December 2011
Visit to Alpaca Farm Creates Idea to Start a Business
Fiber arts school Alpaca Yarn USA opens north of Alpharetta.
Alpharetta-Milton Patch - GA
By Sara Oceguera
December 2, 2011
A north Georgia man and woman are trying to revive textile manufacturing in the area. And they're using alpacas, knitting needles and lots of classes to do it.
"The textile industry is dead here," says Elwin Bagley. "The cotton industry is dead. The wool industry is dead."
Seeing an opportunity, Bagley came out of retirement in 1995 to start raising alpacas. He shears the llama-like animals at his Windy Hill Alpaca Farm in Jasper. Alpaca fiber is used for making knitted and woven items and doesn't involve killing the animal.
"You just shear 'em and keep going, just like sheep," he says.
It was during a spring shearing a few years ago that Bagley met Cynthia Willard, who visited the farm to help shear alpacas.
Alpaca-mania: Local couple banking on 15 fuzzy friends
The Herald Journal - UT
By Kate Rouse DuHadway
December 5, 2011
Sharon Bartlett opens the door to her backyard pasture in Paradise and holds out a handful of food. As she does, a group of fuzzy faces crowd around to eat out of her hand.
With long necks like llamas and some of the most prized fleece in the world, John and Sharon Bartlett's 15 alpacas each have their own distinct personality, the Bartletts say.
With names like Sweet Pea, Teddy, Sadie Sue and Abigail, Sharon Bartlett describes her herd as sometimes sulky, demanding, spoiled or precocious. But having spent hours with them, either taking the herd out to pasture, caring for one with a broken leg or bottle-feeding a struggling baby, she said she's gotten very emotionally involved.
"I love them all," she said. "I've gotten attached to every one of them."
Camel cousins will show off at fairgrounds
Amarillo Globe-News - TX
By Kevin Welch
December 9, 2011
Alpacas will replace horses and cattle at the Tri-State Fairgrounds this weekend. The Hi-Plains Alpaca Show will run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. to noon Sunday in the Bill Cody Arena. Admission is free.
There will be hundreds of the animals from across the country to be judged on their silken fleece and body conformation, said Terri Faver, an alpaca raiser near Canyon. Much of the scoring centers on the quality of the fleece that owners shear and sell to be made into weaving and knitting yarns.
There also will be demonstrations on making fleece into yarn and a hands-on youth training and judging class Saturday.
The animals are related to llamas and camels and are native to the Andes Mountain range in South America, particularly in Peru, Bolivia and Chile, according the Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association.
Alpaca on the Brink
Apparel Magazine
By John W. McCurry
December 16, 2011
If you don’t already have an alpaca sweater in your closet, that soon may change.
The alpaca, a cousin of both the camel and the llama, was brought to the United States in significant numbers in the early 1980s, and the current U.S. alpaca herd is estimated in the range of 125,000 to 250,000. Animals are shorn about once a year for their small fiber, which is considered in the same luxury category as mohair or cashmere. Until a few years ago, the economic foundation of the U.S. alpaca industry was based on buying and selling the animals for breeding and entry into show events, with very little attention given to the potential of U.S.-produced alpaca fiber.
Promoting alpaca fiber
That all changed when the global economy went sour near the end of 2008, and the industry and breeders began seeking alternate ways to turn a profit. In March of that year, a group of alpaca producers and processors launched Alpaca United, an organization focused on promoting alpaca as a textile fiber in the United States. The group brought Nick Hahn, the former head of Cotton Incorporated, out of retirement to serve as its leader. The organization now boasts about 550 members.
“Alpaca United’s purpose is to brand and market the North American alpaca fiber industry, which is not unlike the work I did for the cotton industry some years ago, albeit on a much smaller scale than for the massive cotton industry,” Hahn says.
Hahn says the commercial end of the alpaca textile industry traditionally has looked to Peru for its fiber, and that the key to putting the U.S. alpaca fiber in the limelight is organizing as a national industry with the infrastructure to collect, bale, classify, grade and sell the fiber — none of which, he says, has been in place. Until recently, the majority of alpaca fiber production was targeted toward the “cottage industry” of the craft-yarns market, Hahn explains.
November 2011
Woolly Creations
News-Bulletin - Belen, NM
By Deborah Fox
November 2, 2011
"Mary had a little lamb whose fleece was white as snow ..." so the nursery rhyme goes, but Los Lunas fiber artist, Mary Curik, has alpacas, whose fleece is soft as silk.
Alpacas are from South America and resemble a small lama. Their silky, soft fleece is similar to angora wool, but it's not itchy like angora and other wools.
It's used for making knitted, woven and felted items including blankets, sweaters, hats, gloves, scarves, socks, vests and coats. Curik also makes felted Christmas ornaments, decals and designs that can be sewn to denim jackets, hats and other items.
Curik spins her own yarn and makes her own felt for the hats she designs. Alpaca fleece is a really lustrous and silky natural fiber.
"Hats are my thing," Curik said. "It's warmer than wool."
She originally sought out the fleece to make hair for the porcelain dolls she has made for years. Alpaca fiber is somewhat akin to human hair, but it's not oily like sheep hair, Curik said.
The preparing, carding, spinning, weaving and finishing process of alpaca fleece is very similar to the process used for wool. Alpaca fiber is also flame-resistant, she said.
'You feel your blood pressure drop' around alpacas
Santa Maria Times - CA
By Jennifer Rotenizer
November 6, 2011
Jim and Sandy Morris feel a sense of peace from working among their herd of 24 alpacas.
The fuzzy animals have big, moist eyes and are curious, social creatures that seem to enjoy a hug. Alpacas and llamas are both camelids from South America, but alpacas are smaller, on average about 36 inches high at the shoulder and weighing 100 to 180 pounds, and have a fine fiber coat.
The Morrises had worked in the medical field — he worked for a company that makes supplies for heart surgery, and she's still a nurse anesthetist — and they chose a medical term when they named their Diastole Alpaca Farm.
Diastole is the period when the heart fills with blood. It's the resting phase of the heart, as in the bottom number — or diastolic — blood pressure reading.
"You get around these alpacas and you feel your blood pressure drop 20 points," Jim Morris said.
The couple started Diastole Alpaca Farm in 2007 on 22 acres of land that have been in his family since the 1700s. He'd seen a television commercial that promised income from living the alpaca lifestyle, but left out a few details.
"They didn't say anything about scooping poop or getting babies at 2 in the morning," he joked.
