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The popularity of alpacas in the U.S. has grown steadily over the last few years. These curious and delightful animals offer an investment potential that is both financially and personally rewarding.
A renewed interest in “Fiber Arts”, spinning, weaving, felting and knitting, is sweeping this country. Items made from alpaca yarn are light, warm, lustrous and colorful. Coming to the U.S. only
in the mid 1980's, alpacas are one of the newest breeds of livestock to inhabit our country. Although alpaca husbandry is centuries old, alpaca history is being made in North America today. Alpacas are gentle and easy to care for. You should always check with your personal tax advisor, but in general, alpacas offer a depreciable tax shelter on a compounded investment.
 Owning and “Agisting” (boarding) Alpacas is another good investment opportunity. You own the animals and board them on a reputable alpaca farm, i.e. EBA Oaks Alpacas! You get all the tax benefits of alpaca ownership, without the work! Agist them close to your home area and you and your family can visit, play with them and learn to train them. Kids love learning how to care for alpacas—they can also participate through their local 4-H Chapters (with their own or 4-H alpacas).
Alpacas are members of the Camelid family, which also
includes llamas, vicuñas, guanacos and the "Old World"
dromedary and Bactrian camels. Alpacas are "pseudo
ruminants" with three stomach compartments. They have two
padded toes on each foot, which have little impact on
pasture as they graze. They also bite off the grasses,
without pulling out the plants which makes them friendly to
their environment. Their communal dung piles make
collection and composting into rich fertilizer easy.
Alpacas communicate using body language and sounds. The
most common sound is a soft hum, although they use others,
including a clucking sound and an alarm call. Alpacas
usually live to be 15 to 25 years old, are about 3 feet tall
at the withers and usually weigh between 110 and 175
pounds. Baby alpacas are called cria, and usually weigh
between 14 and 20 pounds at birth. The gestation period for
a female alpaca is about 345 days (almost a year) and twins
are rare. There are two breeds of alpacas (recognized by
their different fleece types). Huacaya alpaca have fluffy
and crimpy fiber, whereas the suri alpaca has straight long
dreadlock-looking fiber that hangs down in long tight locks.
Both types provide numerous luxury fiber products, yarns,
fabrics and other household good.
Alpacas, llamas, vicuñas and guanacos come from South
America, primarily Bolivia, Chile and Peru. Alpacas were
originally domesticated from vicuñas (wild alpacas) in the
Andean highlands of Peru more than 6,000 years ago. During
the 11th and 12th centuries, alpacas were revered by the
Incas, whose husbandry was very sophisticated. The animals
were highly regarded and selected for their abundant fine
fiber (evidence suggests that the quality of fiber then was
superior to today's). Years of sophisticated breeding were
interrupted by the Spanish conquest of the Incas in the 16th
century, when alpacas, that were not slaughtered, were driven
to the higher elevations of Peru and Bolivia, the "altiplano".
In the 1800's alpaca fiber was discovered by the English,
and it has been an important worldwide commodity ever since.
Peru produces about 90% of the world's alpaca fiber
today.
 Alpaca fiber is valuable because of its many positive
attributes and relative scarcity. It is as soft as
cashmere, more durable than merino wool, fine, lightweight
and lustrous. Alpacas come in 22 recognized natural colors
with many variations and blends, more than any other fiber
producing animal. Each year, an adult alpaca produces about
five to eight pounds of fiber. In North America, alpaca
fiber is usually sold to hand-spinners because, until
recently, there were not enough alpacas to make commercial
processing economically viable. This changed in 1998,
however, when breeders from all over North America formed
the American Fiber Co-op of North America (AFCNA)
www.americasalpacas.com - to pool and process fiber
each year. American alpaca farmers donate 1/2 of their
sheared fiber each year and AFCNA is now producing products,
made from domestically (U.S.A.) produced alpacas fiber.
AFCNA members can
buy these alpaca products at cost from the Co-op, as well as
imported (from Peru) products which they can then offer for
resale in their own ranch stores and/or website boutique's.
At EBA Oaks Alpacas, we specialize in reselling our own
homegrown natural alpacas yarns, spun at a Siskiyou County
processing plant. For more on this check our
"Products" page!
Alpacas are a growing part of the modern U.S.
agricultural scene; breeding them is gaining popularity as
a home business and as an investment. Alpacas are used as
pets and 4H animals as well as for their luxury fiber. They
are easy to to train and care for, and are generally healthy
and hardy, requiring only basic shelter, shearing, worming
and annual vaccinations. Although most breeders enjoy daily
contact with their animals, some people buy alpacas
and board them, thus making it possible to still take
advantage of the fiber production from their own animals! Some people show their
alpacas. www.aoba.org
sanctions alpaca shows that include showmanship, halter,
obstacle and fleece classes. Alpacas are also used to
demonstrate agility or the use of fiber at fairs and other
exhibitions. They are excellent for PR and community
service, such as visiting schools or nursing homes. They're
shy, but generally well-mannered, and their charm and great
looks bring smiles to everyone's faces.
Visiting Alpaca Farms
The selling breeder (us) needs to be keenly in touch with what is really best for the customer....it will be clearly hinged to the sellers continued relationship with that customer, as they become experienced. There is a more mid-way approach (to a lower risk entry into alpacas): Older females, well bred...perhaps discounted because they are a bit further along in life. These are dams that have carried cria to full term, put in their time mothering and have a time-proven record.
It is a really good idea to keep a journal.... Have a page (or two or three) for each farm or event you attend or visit. Write in it right after the event or visit (while your memories are still fresh) and write a LOT, write your own questions and the answers you got and write what you should have asked and then ask (either next time you see them or by email or phone) and write it down.
Here are some suggestions: write what you liked (and disliked). Write about your general impression of the farm (was it clean and tidy, was there obvious signs of good husbandry practices and also what kind of "protection" did it have - fencing type and size. What kind of predators are in the area and what do they do about it) and what your impression of the farm and the people were in general.
Write (in great detail every small and large) especially if you are considering buying from them, what is available to you from that particular ranch? What type of "mentoring" do you feel you will get from any particular ranch (what about possibly joining forces down the road when it comes to breeding and helping with "chores" or shearing etc)? How about way down the road, being comfortable doing marketing together – did you fell the person is someone you would have a long term friendship with?
Other things to write down and consider when talking to breeders: Would they include a re- breeding. Would you have to rebreed the female you bought from them or can you rebreed any female you own. What do they offer in the way of free boarding (agisting) if you buy from them and for how long and do they mind visits from you (how often) Would they let you come and help with regular chores, shots, toenails and other regular husbandry chores?
Write down how you feel about your personal rapport (fancy word for how do you think you will get along with them)? The best time to gather your thoughts and actually write them down is right after a visit, when your memory is still fresh.
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