Visiting Our First Alpaca Farm

We visited our first Alpaca Farm in August of 2010.   We went to Ft. Calhoun, Nebraska and met Mike and Sheri who graciously showed us their farm and shared their Alpaca story.   They started their research into Alpacas much like we were doing.  They visited farms, researched on the web and went to a class offered by a leading expert in the industry.  Before they left the class, they had purchased their first Alpaca -- a pregnant female.   They shared information about upcoming Alpaca shows in the area.    We got to see their barn setup and meet the animals.  The "boys" were in one pasture and the "girls" were in another.    Sheri gave us carrots to feed them and they knew we had something.   They gathered around us looking for their treats.  We absolutely fell in love with these gentle creatures.  We were hooked and had to learn more.



Girls out in the pasture.




I want a carrot!  And yes, the one on the right is creating fertilizer!




Oh!  I thought your camera was a carrott!  :-)



Why we started researching Alpaca farms.

It all started out because we wanted to build a house on an acreage.   I was good with that, but if we were going to have an acreage, we would need room for an Alpaca.  Why an Alpaca?   I don't know!  I just had seen them somewhere in the last twenty years and thought they were the cutest animals!

So I Googled Alpacas and I found out that you can't have just one Alpaca.  You have to have more than one.  They are very social, herd animals and one Alpaca by itself would die.   So, I told Geoff and I sent off for a book about Alpacas.   A book about farming and Alpacas.  

The book arrived in the mail - "Alpaca Owner's Guide".   We read it and we were hooked.   This wasn't just a pet you had (although it can be) it was actually a little industry and was something we could do in our retirement.   Not only could we have that acreage we wanted, but we could raise these gentle animals and possibly make a profit doing it.  

But how do you start an Alpaca farm?   What are the animals really like?   Where could we see a farm and some animals? 

The book we received actually listed farms all over the United States, including Iowa and Nebraska.   We found two farms that were close to us:  Ft. Calhoun, Nebraska and Missouri Valley, Iowa.   So we emailed them both and told them we were interested in meeting them, seeing their farm and the Alpacas.