She has found her nursing skills translate well to animal husbandry, making sure the animals are breathing well, eating and carrying out normal bodily functions. She enjoys caring for them.
"We like it very much," Sandy said. "It's a really nice life. For us, it's very rewarding."
Erica Steele, a 17-year-old senior at North Davidson High School, has spent two years working on the farm, doing everything from mucking out barns, to helping on shearing day, to showing the animals.
Steele's senior project, required for graduation, is about alpacas. On Saturday, she led a tour of the alpaca farm for friends and teachers from school, telling them facts about alpacas.
Just call it Alpaca Springs
Alpaca farms increasingly popular in Lambton County
The Sarnia Observer - Sarnia, Ontario
By Barbara Simpson
November 7, 2011
Once you go alpaca, you never go back-a.
Just ask Norris McAuslan and Heather Blanchard who operate Brier Run Alpacas in Oil Springs. They have spent a decade shearing their herd and processing their fleece for the niche fibre arts marketplace.
Raising the shy doe-eyed creatures, however, is becoming increasingly common in Lambton County. In Oil Springs alone, there are three alpaca farms, including Brier Run, within a few kilometres of each other.
"We're seeing more all the time," McAuslan said.
Alpaca farms are becoming popular for several reasons, he noted. Raising alpacas only requires a small farm. The animals also live about 20 years, allowing farmers and their customers — many of whom want to see the life cycle of a product — to build connections with them.
"Many of the yarns (we process) have the name of an alpaca, so people can visit with the animals first and then decide to pick up the yarn of a specific alpaca," Blanchard added.
Along with tending to 72 alpacas, McAuslan and Blanchard run a processing mill, Edy's Mills Fine Fibres, and a store, the Alpaca Place, on site.
Processing alpaca fleece isn't for the faint of heart. As she shows the mill off during a weekend open house, Blanchard said people typically find a new appreciation for the work that goes into making clothing.
Preparing alpaca fleece requires hand washing, conditioning, and above all, patience.
"By the end of five days, we have spun yarn or felt or roving," she said.
Alpaca family farm yields warm and woolly gifts
Messenger Post – Greece, NY
By Melissa Daniels
November 16, 2011
When Belinda Grant and her husband Bob moved out to Bergen, they knew they wanted to have animals for their family.
“We got into raising a lot of different animals, just for fun,” she recalls. Raising animals was a great experience, as neither Grant nor her husband came from a farming background. But eventually, they decided to put their 12-acre plot of land to a more entrepreneurial use. And they became alpaca farmers.
Around 12 years later, they’ve got around 30 alpacas on their farm, Northwoods Alpacas.
The alpacas are like part of the family — Grant says her seven children are often tending to them, and currently, there’s five alpaca babies to watch romp and roll.
“We love them,” she says. “There’s a calming effect when you’re around them, you just chill out.
Every spring, the alpacas are sheared for their fiber, which gets sent off to co-ops in Massachusetts and Tennessee. Then, Grant gets back a variety of items like socks, mittens, gloves, scarves, stuffed animals, sweaters and yarn for knitting or crocheting.
“It’s a unique gift you’re not going to find in the mall or just any store,” Grant says.
October 2011
Alpacas on display in Lompoc
Santa Maria Times - CA
By Jeanne Sparks
October 7, 2011
There’s something magical about seeing an alpaca up close. They are cute, curious and, until recently, nowhere near here.
But alpaca ranching is expanding, and Ranch of the Oaks in Lompoc opened its gates on Sept. 24 and 25 for National Alpaca Day to give members of the public a chance to see and touch them as well as see how yarn is made.
Mette Goehring owns the ranch with husband Tom.
“They’re easy livestock to raise and they make lovely fiber,” Mette said. “They’re relaxing to have around and fun to work with. Their yarn is great to knit and crochet with. It’s very soft.”
They also have llamas, which protect the alpacas and sheep from dogs and coyotes.
Alpaca day was grand escape from ordinary
Livingston Daily - MI
By Bob Moriset
October 10, 2011
By the looks of attendees at Triple Diamonds Alpaca Ranch, their annual exposition was by any measure an unqualified success. A grand time was had by all.
Aside from providing a wonderful escape from the ordinary for Livingston County families, it served to broaden the base of "green" activities so fervently needed in a world of new-age commercialism. Admission was free, no parking fees, beautifully landscaped grounds and a unique opportunity to view the wonderful world of South America's alpaca was the agenda for the day.
A rare surprise punctuated the festive activities when an alpaca mother's newborn (cria) saw the world for the first time under the watchful eye of co-proprietor Daniel Meier.
Family opens farm for one-on-one alpaca fun
The News-Herald – OH
By Rachel Jackson
October 9, 2011
They came from next door. They came from Warren and Sagamore Hills.
Some came directly; others came via the many Burton festivals.
They came to Welshfield Alpaca Farm in Troy Township for many reasons, but they all left smiling, having had the opportunity to pet and feed some alpacas and quiz breeders Stephanie Larson and Kelly Buchanan, a mother-daughter team.
The Family Fun Day is the fourth such event for the family, but they provide educational events for groups throughout the year as they seek to share their craft with others.
Larson said that among the most common questions are: Why does the family raise alpacas? Where do the animals come from? and Do alpacas really spit?
When the family started the business nine years ago, the goal was to breed and sell the alpacas to other farmers, Buchanan said.
As the economic climate has changed and buyers became more difficult to find, the family began raising the animals to sell their wool to knitters and crafters such as yarn spinners. The wool is softer than sheep's wool or other varieties.
Alpacas are native to South America, with the family's first alpaca being from Peru. That alpaca still resides on the farm, along with 22 others that have since been bred in the United States.
September 2011
National Alpaca Farm Days draw crowds at Binder farm in Mexico, Mo.
Missourian
By Sangeeta Shastry
September 25, 2011
MEXICO, Mo. — Several wide-eyed, toddling children decked in coats, boots and hats surrounded a two-foot-tall baby alpaca named Sweet Pea in Saturday’s early morning chill. They reached out carefully to pet her soft hair.
The sight is a familiar one for Sandy Binder, who owns and operates Mid Missouri Alpacas, a farm in Mexico, Mo. This is the fifth time she’s participated in National Alpaca Farm Days, an annual event featuring tours and live music that took place Saturday. It's sponsored by the Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association.
According to Binder, Sweet Pea is one of roughly 50 alpacas that roam in fenced fields. She also hosts about 30 more “boarding” alpacas from other farmers. Some come from as far away as Las Vegas and as near as Jefferson City.
