The goal of Clip Care is to maximize the income opportunity of AFCNA members by developing a greater demand for North American alpaca fiber by:

1. Providing superior quality value added end-products.
2. Producing these products out of North American alpaca fiber.
3. Manufacturing these products in North American mills.
   

This goal can be best achieved by:

• Optimal nutrition program and excellent pasture/barn management.
• Proper shearing, skirting, and storing of fiber.
• Proper packaging, correctly labeling, and timely shipping of fiber to the AFCNA collection point in a manner that insures your fiber retains its maximum value and is credited accurately to your account.

FOR 2002 and thereafter:

• AFCNA members will be responsible for shearing, skirting, segregation of their fleeces by breed (Huacaya, Suri) and quality (Blanket, Neck and Pieces), bagging and boxing fleeces, and sending the boxes to the AFCNA Central Collection point, and
• Each spring the AFCNA will send information to each member indicating what grade of fiber and minimum and maximum staple length will be accepted, the necessary forms and any special instructions to the AFCNA member-owners. 

This Clip Care Manual is available on the AFCNA members website at www.afcna.com and will be sent to each new member.  If you would like a copy, please contact AFCNA at 1-877-859-0172, on the website at www.afcna.com or by mail to P.O. Box 349, Decatur, TN  37322.

AFCNA Members' responsibilities are:

• Shearing.
• Skirting fleeces see "Skirting a Fleece for Processing"available on the AFCNA members website at www.afcna.com.
• Contributing fiber to the AFCNA each year (or every two years if a small farm),
• Separation of fleeces by breed (suri, huacaya).
• Record total weights by breed.
• Bagging and boxing (see packing instructions).
• Transportation to the AFCNA Central Collection point:

AFCNA Central Collection Point
C/O Tapetes de Lana
Junction 518 & HWY 434
Mora, NM 87732

Tapetes de Lana’s responsibilities are:

• Accepting members’ clip between May 15 and September 15 each year for inclusion in that year’s contribution,
• Confirming, by postcard, the number of boxes received from the contributing farm. Do not combine fleeces from other farms with yours and if you sent just one box, put "1 of 1" on the box so Tapetes de Lana knows not to search for more boxes,
• Sorting and Grading by fiber fineness, color and length
• Weighing each member's fiber by sorted classes,
• Recording for AFCNA each member's contribution to the Co-op, and
• Baling, storage and preparation of bales for shipping in containers for transport to the processor.

AFCNA BOD Members' responsibilities are:

• Oversight and supervision of the sort at the central collection point, and
• On site verification for all data entry and record keeping activities for both member accounting and AFCNA business accounting.

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