Small Alpacas Farms of America
SAFA Letter of Dissolution
Dear SAFA Member:
It is with a heavy heart that I announce that the Board of Directors of the Small Alpaca Farmers of America (SAFA) has voted to dissolve the organization. That action is now underway.
After working with many of you for the past few years to build an organization that could meet the needs of our smaller farms, we have learned that, as a group, we don't have the time or the resources to keep a membership-driven organization like this strong and relevant. And so it is with deepest regret that we have voted to dissolve.
I expect some of you to be as hurt and angry about this as I am, and I realize that this might make you want to lash out or assign blame. I assure you that this is counterproductive and won't benefit any of us as we continue to work toward the success of our own small farms. I am sure that I'm no different than the rest of the SAFA membership in having made mistakes along the way, but ultimately this isn't the result of what anyone did or failed to do, it's simply a matter of economic reality.
While we wish we had an organization that would speak just to our unique needs, creating such an entity in an industry as small as our own while at the same time limiting membership so as not to cause undue competition creates a problem with no workable solution. Either we open up our organization to any farmer and face the same lack of targeted services we find in the larger organizations or we create a more intimate group and rely more heavily on member involvement for success. With our own farms to manage, the support for such an organization just isn't there.
The organization still has some money in the bank account and we are deciding now whether to donate those funds to the ARF or ICI. The amount left in the treasury is currently $383.80. We will send all of the funds to one or the other.
I sincerely wish this outcome had been different. I wish you all the very best of luck with your farms and I hope that your love for Alpacas continues to add beauty and joy to your lives. When I see you in the future and smile, it will be in the knowledge that we lived through this painful time together and emerged stronger for it.
Sincerely,
Sandy
SAFA President