Binder primarily runs the farm, but Saturday’s event was a family operation. Her adult children traveled in from Orlando, Fla., Indianapolis and St. Louis to help, much like they do during family get-togethers and holidays.
Binder’s first stop was a barn located on the corner of the property, where her daughter, Angie Binder, and her nephew, Will Binder, helped her harness and lead three of her boarding alpacas around inside.
Isabella Binder, the 3 1/2-year-old daughter of Sandy Binder's son, Mike Binder, assisted her grandmother, while her father manned a coffee and popcorn stand out front.
Alpaca United formed to promote alpaca industry
Just-Style.com
By Petah Marian
September 22, 2011
The former president and CEO of Cotton Incorporated Nick Hahn has launched a company called Alpaca United to promote the North American alpaca industry.
Speaking to just-style at ITMA today (22 September), he said that the start-up formed in March, but the company's website is set to launch in the "next few days".
Hahn said the website will be broken down into two silos - a consumer site that will cover trends and the fashion side, and an industry site which will cover technical aspects.
It is also working with the North Carolina State University's College of Textiles to set up an R&D base on the campus.
The group is looking to push alpaca as a luxury fibre on par with cashmere. "We see our biggest competition in cashmere," he said.
Visitors welcome at three alpaca farms this weekend
Ventura County Star – CA
By Amy Bentley
September 22, 2011
Three alpaca farms in Ventura County will welcome the public this weekend for National Alpaca Farm Day.
Guests may come Saturday and Sunday to El Paca Pastures in Oak View, Alpacas at Windy Hill in Somis and 925 Suris of Sterling Alpacas in Thousand Oaks.
Visitors can see the animals and learn about the alpaca industry in the United States and Canada.
National Alpaca Farm Day is an annual event promoted by the nonprofit Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association, based in Nashville, Tenn.
"This is a great opportunity because there are a lot of special activities going on. The best way to learn about alpacas is to go and meet some," said Cindy Berman, spokeswoman for the Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association.
3 question interview with Jim of SafeHouse Farm Alpacas
CelebrateGreen.net
By Lynn and Corey
September 21, 2011
When it comes to natural fibers, one of our personal favorites is alpaca. Holding the fiber feels like holding air!
No chemicals are employed either during feeding or during the industrial production of alpaca fleece into fiber. If dying is desired, only 20% of a normal dye quantity is required.
All fiber from an alpaca can be used. Fiber from the lower legs, belly, neck, etc is being used for things such as natural weed mats to be placed around trees. Alpaca fiber is biodegradable.
Alpacas require no insecticides, herbicides and fertilizers which pollute the groundwater.
And the feel…
August 2011
Elbert County alpaca owners to participate in National Alpaca Farm Days
Elbert County News – Castle Rock, CO
August 17, 2011
Make a date to meet an alpaca in September! Colorado is home to about 500 alpaca farms and a number of them will be participating in National Alpaca Farm Days Sept. 24-25.
“If you’re thinking about raising alpacas or just curious about these friendly, gentle animals that originated in South America, plan to take a trip to a farm near you,” says Denise Haines, president of the Alpaca Breeders of the Rockies (ABR). “Being an alpaca owner is a satisfying and rewarding lifestyle, and we hope people will take advantage of this opportunity to experience the animals and learn more about them.”
Some of the owners participating in National Alpaca Farm Days also have farm stores where they sell a variety of unique products made from alpaca fleece. Alpacas produce one of the world’s finest and most luxurious fibers — soft as cashmere and warmer, lighter and stronger than wool.
“Farm Days is a great opportunity for knitters and crafters to learn more about the alpaca yarn and fiber and the possibilities for creating a wide variety of products,” Haines adds.
Normalville couple sharing their knowledge of alpacas
Daily Courier - Connellsville, PA
By Linda Harkcom
August 11, 2011
Love brought Jennifer Gallentine from the city to live in the country. A desire to stay home and raise her baby turned her into a farmer and a textile artist -- and Willow Mist Acres Alpaca Farm & Boutique was borne.
Before Gallentine, 39, fell in love with her husband Homer she was living in Pittsburgh where she had worked in dental offices for 21 years. Before she had moved to Normalville she had never lived on a farm but had an interest in alpacas for about 10 years.
Her husband had farmed land while growing up with his family. Eventually he grew tired of working the land alone and he ceased to farm.
When Jennifer Gallentine became pregnant with their first child, she was still driving 116 miles a day to and from her job in Pittsburgh. "I wanted something that I could just wake up and walk out my front door and something that I could do and care for my daughter at the same time," Jennifer Gallentine said.
The couple began looking at alpacas in October of 2009. By February of 2010 they got their first six alpacas and opened Willow Mist Acres. They now have a total of 31.
"Three were born here last year and two this year, the rest we just brought in from other places. We are raising them for breeding and to take their fiber," she said.
For 13 years, couple has raised alpacas on Preston County farm
The Associated Press
The Dominion Post- Morgantown, W.Va
By Amanda Deprospero
August 7, 2011
When David Moran calls, the girls come running. Shouting up to them, Moran motions for the group of brown, white and black furry creatures to come over to the fence's edge. There's a spring in their steps as they bound across the field and down to the fence line to see what all the ruckus is about.
Close up, their almost-Muppet-like features are in clear view. Their mouths curl up in permanent grins. Thick hair that's flopped down over their faces hides large sets of brown eyes. The same eyes Moran makes a point of showing to a reporter and photographer visiting the alpaca farm.
"Of course, they have great big expressive eyes. Yes, Kimmy, yes," he says, cooing at a brown alpaca and smoothing back her hair to reveal a large pair of doe eyes.
Moran and his wife, Lori Wall, own Crimson Shamrock Alpacas, this 120-acre farm near Eglon in Preston County. They've raised and bred Suri Alpaca on its grassy hills for 13 years, and it's now home to about 100 of them, as well as about 50 Wensleydale sheep, four Pyrenees guard dogs, a llama, a Haflinger horse and several barn cats. They also have help on a daily basis from part-time farm manager Reannin Chetelat. The extra help is a good thing, too. This year, Moran's and Wall's alpacas had 21 babies, the largest breeding season they've ever had.
Moran and Wall sell the animals and use them as breeding stock, but the main reason they raise them is for their wool. The alpaca wool is sold separately or combined with the Wensleydale sheeps' wool to create a unique mixture the couple calls Suridale. "We did that because we thought it would fit in well," Moran says.
