January 13, 2019
Successful Purchasing and Marketing of Yaks
SUCCCESSFUL PURCHASING and MARKETING of OUR YAKS KNOW WHY! KNOW WHY WE ARE MAKING THE CHOICES WE ARE MAKING.
We all believe that YAKS are the right animals to be raising. But do we know why we should be choosing specific yaks for our operation? Do we know what traits we should be looking for? Do we know all the traits that are available to us in the yak breed, and which of these traits should be important for us to consider?
The more we know about all yaks traits available to us, the better it is to make wise choices for our operations/ needs; ant the better advice we can give to those people who are looking to get into raising yaks for their own operations/needs. The better involved, and will minimize poor choices and discontent among yak owners/breeders. The more success we have meeting needs/desires, the more success we will have in raising yaks and promoting yaks to all interested parties, both for enjoyment and monetary rewards.
KNOW OUR TARGET MARKET OPPORTUNITIES, POTENTIAL BUYERS for our YAKS Bottom Fisher Yak Buyers Meat Yak Buyers Wool/Hair Yak Buyers Pasture Pet Yak Buyers Eye Candy Yak Buyers Pack Yak Buyers Guard Yak Buyers Exotic Animal Yak Buyers Pure Genetic Seedstock Yak Buyers Unique Trait Yak Buyers
Each of these types of buyers have their own preferred Yak traits that are important to them. We should know which of our yaks' traits are most important to meet the needs of that particular buyer, in order to maximize enjoyment and monetary return for all parties involved. Let's look at each type of buyer to learn which traits are most appropriate for success for that buyer. Note: There will be some overlap of beneficial traits for each type of Yak Buyer.
Bottom Fisher Yak Buyers This type of buyer is simply looking for the cheapest yaks they can find, always looking for the lowest cost, regardless of the quality of yaks we have to offer. We should sell to this type of buyer only if we have little to offer in quality traits in our yaks; or we have an immediate monetary need to sell and cant wait to find a more appropriate buyer. Especially for this type of Yak buyer, but also true for most Yak sales, always ask for cash on pickup or delivery. If we are delivering, get cash first before we are too invested in the trip. Some of these bottom fishers are legitimate, but some are simply scam artists preying on naive and desperate sellers. Don't allow this type of yak buyer ton influence our pricing and marketing decisions.
Meat Yak Buyers Meat Yak Buyers are looking for the larger and faster growing yaks primarily, unless they see the asset of the cheaper carrying costs of the mid-sized female yaks, which have seller feed requirements to carry them through the year. We often hear differing stocking rates of our yak females in different yak herds, ranging from 2 to 3 times the stocking rare of beef breeds, up to 4 times the stocking rate of beef breeds. The differing rates re directly due to the size of the yak females involved. The smaller the size of the female yields a higher stocking rate in the pastures, yielding lower carrying costs. For meat purposes, the highest net profits come from lesser costs for smaller"grade" females, and having them bred by a much larger, muscled Yak bull. These large muscled Yak bulls will command a higher price than meat steers or meat bulls, but a lesser price then an higher genetic quality bull, including good wool producers, or other yak bulls with unique genetic characteristics.
Wool/ Hair Yak Buyers Wool/ Hair Yak Buyers are looking for a higher genetic quality yak, producing primarily more quality yak wool, rather than the long guard hair. This quality soft yak wool commands a very high price and is much in demand. This type of yak commands a higher price than a grade yak or a meat quality yak, although positive meat characteristics may add more value on top of the wool genetic value. Additional value traits are docility of the yak, ease of handling, less guard hair, and often smaller sized females for more ease of handling. Royals, White and Golden Yaks often command a higher price for the higher value of the white wool and the golden colored wool. For wool harvesters, the extra long guard hair, especially on their back and sides, may interfere with the wool collection.On the other hand, the long guard hair may add visual intrigue, especially if the wool harvesting is not the primary need/ desire.
Pasture Pet Yak Buyers Pasture Pet Yak Buyers are primarily interested in the docility of the yak, for easy handling. The more handling and halter training that we put into the yak, the higher is the intrinsic value of the yak. Pasture pet buyers are often looking for a cheaper cost yak, just to keep costs down, and may not care for the higher genetic qualities of the yak. However, if there is also interest in the wool, genetic value definitely enters into the price of the yak. We need to remind potential buyers that yaks are herd animals and must always be sold in pairs (or more) so they can have a buddy for self assurance and friendship. Pasture pet buyers are often interested in the Royals for their additional eye appeal.
