Abstract
Muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus) have been farmed since the 1960s for their fiber, called qiviut, a luxurious and highly valued underwool that is their primary insulation during the Arctic winter. Muskoxen are uniquely adapted to the Arctic. They thrive on local forages, do not require protection from the cold, and adapt well to many traditional husbandry practices. While muskoxen can be farmed for qiviut, the question remains whether it is an economically feasible and potentially sustainable enterprise in subarctic Alaska. This feasibility study was conducted using an enterprise budget for two herd sizes, 36 and 72 muskoxen, to estimate the principal costs and model different sales combinations. Under several revenue-generating scenarios, the feasibility study indicated a potential for economic viability of an established enterprise. The most profitable scenario for either herd size was selling all the qiviut as value-added yarn, coupled with livestock sales. In the absence of selling livestock, the enterprise was profitable at either scale assuming all the qiviut was sold as yarn. Selling qiviut solely as raw fiber was not projected to break even under the model parameters. The modeled enterprise emphasized the importance of value-added goods, economies of scale, low or zero opportunity costs, and the potential of a more active livestock market.
Highlights
The term “sustainable agriculture” denotes sitespecific farming systems that provide for human food and fiber in perpetuity by enhancing the environment, conserving scarce resources, enriching personal lives and communities, and ensuring economic viability for the long term (Kornegay et al, 2010)
The resulting enterprise budget does not represent any particular facility or farm but rather a hypothetical farm whose operation we describe by amalgamating data from the sources listed above
The projected costs and revenues indicate that the most profitable scenario for either herd size was selling all the qiviut as yarn coupled with livestock sales
Summary
The term “sustainable agriculture” denotes sitespecific farming systems that provide for human food and fiber in perpetuity by enhancing the environment, conserving scarce resources, enriching personal lives and communities, and ensuring economic viability for the long term (Kornegay et al, 2010). In addition to being limited by the obvious climatic and geographical constraints, sustainable agriculture in Alaska must compete with the high yields and low prices of agricultural products from the lower 48 states. The ecological and economic challenges of sustainable agriculture in Alaska are most evident when farming methods and species developed for temperate climates are imposed on a northern landscape. In order to shift this paradigm, we need to embrace a broader vision of agriculture that includes indigenous, non-traditional species and farming practices, while exploring niche markets. The muskox (Ovibos moschatus), a native Arctic ruminant, fits these primary criteria (Rowell et al, 2007). Muskoxen are indigenous to the Arctic and well adapted to the extreme climate and landscapes of the circumpolar
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