It did. Suridale, he says, combines the best qualities from each type of wool, giving the finished product a bright, shiny look.
July 2011
The alpaca lifestyle: Jackson County couple enjoys raising South American animal
The Jackson Citizen Patriot – Jackson, MI
By Ashley Miller
July 23, 2011
While flipping through a magazine nine years ago, Jan O’Neill came across a picture that inspired her future retirement plan.
It wasn’t a home in Florida, nor a photo of someone traveling an exotic land. It was a photo of an unusual, furry animal with a long neck and legs: an alpaca.
Now in retirement, O’Neill and her husband, Richard, raise about 43 alpacas on their Clare Limerick Alpaca Ranch at 5681 Rives Junction Road.
The journey started in 2002 when the couple bought four pregnant females. “We were fortunate in what we bought,” O’Neill said.
Image, one of the newborn babies, or crias, won a national level blue ribbon during the O’Neills’ first show season. The couple continues to show about four times a year, Richard said.
“When you go to a show, you meet up with all your friends,” Jan said. “Alpaca owners are the friendliest, nicest, helpful people.”
Along with friends and showing, Richard and Jan said watching the crias play is the best part of owning alpacas.
“When we first got them, we used to take lawn chairs out by the fence, bring lemonade and sit and watch,” Jan said.
Still, hard work is involved on a daily basis to take care of the South American species, Jan said.
“It’s made us closer in having to work together to take care of them,” Richard said.
Twin alpacas gaining fame
Harry and David receive gift of pears
Redding Record Searchlight - Redding, CA
By Dylan Darling
July 4, 2011
Although Miss TNT has been a mother four times before, the alpaca from Grenada is now raising two youngsters at once for the first time.
It's not often that an alpaca mother can handle two crias, as young alpacas are called, said Karen Kelly, a Redding woman who raises and sells the animals.
"It's very rare," Kelly said.
Kelly, who has been raising alpacas for 10 years and has a herd of 80, said she's never had an alpaca that's given birth to twins.
Peggy Stiles, whose husband owns Miss TNT at Sterling Silver Alpacas, has raised alpacas for 14 years and has 54 alpacas on her four-acre Siskiyou County ranch. She'd never had twins at her place either.
As Stiles was cleaning up a young male cria, she and her husband, Dean Stiles, were shocked to see Miss TNT give birth to a second.
"We weren't thinking twins at all," she said.
Wool-producing domestic animals, alpacas are smaller than llamas and typically aren't able to support two cria, Peggy Stiles said. Miss TNT weighs about 125 pounds and her twins were already up to 21 and 20 pounds as they closed in on their one-month birthday late last week.
"They are doing so good," she said.
At birth the twins weighed 10½ and 9 pounds each, Stiles said.
Stiles named the twins Harry and David after the gourmet gift basket producer from Medford, Ore.
Once the Harry and David company heard about Harry and David, their namesakes, the former sent the latter four boxes of pears to snack on, said Rhonda Klug, public relations administrator for the company. The company also spread word of the alpacas through Facebook, YouTube and Twitter posts last week.
Patch Passport: Venture Out to SafeHouse Alpaca Farm
SafeHouse Farm in Barrington is home to several dozen alpacas.
Grayslake Patch – Illinois
By Tara May Tesimu
July 3, 2011
As Jim Tomaszek walks from his barn to the fields in the farm behind his Barrington home, several dozen alpacas start trotting toward him. "They think I'm the
pizza guy," he said with a smile. One of the braver baby alpacas, Jacob, ventured out of the herd and leaned his neck forward to nuzzle Tomaszek's face for a
kiss. Tomaszek scooped Jacob into his arms and pets his soft, white fur. "They're a huggable investment," Tomaszek said. "There's just something so special
about them. I don't know what it is—I don't want to know. It's a mystery. You fall in love with them. "They're just so incredibly elegant." Tomaszek and his
wife run Safehouse Farms on Cuba Road in Barrington. The couple each work day jobs and run the farm on the side. They've farmed for more than a decade, he
said, and started farming alpacas about five years ago as they started getting older and wanted an alternative to horses.
June 2011
Alpaca farm has unusual summer camp
The Gadsden Times – Gadsden, AL
June 24, 2011
JACKSONVILLE — Yarns by HomePlace Farm offers a unique approach to summer camp.
Wild and Wooley Week at the Farm is Monday through Friday. During the camp, for ages 8 through 16, participants will learn about HomePlace Farm and its residents: alpacas.
The farm’s owners will teach campers how to care for alpacas and how to use fiber shorn from their coats.
Campers will skirt and card fiber, watch a spinning demonstration and have a chance to spin.
Monday and Tuesday, campers will spend two hours at the farm. Wednesday, they will discuss color and dye yarn. Thursday and Friday, they will discuss basic knitting skills.
Alpaca twins born in Northern California
KDRV-TV (ABC) – Medford, OR
By Ron Brown
June 22, 2011
GRENADA, Calif. -- A rarity in the animal world is bringing attention to a Siskiyou County couple who raises alpacas.
A biological rarity is bringing fame and notoriety to a Siskiyou County couple.
Dean and Peggy stiles raise alpacas on their small ranch near Grenada, south of Yreka.
Three weeks ago a small female alpaca gave birth to twin males, named "Harry" and "David." The birth of twin alpacas is so rare that they believe of the nearly 200,000 alpacas in the United States, this is only the 13th living pair of twins.
The two together weighed about twenty pounds at birth. Today they weighed in slightly over fifteen and sixteen pounds each, and are doing fine.
The Stiles' show their animals at events all over the west coast and have won many awards. They also sell animals, fleeces and alpaca yarn, as well as bags of dried droppings as fertilizer.
Alpaca farm comes to North Smithfield
The Call - Woonsocket, RI
By Joseph Fitzgerald
June 7, 2011
NORTH SMITHFIELD — If you happen to be walking down Grange Road and hear a gentle humming, don't be alarmed. It’s just the alpacas.
The Pasquariello family, owners of Mamalu Farm, have just welcomed the arrival of two alpacas to their newly formed alpaca farm on Grange Road.
The family’s primary goal is to raise, breed, and sell alpaca products. They are also interested in providing animal assisted therapy and donating a portion of the proceeds from the sale of their products to charity.
Individuals vary, but most alpacas generally make a humming sound. Hums are often comfort noises, letting the other alpacas know they are present and content. The humming can take on many inflections and meanings.
