The Alpaca Owners Association has announced its 2024 board of director candidates and Jason is running. He had not planned to run, however, he received a call asking for him to step up and help. So he did. The election takes place between May 9 and 30, with the winners announced once voting closes. As part of the process, Jason was asked to answer some questions and create a candidate statement. We worked on this together for quite a while, because we really wanted it to represent what we feel the industry needs and how we think Jason could help bring forth change. Below is the candidate state ..read more

In 2019 our insurance agent reached out to us and asked if we could assist a widow named Angela. Angela has recently lost her husband and she needed help taking care of the alpaca herd he left behind. My husband and I drove up to meet Angela and her alpacas shortly after. I remember it being cold and snowy, but an even stronger memory is the conversation my husband and I had on our hour drive to Angela’s house. We were relatively new alpaca owners and we had no idea what to expect on this little adventure. When we arrived at Angela’s house she was waiting for us with cookies and a friend to as ..read more

Do you love alpacas? Are you longing to start an alpaca farm? I get it, not so long ago I was in the same position. I was so excited when we bought our first alpacas and brought them home. Heck, I'm still excited when we buy alpacas. One of the first steps in starting an alpaca farm is to purchase a starter alpaca herd. This could be three, ten, or twenty alpacas. Regardless of the number, it's an important step and one I'd like to help with. In today's post, I'll walk through the key things you need to know about buying your first set of alpacas. As I cover the tips and recommendations, keep ..read more

As people come and go from our farm, they always ask about buying 100% alpaca socks. Do we have any of these socks for sale, are they worth buying, are they warm? The answer is no we do not offer 100% alpaca socks and I don’t believe they are worth buying. But let me explain why… Alpaca fiber is amazing, and I love wearing it on my feet, hands, head, and in sweaters. There is no mistake about the value of alpaca fiber. The important thing to know is that not all alpaca fiber is created equal. Just the opposite. Alpaca comes in various grades (level of softness) and it can be used in various wa ..read more

Last week I started getting a ton of messages from people to let me know Kevin Bacon just published a video of him trying to woo his alpaca Sharona. I think Kevin's videos are awesome and I love that he is bringing greater exposure to our industry. What I don't like is Sharona looks aloof, and I personally, don't think that is the case. I've had Sharonas on the farm, and no matter what you may think of them, there are ways to win them over. The issue is humans don't think like alpacas, they are used to interacting with dogs and cats, and they simply don't interact in a manner to make the a ..read more

If you’re considering purchasing merino wool or alpaca clothing, you’ll likely head to Google and search for educational articles or research papers on this subject. Sadly, you’ll probably get articles that are very skewed towards the website’s product line. Merino wool clothing companies are going to state you can only buy merino wool and alpaca clothing companies are going to tell you alpaca is the only answer. I’m going to do just the opposite. I’m going to provide a comparison of merino wool and alpaca, but it will be a much more neutral comparison and it comes with personal experience m ..read more

When I first opened our alpaca farm and store, I was enthralled by the allure of alpaca. Soft, warm, hypoallergenic, and so sustainable. They felt magical to me. Along the journey, I discovered the alpaca industry is full of people who love these amazing creatures as much as I do. We are passionate about the animals, the amazing fiber they create, and the sustainable goods they produce. We treat our alpacas like pets, we love them, and we take great pride in the goods we produce from their annual fiber shearing. What I also discovered is the imposters who misrepresent alpaca products, hide imp ..read more

As I wrap up the weekend, I reflect on the visit I had with a friend from high school. Tim and his lovely wife Lynn came north to see the fall colors and part of their adventure was to spend a night at our farm. On Friday I took them through our alpaca paddocks and introduced them to my quirky herd of alpacas. Both Tim and Lynn would laugh at the tidbits I would share, the alpacas and their behavior, and the fact that they are like no other animal. We headed to dinner that night and conversation continued around the alpacas and our journey into farming. The more we talked, the more I realized ..read more

This last weekend we opened our farm up and invited the public in for two days of alpaca giggles, treats, and photos. We like to do this right before shearing so everyone can see the alpacas in their full fleece. It’s also a great opportunity to welcome folks to the farm that normally wouldn’t come. When we have an event like this we can expect anywhere from a few hundred people to a few thousand. It is really weather dependent and you just don’t know what you’re going to get. Needless to say, the weather didn’t cooperate this weekend, but the humans and alpacas didn’t much care. This year we ..read more

My twenty-something daughter is a fast fashion fan. Her mother owns an alpaca farm and a flourishing retail business. We are on opposite ends of the sustainability spectrum. She cares for the environment, and she will go out of her way to recycle and pick up garbage. And yet, fast fashion is part of who she is and the look she craves. It pains me. The more I know about the sustainability of alpaca clothing, the more I despise the fast fashion industry and all that it represents. What is Fast Fashion? Fast fashion is used to describe the fashion industry’s reliance on mass produced, cheap cloth ..read more