20th November. London ExCel.

 The Business Show

How could we afford to miss out on Europe’s largest business event? This show is packed full of content that supports anyone starting out in business or anyone looking to grow a current venture. There are hundreds of existing seminars, panel discussions and masterclasses in every element of running of a business.

We’ll be running 2 days of seminars devoted to the business buying process. So, if you’re thinking of getting in or getting out, join us for some valuable insight from the experts.  

When and where: Wednesday 27th and Thursday 28th November. London ExCel.

[blue-ridge-mountians]

Why Peruvian Alpaca ClothingClothes Is A Wise ChoiceOption

Why Peruvian Alpaca Clothing Is A Wise Choice There's nothing like the sophisticated appearance of a suri moving in complete fleece (see listed below); it resembles watching the wind blow throughout a field of wheat. Fiorano, below, is a suri herdsire, now sold, however sire to numerous of our current alpacas. All but among the alpacas at Huge Meadow Creek are suri alpacas. Huacaya fiber is soft, crimpy fiber grows in ideal angles to the skin and provides a "fluffy" look, like sheep. Caramel Swirl (below), who now lives on a good friend's farm, is a huacaya. Alpaca originate from the Andes Mountain in South America. Suri are one type of alpaca that have long hair which sometimes looks like dreadlocks. This hair can come in any color, normally black, white, brown or red. Alpaca resemble small llamas and only weigh about 145 pounds. They are used for wool, milk and meat production. Alpacas always go to the restroom in the very same area and choose to give birth to young before noon when it is the coolest part of the day. Once again they are a wild, however safeguarded herd. The llama and alpaca were domesticated about 6 thousand years ago and practically all the pre-Inca cultures exploited them as monsters of problem and as a source of meat and clothes. During the time of the Inca Empire, higher importance was provided to raising these animals and the activity was systematized. In the Upper Andean zone, especially in Peru and Bolivia, raising alpacas and llamas is an incredibly crucial economic activity which in most cases is among the couple of means of substenance offered to rural families. In the United States there is an excellent appreciation for natural fibers in a range of colors, so we sell alpacas of all colors at our Kentucky alpaca farm. Think about the shearing weights of the alpacas. Each year, the alpaca will produce a particular amount of fleece, both blanket fleece from the back and sides and seconds or fleece from the lower legs and other locations. The whole fleece has its usages for everything from top-fashion garments to carpets. An alpaca with high fleece weights every year has great fleece density and will increase your farms' fleece production. The alpacas' fleece should be fine. Since ancient times, the South American Andes Mountains have been the ancestral the home of the prized alpaca. There are two various alpacas types, thesuri and thehuacaya. The suri has fiber that grows rather long and formssilky,pencil-like locks. The huacaya has a much shorter, dense, crimpy fleece, providing it a verywoolly look. Alpacas have soft cushioned feet, making them gentle on their pastures, and they have no leading teeth in the front. Their compact size adds to easy management and to desirability as a buddy animal. Alpacas quickly discover how to lead, leap in and from vehicles, cush (sit down), and follow other easy commands taught to all domestic members of the camelid household. They are popular show animals and can be seen at fairs and fiber fests throughout North America. Alpacas are shorn for their valuable fleeces. The males produce roughly eight pounds and the women about five pounds of easily valuable fiber from their coats each year. It was among the couple of business importing Alpaca fiber from Peru into the United States. The very first goods revealed were so well got that it was necessary to bring the mill to its full capability of 255 looms. At the peak of production, The Farr Alpaca Business used 600 people and had 360 looms working. Additional examples of Alpaca fiber use throughout history consist of an early 1900's translation on the LOOK OF 'ABDU'L BAHA describing a prophet in the following way. Variety of proven Premium genes. One stop shopping here. Continuous mentoring from knowledgeable owners who attend continuing education classes. We can assist you reach your objectives. We have a practical method to this business. No land No problem. We have boarding alternatives for you. We will visit your place and provide recommendations for set up for your brand-new alpacas. No interest financing for 1 year. We can transport your show animals to programs and reveal them for you if you so select. Life long relationships are formed in this organisation. We have a group of wonderful breeders that support each other in every way possible. Join us for the finest mentoring readily available! Come join us for an enjoyable and rewarding experience!look here https://www.alpacas-hampshire.co.uk/suri-alpacas-for-sale.htm

[jessilixx]