With the creation of Mamalu Farm, Rhode Island is now home to at least 10 alpaca farms (in Burrillville, Portsmouth, Ashaway, Greene, Fiskeville, Foster, North Scituate, Exeter, West Kingston and Coventry), according to AlpacaNation.com, a website designed to encourage growth and sustainability by bringing the global community of alpaca breeders, owners, and suppliers into a centralized marketplace.
Alpacas, which are a little smaller than but related to llamas, are native to the Andes region of South America.
Alpacas are known as “green” livestock because they graze primarily on small areas of the land without ruining grass and therefore are gentle to the land. An alpaca can yield between three and five pounds of fiber, which is graded before it is processed and spun into yarn used to make products including socks, sweaters, and blankets.
According to Sherry and Mark Pasquariello, principal owners of the Mamalu Farm, their inspiration for the farm came from their three children, Mark, Matthew and Luke.
Elgin couple mix art, animal husbandry at alpaca farm
TribLocal – Elgin, IL
By Patricia Murphy
June 7, 2011
The animals that live at Susan Waldron’s house are inquisitive, independent and don’t come when called — but part of the feline family they are not.
Waldron, who owns and operates a 5-acre farm in Elgin with her husband Ron, spends her days breeding and caring for 35 Suri alpacas. Each weighs in at about 150 pounds and stands about 5 feet tall.
“There’s only about 200,000 in the U.S.,” said Waldron of the alpaca, which is native to South America and comes in two types — Suri and Huacaya. The Huacaya alpacas have a denser fleece closely resembling sheep’s wool, while the more rare Suri produce silky, lustrous tendrils that call to mind dreadlocks.
“They’re very low-maintenance animals. They eat hay and grass, poop and grow hair,” Waldron said with a smile.
The couple is opening up Waldron Grove Alpacas, 39w856 McDonald Road, to the public from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. June 11 and June 12. The free event marks not only the opportunity for visitors to see the animals up close, but for local artists to demonstrate their craft.
Susan Waldron is also an artist, creating everything from wall hangings to scarves, blouses and purses from the alpaca’s soft fiber. She creates her pieces in a workspace attached to her home, a mere stone’s throw from the pasture where the animals graze and loll in the sunshine.
Waldron displays and sells her pieces to galleries scattered across the country as well as other venues such as farmer’s markets.
She says she was initially drawn to alpacas because of her affinity for textiles. The couple purchased their first animals in 2003 and have seen around 40 babies born on the premises.
May 2011
Alpaca passion: Soft fiber is Merced farm's business
Merced Sun-Star – Merced, CA
By Carol Reiter
May 6, 2011
On a few quiet acres in rural Merced, Alice Lessard and Jeanette Mathews raise an unusual animal.
It's all about alpacas at Cookie Cutter Alpacas and Fiber, where alpacas raise their offspring and Mathews turns their hair into hats, scarves and coats that sell like hotcakes.
"I've always loved animals," Lessard said on a warm May morning. "My first love was dogs -- I showed in conformation and obedience with my dogs for 40 years."
Lessard and her partner, Chuck Colston, owned a couple of acres in Turlock, and Lessard decided she wanted some animals that were bigger than dogs.
Six years ago, two alpacas became part of the family, and the number just grew. "I kept one for breeding," Lessard said. "I was lucky, I bought good animals."
Now Lessard, Colston and Mathews have about 60 alpacas, with most of the females due to give birth in the fall.
When the number of alpacas started to grow, the trio started to look for more land. They found five acres in rural Merced, and the number of alpacas went up again.
"We love this place, it has a lot of shade, a smaller house and we're on a dead-end road," Lessard said.
The alpacas must be sheared, and the shearer is scheduled to come this month. The hair is then graded, Mathews said. Grade 1 fiber is the best, and is used for sweaters, coats and other fine items. Grade 2 fiber can be used for socks, and Grade 3 is usually used to stuff dog beds or pillows.
Some of the fiber is sent to a mill and some of it goes onto a spinning wheel or a loom run by Mathews.
Alpaca fiber comes in 22 colors, with white or gray the most popular. Mathews said the white fiber can be dyed any color.
"There's nothing you don't use on an alpaca," said Lessard.
Alpacas originally came from South America. There they are used as pack animals, for their hair and as meat. Alpacas in the United States aren't eaten, but many do learn to pack.
Dress for Success
Westword – Denver, CO
By Jef Otte
May 19, 2011
Ladies and gentlemen, brace yourself for the Alpaca Costume Contest, a part — most likely the best part — of the National Alpaca Show, making its debut in Denver this weekend.
“The thing about it is, alpacas don’t like people messing with their heads and their legs,” explains Becky Zierer, who runs the costume contest. “They want to be able to see what’s coming and then run away from their predators, so costumes that interfere with their heads or their legs startle them. But the thing is, the more you work with them, the more you can get them comfortable with it, so that’s the big difficulty of this.”
The result: elaborate alpaca garb that often involves pants and hats, since those are the hardest things to make happen. Those efforts will come to fruition in tonight’s contest, where contestants will be judged on their costume, the apparent comfort of the alpaca, and a written short story explaining the costume. For the spectator, “it’s basically just parading the alpacas around with all their stuff on,” admits Zierer — but you know what? That’s more than enough for us.
Alpaca United at AOBA National Alpaca Show
DBusiness News – Denver, CO
By Jef Otte
May 22, 2011
Denver - Denver, CO will host the Alpaca Owners & Breeders Association annual meeting May 20-22 at the Western National Complex.
On Friday evening, May 20th at 7pm, Alpaca United, L3C will unveil a new industry trademark designed to lead the domestic Alpaca Fiber industry into the luxury end of the commercial textile community competing with cashmere, angora, wool, and silk.
This is a seminal event for the company and will be backed up by a marketing program designed to "brand" this agricultural commodity and educate designers, textile mills, and the American public on the luxury features of this special textile fiber!
Colorado boasts one of the largest Alpaca herds in the United States and is an apex state in the Rocky Mountain region.
Nick Hahn, President & CEO of Alpaca United, and Julia Balfour, Creative Director behind Alpaca United's new look, will be in Denver to present the program and answer questions.
April 2011
Is alpaca poo good for you?
Used as a fertilizer, it can help your plants
WWLP-TV NBC - Springfield, MA
By Nick Bannin
April 26, 2011
WESTFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - A farm on East Mountain Road in Westfield is producing fertilizer that provides amazing results.
"Black gold... it's just a wonderful thing," said Mike Tierney, the owner of Maple Brook Farm.
