North American Alpaca Fiber Producers Cooperative Receives Federal Grant

Sandpoint, ID The North American Alpaca Fiber Producers (NAAFP) cooperative was selected to be one of the recipients of a USDA-funded grant for business and marketing development of agricultural commodities, announced co-op president Rosemary Metcalf. Funding is made available through USDA Rural Development assistance under the Value-Added Producer Grant program, which was authorized in the 2008 Farm Bill. Rural enterprises from Maine to California have been selected to benefit from business assistance grants under this program. US Department of Agriculture Secretary Vilsack announced the recipients during the National Summit of Rural America early last month.

The North American Alpaca Fiber Producers cooperative plans to use the $68,950 grant to market coop products, increase membership and improve operational efficiency.  North American Alpaca Fiber Producers (NAAFP) is an agricultural cooperative that was created to establish the highest level of quality alpaca products from fiber produced and processed in North America by alpaca fiber producers who have their fiber sorted by a certified fiber sorter, using the Certified Sorted™ system.

Columbia Mist Alpacas has been a member of NAAFP since September of 2009.  We are proud to use the Certified  Sorted™ system to maximize our shearing process and produce superior alpaca products for our farm boutique- Delightful Treasures!