NewbornBaby Alpacas Get The BabyInfantChild Alpaca 02380692235

Newborn Alpacas Get The Child Alpaca 02380692235 Sweatshirt stones and well hands can likewise be utilized to choose them off. These fibers give shabby and old aim to your sweatshirt that is not extremely pleasing to the eye. Lint Removing: Woolen clothing have a propensity to end up being electrostatic and attract things like hair and fluff. Sticky documents called 'lint cleaners' are readily available in the market to solve this problem. Keep them with you to tackle any and all lint emergency situations. Publisher: Ryan Coisson You might have seen some commercials on TELEVISION advertising the advantages of raising alpacas on farms and questioned how it was that these amazing animals are now a part of the American animals scene? Here's a brief take a look at the incredible, undeniably cute alpaca. Publisher: Leslie Watson Leake Alpacas are a Huggable Investment, Here"s why Alpacas are a Terrific Tax Advantage! What"s the best investment? Publisher: Bryant Vance Agricultural gadgets has actually ended up being advanced and gadget powered nowadays. They are extremely vital for numerous agricultural activities. There might be particular agricultural devices like tractors, planting device and so on. Financial institutions and various banks are prepared to finance for such agricultural products. Discover about the living requirements of an alpaca. Inning accordance with Georgia-based Fate Alpacas, the animals are ideal for little farms with just a couple of acres. In truth, each acre can comfortably accommodate 5 to 10 alpacas. Because of the animals' warm fleece, winter shelter is not necessary. Nevertheless, because alpacas stem from a cold-weather region, they are not well adjusted to the heat. They will require a basic shelter for the heat and for bad weather condition. High prices can still be paid for elite suris but those prices are equivalent to those of elite huacayas. Lots of suri breeders have actually substantially dropped their price in current years and if one does their research on exactly what's available and the quality of the animals there are some excellent bargains to be had. The majority of suri breeders now offer their cross reproduced animals at extremely reasonable prices, and pure suri can also be found at an affordable price for great quality animals. We enjoy the market constantly and can not see any distinction at all nowadays between typical suri and huacaya costs. Irregularity is affected by animal quality and individual stud owners, rather than breed type. The very first thing that the majority of people notice is that the fiber of an alpaca resembles sheep wool - but, there are numerous differences. The fiber from the latter is lighter, hollow and resilient which makes it fantastic for year-round garments. With a terrific sensation when it touches skin, the wool of alpaca's is smoother and softer. Understood for a culture that's rich in music and food, Peru likewise provides a large variety of exports and clothes that is beginning to end up being an essential piece for your closet. The production procedure (carding, spinning, weaving, ending up) of Alpaca is extremely comparable to the process utilized for wool. Alpacas are normally sheared as soon as annually in the Spring. Each shearing produces roughly five to ten pounds (2.2-- 4.5 kgs) of fiber per alpaca. An adult alpaca might produce 50 to 90 ounces (1420-- 2550 grams) of first-quality fiber in addition to 50 to 100 ounces (1420-- 2840 grams) of 2nd- and third-quality fiber. The majority of alpacas are cost money. Some buyers convert other assets to purchase their first alpacas. Some people have a credit line for financial investment functions; others utilize their equity in genuine estate to secure funds. Particularly given that the economic crisis, numerous breeders use funding for your purchase, andAlpacas at Windy Hill is no exception. We are invested in your success, and providing you the chance to start your herd through flexible financing is one way we do that. For breeding stock, buyers ought to constantly demand a written agreement. Welcome to Double 8 Alpaca Cattle ranch! Double 8 Alpaca Ranch lies in Lovettsville, VA, a simple drive from Washington DC, Richmond, VA, and Baltimore, MD. This is the house of Bonnie Belfiore Kittrell and her partner, Doug Kittrell-- in addition to some of the finest alpacas in the United States concentrating on dark colors, especially black. We personally take care of our herd daily and manage our elite reproducing program. Thanks for visiting Black Forest Alpacas. We truly enjoy our alpacas, our alpaca company, and this "alpaca/country" lifestyle. Please take some time to enjoy our website. We aim to cover all the major services and products related to owning alpacas. Black Forest Alpacas is owned and operated by Greg and Sandy Smith. Our farm is thought about a medium-sized alpaca farm with over 100 alpacas to select from for any alpaca purchase. Though carefully related and both revered by Andean cultures, alpacas and llamas differ in a number of ways. The bigger of the 2, llamas have been used for packing, safeguarding livestock, meat and fiber, while alpacas have actually been bred exclusively for their glamorous fiber. Hybridization of the 2 types can and does take place, though a lot of would argue the resulting fertile offspring-- huarizos-- represent inferior animals. Llamas and alpacas-- along with two wild types, the guanacos and vicunas-- are members of the camelid household belonging to South America. Historical evidence suggests native peoples of the Peruvian Andes domesticated llamas and alpacas from wild forefathers some 6,000 to 7,000 years ago. Whether they shared origins stayed a greatly discussed subject for several years.Click Here https://www.alpacas-hampshire.co.uk/alpaca-colours.htm