He's talking about alpaca manure...black pellets that can work wonders to fertilize your garden.
Maple Brook Alpaca Farm currently breeds 109 alpacas and offers this environmentally friendly fertilzer option.
"Well it's natural, it's something that'll break down. You're not using the chemicals and what have you, it's something that'll retain moisture," said Mike Tierney.
Using this manure isn't just better for the environment, it could be better for your plants.
"It's very rich in minerals and phosphates and nitrogen, we find that it works a lot better than horse manure or cow manure. They have three stomachs and they process the food more so that it comes out richer," said Timothy Tierney, Herd Manager at the farm.
The alpaca manure is best used when aged in a pile and it is not harmful to plants because it’s a rather mild substance.
Alpaca manure is not only good for your garden, it's actually cheaper than a typical bag of manure, it weighs less and it doesn't smell as bad.
On goalkeeping and keeping a herd - Blacksburg High School goalie Kelsey Fuller draws energy from another team in her life: the alpacas her family tends.
The Roanoke Times – Roanoke, VA
By Roger Gonzalez
April 8, 2011
Kelsey Fuller is not like other girls.
Sure, the soccer player enjoys sports, hanging out with friends and socializing.
But there has been something different about her since she was 5.
While many of her teammates are passionate about things such as fashion marketing, the student council and other sports, Fuller has her own passion: the farm.
Some of her teammates have pets. Some have dogs, others have cats. But Fuller has something a little more distinct.
A senior on the Blacksburg soccer team, the 5-foot-5-inch goalie, who will be attending Virginia Tech in the fall, owns alpacas.
"We have had the alpacas for a while," Fuller said. "I have just grown up with them. They have always been a joy to me. It is really been a blessing to have them here. They really are the joy in my life that keep me going in school and when times get hard."
A camelid species from the Andean region of South America, mainly found in Peru, northern Bolivia, Ecuador and northern Chile, the animals are known for their soft fur and exotic appearance.
"The alpacas are just these huge teddy bears," she said. "They are huge and corky. They have a beauty to them. They can have a silliness to them. They are not afraid to do something stupid to make you laugh. They really do feed off you.
“We have pastures cut up. The babies would run around to keep themselves warm. They bounce in the air and almost float. They chase each other in these giant circles. The older ones kind of join in. They looking amazingly goofy.”
For alpacas, a shear delight
The Virginian- Pilot – Norfolk, VA
By Diane Tennant
April 8, 2011
Fiber will make you say "yay" once you discover that its alpaca fleece we're talking about, and that this week provides two alpaca fiber festivals in two days.
On Friday, Cornerstone Farm Alpacas in Isle of Wight County will hold its public shearing day with demonstrations and vendors, and on Saturday, the Fancy Fiber Fiesta will do the same thing at Chippokes Plantation State Park near Surry.
Both events will have plenty of live animals to enjoy; demonstrations of how to remove a heavy coat of fleece in what may not be one easy swoop but certainly looks that way; and vendors who will demonstrate spinning, weaving, knitting, crocheting and felting with alpaca yarn and thread. Yarn, roving, raw fleece, garments and other items made of alpaca fiber will be for sale. Yes, there will be concessions.
"The goal of having people come out is for them to see the purpose of the alpaca," said Chris Wingard of Cornerstone Farm. "Many people will ask, 'What do you do with them?' We're showing them what happens when that fiber comes off, what you can do with it."
Have some fun with fiber at an alpaca shearing
Santa Ynez Valley Journal – Santa Ynez, CA
By SaraLloyd Truax
April 7, 2011
The day is scorching, yet they are still wearing 5-pound coats of one of the warmest, lightweight, naturally waterproof organic fibers there is.
Then four young men from Ohio roll in, and in no time a local herd of 47 alpacas is liberated from their winter wear and free to bound happily across their pastures, all set for cool spring nights and hot summer days.
“I’d never seen an alpaca shearing before,” says Jill Clevenger. “The guys are so gentle and quick. The alpacas seem so pleased when it is all over.” Raising their heads and looking about, once shorn, some are slow to get up from the padded mats, others reluctant to be lead away.
“It must feel something like getting a massage,” opined Clevenger, who was maintaining records.
Alpacas are shorn yearly to protect them from roasting on hot summer days as well as to harvest their valuable fiber. The process is simple. To begin, two or three men, depending on their size, pick the alpaca up and lay them on their side.
March 2011
Hair raising: Alpaca farms catch on
The Daytona Beach News-Journal – Fla
By Bob Koslow
March 30, 2011
DELAND -- Volusia County is historically known as cattle country, but a new type of livestock is taking hold here.
Alpacas, native to the Andes Mountains in South America, are growing in number across the state as well as the nation.
Volusia County is home to at least four Florida Alpaca Breeders Association-registered alpaca farms with a combined total of more than 200 animals. All have started in the last eight years. There are also several private owners of alpacas locally, although it is not known how many.
There are no registered alpaca farms in Flagler County, according to the association.
"They're easy-peasy and the perfect green animal," said Launda Soper, who started Alpacas of Willow Hill in DeLand in 2008. "You can't resist that adorable face with those big brown eyes. They produce a sustainable harvest and you don't have to kill 'em."
The money to be made in alpaca farms is in breeding and in selling the fleece the animals produce, which comes in 22 colors and is as soft and warmer than cashmere and stronger and lighter than wool without the itchiness and allergic reactions.
Alpacas are also easier to handle than cattle, require less space and eat much less, owners say.
"If you've got a couple acres and take precautions against the heat, you're ready to go," said Soper, who runs the farm with husband Tom and her mom, Pati Seacott.
Alpacas are part of the camelid family and cousins to the llamas. They're smaller at 100 to 200 pounds and not suited as pack animals.
They stand about 3-feet tall at the shoulder. A long neck makes them appear taller. They are mild tempered, gregarious, inquisitive and intelligent, according to the Florida Alpaca Breeding Association. They are herd animals, social and get accustomed to training and handling. They live about 20 years.
They only eat up to 2 percent of their body weight in grass or hay each day. A steady supply of clean water is important along with regular vitamins and parasite testing.
Alpacas are best known for their fluffy coats, and it was because of the heavy coat and Florida's reputation for extreme summer heat that delayed the start and growth of alpaca ranching in the Sunshine State, according to the association.
They were first imported into the United States in 1984, and more than 160,000 head are registered. Alpacas quickly came to Florida, and the association formed in 1989 but with only 10 farms. Today, there almost 70 registered farms statewide, but many others are not registered, so getting an accurate count of alpacas is difficult.