Eye Candy Yak Buyers Eye Candy Yak Buyers are looking for the most eye appeal in our yaks. The traits they are looking for include the Hairy "Woolly" yaks, the White yaks, the Golden yaks, the Handle Bar shaped horns, the Skirt reaching to the ground, and usually desire easy handling, docile yaks. Size isn't as important for these buyers. Since this buyer is interested in specific genetic qualities in these yaks, they are willing to spend more money for these special traits.
Pack Yak Buyers Pack Yak Buyers are looking for very docile yaks, primarily steers to handle larger pack weights. unless they are also looking for other traits, like wool or color, they generally are looking for lesser cost yaks. But the more handling and training we put into our yaks, the more value is perceived by the buyer.
Guard Yak Buyers Guard Yak Buyers are interested in relatively inexpensive yak steers to be used to guard their sheep or goats from wild animals like coyotes, wolves, wild dogs and mountain lions. Yak Steers make good guard animals due to their lack of fear of these wild animals, and willingness to confront these perceived threats. Again, it is best to have well trained yak steers that are very docile, that can be easily handled and actually treated as pets.
Exotic Animal Yak Buyers Exotic Animal Yak Buyers are experienced breeders of all kinds of exotic animals. They are looking for very unique, high genetic quality animals that are at the front lines of public acceptance and demand. Yaks fit that demand perfectly right now. Yaks are just now becoming known and desired by they American public, with numbers of breeders increasing dramatically in these past few years. Exotic animal breeders are always looking for that next new breed of animals to capture the interest of the public curiosity for something new to raise. They are looking for very high quality genetics in our yaks, especially with very unique characteristics, like the Royal color pattern, White yaks, Golden yaks, Super Hairy yaks; anything out of the ordinary. Yaks are now primed to be the "Next Big Deal" in Exotics. We are the front end of the bell shaped curve for pricing in our yaks as demand is rising for this awesome animal. Ripe segments of the Exotic animal world considering buying our yaks are Bison breeders, Elk breeders, Llama breeders, Alpaca breeders, Ostrich breeders, various Goat breeders (Pygmy, Boar, Cashmere, etc). These exotic animal breeds are all past their prime for development as they are formerly profitable breed segments. Yaks are front and center for that "Next Big Deal"exotic breed for profit potential in the American Marketplace.
Pure Genetic Seedstock Yak Buyers Pure Genetic Seedstock Yak Buyers are those breeders that are looking to breed for genetic purity within the yak population. Over thousands of years yaks have been crossbred with many cattle breeds and bison. Most (maybe all) yaks are hybrids of some sort., with various percentages of cattle interogression. Some of our breeders are actively pursuing the "Purest" yak genetics possible. We have only recently been given the scientific capability to find the purest yaks possible, and sort out the genetic traits that are from cattle or bison origin versus pure yak origin. Obviously these discoveries will tell us a lot about our yaks, and will give more value to our yaks overall.
Unique Trait Yak Buyers Unique Trait Yak Buyers are those of us looking to breed something different from most yaks out there. We don't want to breed "more of the same". We want to offer unique traits that are eye appealing, striking in appearance, offering value to buyers that want to be different from the pack. Since most yaks are black with gray noses (These are called Native Blacks), unique characteristics include Royal color pattern, White Color, Golden Color, Golden Royal color pattern, Black nose (Imperial), Super Hairy (Super Woolly), Polled, as well as other color traits not found in America.The more unique, in terms of appearance, and in terms of numbers of yaks available with those traits, the more value is added to our breeding programs.
KNOW WHY! ANY PRINCIPLED APPROACH TO OUR BREEDING PROGRAMS ADD VALUE TO OUR YAKS, WHEN WE BUY AND WHEN WE SELL. KNOW OUR YAK FAKS, AND WHY WE ARE MAKING THE CHOICES WE ARE MAKING. BUYERS AND SELLERS WILL BOTH BENEFIT MONETARILY AND WILL BE HAPPILY SUCCESSFUL IN ALL OUR ENDEAVORS.
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