Family gives up beaches, sunshine for alpacas
Zanesville Times Recorder – OH
By Lori Law
March 21, 2011
ZANESVILLE --Coming back to southeastern Ohio to begin an alpaca farm from a semi-retirement on the beaches of South Carolina was the farthest notion from Rebecca Camma's mind just a few short years ago.
Now she can't stop smiling as she stands in the wet grass outside one of the new barns at Spring Acres greeting her herd of alpacas.
"This is a lot more physical than any work I'd ever done in my life. I was retired when I was 48 years old, and I never thought I'd be retired and working this hard. I'm outside every day, regardless of the weather," Camma said.
Relatively new to the agriculture of the U.S., alpacas are in the same family as llamas and have been utilized by man for more than 5,000 years, particularly for the soft fibers produced from their fleece.
The alpacas make a soft humming sound as they answer Camma's calls --"Hello, Ascot, Bridgette, Midori." Curiosity satisfied, the alpacas moved back to their groupings in the field, and Camma recalled what made her trade in her flip-flops for Wellingtons.
"I was living on the beach. We had built a house there. Did I imagine this? 100 percent no. I had everything I thought I would have," she said.
Initially interested in llamas, Camma only had read about alpacas until attending a seminar in Findlay with her husband, Dr. Albert Camma, and daughter and son-in-law. "We started a little over three years ago. Jaime and Shane and Al and I went to a seminar in Findley, Ohio, to see if this was something we might like to do. When we got out of the car, there was a baby alpaca being born. People were gathered around this alpaca with their cameras. She was going around in circles and all the sudden, there was this baby. It was a sign," she said.
"Just like that, I was hooked," Camma said with a smile. "All I had known about alpacas and llamas before the seminar was in a book about how to raise llamas. I still have it. I didn't know that there would be all the genetics and I didn't know anything about the dollar amounts there would be on each animal. I was interested in the fibers. I like to weave rugs. That was what got me started about llamas. Then I learned that you could have a lot more alpacas in the same amount of space as llamas and that their fibers were worth more as an industry."
Denver to host National Alpaca Show
Denver Business Journal - CO
By Lisa Allmendinger
March 9, 2011
Denver will host the Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association's three-day National Alpaca Show and auction in May.
Alpacas are domesticated animals from the mountains of South America that are related to llamas and camels. They are best known for the silky fiber they produce.
The show -- featuring judgings, alpaca fiber demonstrations and an auction -- is expected to draw alpaca enthusiasts as well as fiber-art fans. About 1,000 alpacas will be on hand.
The event will be held May 20-22 at the National Western Complex, 4655 Humboldt St.
The Nashville-based Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association has 4,000 members and has registered 160,000 alpacas in North America.
Alpaca business thriving at local farm
Advocate of Westminster & Finksburg – MD
By Brett Lake
March 8, 2011
The morning routine is generally the same for Barry and Mary Clark, owners of Alpacas of Maryland at Peaceful Hollow Farm in Westminster.
Open the gates, clean the barn and greet the 34 alpacas while some cluck and others chew hay.
Occasionally, visitors will stop by and are greeted with a polite stare-down by the fleece-producing animals, a member of the camel family.
Mary has built an unbreakable bond with the alpacas since purchasing her first one more than seven years ago.
Before then, Mary said she knew little about the companionship, relaxation and financial security the alpacas would bring.
“We wanted to raise animals that we didn’t need to kill,” Mary said. “And we wanted to make retirement income.”
Now, Mary knows each of the alpacas by name.
“Alpacas are just gentle, sweet animals,” Mary said. “We do a lot with them. It’s a very exciting, very special kind of thing to do, because there’s so many things that you can do with [alpacas].”
The Clarks have sold 23 alpacas, and also breed, sell and board them. They make everything from scarves to blankets with the animals’ fine fleece.
“Some people like them because of the business aspect,” Mary said.
After selling an alpaca, the Clarks offer to board it if the buyers aren’t immediately ready to house it. Their business has thrived enough to prompt the Clarks to hire help.
Raising alpacas in Lake Shore
Daily Herald - South Utah County
By Andrew Van Agenen
March 7, 2011
Seven years ago, Cindy Burningham and her husband, Kim, were introduced to alpacas -- a peculiar creature whose breeding and domestication has grown in the United States over the past few decades -- by a neighbor in Herriman.
Alpacas look like small llamas and originally came from the Andes region of South America. Associated with the royalty of the Inca civilization and prized for their luxurious natural fibers, alpacas are bred for their soft fleece rather than their ability to perform labor.
After watching their neighbor raise alpacas for several years, the Burninghams decided to purchase a few of their own. "Once you get them, they are kind of addicting," Cindy said.
Soon after purchasing their first alpacas, the couple started their own breeding farm called Mountain Top Alpacas at their home in Herriman, housing 50 to 100 alpacas at any given time.
Last year, the family moved south, purchasing 8 acres in Lake Shore, west of Spanish Fork, so the animals would have more land and better pastures. "We gave up a nice home in Herriman because we like the alpacas so much," Cindy said, smiling.
Over the years, the Burninghams have enjoyed sharing their lives with the alpacas. During the summer months, the couple and their children often spend several hours watching them "plonk" around in the pastures -- alpacas have a unique gait known as plonking.
Kim especially enjoys spending time with the alpacas after a long day at work. "They take away the stress," he said.
For him, it's peaceful to walk with the animals and listen to them hum to one another. Humming is a sound alpacas use to communicate with each other.
"They are called the original hummers," Kim said.
Apart from the joy the animals bring to the family, the alpacas have a lucrative aspect that has helped the Burninghams support their farm.
In the spring, an expert will shear the alpacas' fleece, which the family will sell or send to a mill to be made into yarns, socks, blankets and other goods. The fleece is as soft as cashmere and warmer, and is lighter and stronger than wool.
However, Mountain Top Alpacas is not a fiber farm exclusively. It is also a breeding farm. Each year in the late spring or early summer about 13 to 15 crias, or baby alpacas, are born, which are either kept at the farm or sold. An average lifespan for an alpaca is 15 to 25 years.
February 2011
Saline Township woman spins yarn, community spirit from alpaca fleece
AnnArbor.com
By Lisa Allmendinger
February 27, 2011
Sue Schalk and her daughter Kelly raise alpacas on their farm in Saline Township and spin the animals' fleece into yarn that can be knitted or crocheted.
An interest in fibers and a home on a Saline Township farm led Sue Schalk to acquire three alpacas in 2003.
Today she has 13 — eight females and five males, with names such as Molly, Tank Girl, Diva, Seesaw, Sugar Daddy, Louie and Sherman.
“Alpaca are wonderful animals,” she said. “In general, they have great personalities and they are environmentally friendly.”
Alpaca’s padded feet don’t tear up the ground, Schalk said, and they don’t eat a lot, preferring to dine on hay.
“They’re very efficient and don’t cost a lot to keep,” Schalk said.
Plus, their wool is soft and silky and doesn’t have heavy lanolin like a sheep’s wool, she said.
EXECUTIVE SESSION: This West Bloomfield business has legs — four of them
Messenger Post – Canandaigua, NY
By Mike Maslanik
February 27, 2011
About 10 years ago, Mark Gilbride switched gears and went from working at his brother-in-law’s paintball company to starting his own alpaca farm.
After spending a couple years researching the industry, visiting farms and convincing his wife that it was a good idea, Gilbride purchased seven pregnant females in 2000. That Halloween, he took his first delivery. Ten years later, he has a thriving farm with 97 animals.
In addition to running Lazy Acre Alpacas on Baker Road in West Bloomfield, Gilbride also sells alpaca fleece products at three locations: the farm; the Dryer-Loomis Emporium at 72 W. Main St. in Victor; and the Simply Unique Gift Shop at 18 Main St. in Bloomfield.
Gilbride has his hands in all facets of the alpaca business. In addition to shearing their fleece for use in clothing, he also breeds, sells and boards the animals.
Alpaca farm digging in its hooves in Gray
The Independent – Windham, ME
By Rachel Kurzius
February 25, 2011
Driving quickly on the busy West Gray Road, one might not notice the small sign for Carrageen Alpacas. The sign alerts the observant to the existence of a farm housing peculiar creatures -- alpacas -- whose breeding and domestication has grown more popular in the past decade.
Carol and John Furman, who have lived at 82 West Gray Road since 1979, began Carrageen Alpacas last September after years of research and careful preparation. Now, six alpacas live on the property, two of which are pregnant, with three more coming in April.
Alpacas look like small llamas and originally come from the Andes region of South America. Prized for their precious fibers, alpacas have been bred for their fleece instead of their ability to perform labor. Their soft hairs are woven into socks, sweaters, blankets and more.
Alpacas run with a distinctive gait known to animal-lovers as ''plonking,'' and spend their existence in packs.
''They are definitely herd animals,'' noted Carol, as the plonking of one-year-old Jasmine led her two companions to scurry alongside her.
The Furmans, who spent years raising Irish Setters and bringing them to dog shows, became intrigued by alpacas after attending an alpaca show on a whim. Mentored by Claudia Raessler of SuriPaco in North Yarmouth, the Furmans began setting up their 4.5 acre property for new furry friends. They are one of more than 60 alpaca farms currently in existence in Maine.
Alpacas In America
Myonline-Reviews.com
February 22, 2011
Alpacas have only been in the United States for a relatively short amount of time in relation to their history in the world. Alpacas are native to South America and were a part of the Incan civilization in the Andes Mountains of Peru. The imperial Incas wore clothing made from the fiber of alpacas.
Alpaca fleece was overlooked by the Spanish conquistadors and it wasn’t until an Englishman, Sir Titus Salt of Saltiere in the the middle 1800?s took notice of the advantages of alpaca fleece over that of sheep wool. He began to study the properties of alpaca fleece and soon discovered that alpaca fiber was actually stronger than wool and the that it’s strength was not reduced as fineness increased. A very valuable quality in the textile industry.
January 2011
Paca-Holics: Gilroy family loves their alpaca farm
Morgan Hill Times – Morgan Hill, CA
By Blair Tellers
January 20, 2011
For Richard and Robin Vasquez, heaven on earth is a cold beer, a lawn chair and a panoramic view of 140
fuzzy-faced creatures milling about the couple's 20 acres of lush farmland.
Self described "paca-holics," the Vasquezes have one of the largest holistic operations in the state of
California, harvesting an average five pounds of fleece per alpaca a year come shearing time and selling it
to co-ops for $10 to $80 a pound.
"See," said Robin parting thick waves of fleece on an alpaca's back to reveal gossamer under-layers of
cream-colored softness. "Their wool is like butter."
Alpaca up your troubles in Lower Mount Bethel
Alpaca farm is a family's cottage industry
The Morning Call – Allentown, Pennsylvania
By Daniel Patrick Sheehan
January 10, 2011
Your suburban correspondents have done a lot of indoor work lately, so on Tuesday we decided to poke around the
countryside near Bangor and Pen Argyl.
Sometimes, when nothing seems to suggest itself as a subject and the day wears toward deadline, we ask for a
sign. Sometimes we get one. This time, the sign was posted on a utility pole in Lower Mount Bethel Township.
It said "Alpaca Store" and had an arrow pointing off into the hinterlands.
We followed it to a narrow, gravelly road that led us to a pretty ranch house with some red outbuildings and
a yard teeming with alpacas, those South American cousins of the camel that bear a thick and luxuriant hair
and have spawned a cottage outerwear industry in the United States.
"Farm Store, Please Beep," said a sign on one of the buildings, so I did and soon enough a young woman came
out of the house and introduced herself as Erin Quaely, the eldest daughter of owners Ron and Karen Smith.
She told us the family had been in the alpaca business for about seven years, since the day her father, a
contractor, mentioned it to her mother, a nurse.
Seemingly overnight, they had three alpacas in the family. Then they had four more. Then four more. At one
time they had 70. Now they are down to 40, plus a 700-pound llama — the much larger cousin of the alpaca —
that defends the flock against predators. His name is Sammi.
Creature Feature
The Democrat-Gazette – Little Rock, Arkansas
By Rhonda Owen
January 5, 2011
The Dec. 2 Creature Feature about alpacas prompted Mitzi Garlington to call about her experience raising the
cute, fuzzy creatures at Cooterneck Criations near Fordyce.
“It’s something I’m very passionate about,” she says. She began raising alpacas in 2005 after she retired from
teaching kindergarten.
Garlington keeps five alpacas and two llamas on the small farm about six miles outside of Fordyce. The farm is
in an area called Cooterneck, which accounts for the first half of the operation’s name. The second word is an
alternate spelling of creation chosen because alpaca offspring are referred to as crias.
Alpacas and llamas are members of the South American camelid family but differ in size, temperament and uses.
