Interest in keeping alpacas is at an all-time high in the United States. Alpacas are known for their valuable fibers, their temperament and their cleanliness. If you’re looking to start an alpaca herd of your own, here are some tips you can use.

First, learn as much as you can about alpacas. These animals are gentle and sweet, and are comfortable around people who are familiar to them. They do require more space per animal per acre than other types of farm animals, so you may need to take that into consideration when making your plans. Do not over-populate your alpaca herd! Instead, use your available space to determine how many animals you can keep.

Some people keep alpacas simply for their fibers. This is the perfect way to learn about alpacas and how to care for them. Non-breeding animals are less expensive than high-quality breeding ones. If you are strictly interested in animals for fiber production, you can buy individuals for several hundred to a few thousand dollars.

If you plan to buy alpacas, you’ll want to have a complete health history, breeding history, registration information and a full evaluation of a prospective choice’s conformation. If you’re not confident in your ability to evaluate a potential purchase, ask an experienced breeder for advice on what to look for. Do not rely on the seller’s assurances regarding the animal. In the long run, you’ll be better served by learning how to spot the characteristics you’re looking for.

If you plan to breed animals, you’ll pay more for quality breeding stock. “Proven” herdsires and dams are more expensive than unproven or junior stock. Show champions can easily run in the tens of thousands of dollars. Also understand that over time, fiber characteristics of an individual can change, based on diet, environment, hormones and age. An animal that starts out at 18 microns may not always stay that way!

Alpacas are herd animals, and they do not like being outside of the company of other alpacas. For this reason, when starting a breeding herd from scratch, you may want to add some inexpensive non-breeding stock to your herd to improve your animals’ overall happiness and comfort level. Take care when housing alpacas with other animals, as they can contract illnesses from cows and sheep. Keep cows and alpacas separate, especially if there is chance that a cow is infected with BVDV. Also isolate your herd from wild deer as much as possible.

Elyse Arnow owns and operates Alpacatrax Farms in Columbia County, New York. Alpacatrax Farms breeds and sells Alpacas, & Alpaca fiber. Please visit us at Alpacatrax

A good memory makes for a good heart. And a good life and good relationships. And even a good outlook on life.

It seems to work like this….

Lets say major stress enters your life -like a doctor telling you that you need an operation. She has found a lump and it needs to be removed. So you leave the office and start driving home to share the news. And the whole drive is full of worry. You are drinking from the cup of anxiety. As you sip on your fear you can share your cup with your spouse and family in 2 ways. You have 2 distinct cups you can share.

You can dump your bad news in a vat of self pity and fear and use the spoon of anxiety to stir the worry. Turn on the fire and stew in it. Brood and mope for awhile until you are full of pessimism. Many of us live our whole life sipping from this cup or pull it out for all those special events and happenings. Your friends and family have asked me to have you remove this cup from your life – its overflowing and spilling into their life too.

How about you drink from a different cup? The pot of prayer. As you close your door to drive home – give your problem to God – and hand him all you fear and anxiety too. Ask him for strength and courage and love – to use this incident to draw you closer to Him and to your loved ones. In addition stir in gratitude and count your blessings. Now is the time to remember all your good things and all the things He has blessed you with: a loving spouse; a good job; and good supportive friends. A glimpse into the past will provide strength for the future. Stir in thanksgiving too.

Your cup is prayer and gratitude. God’s overflowing pot is peace and protection.

Boake Moore decided to help children in need and so founded a non profit coffee company called Mission Grounds Gourmet Coffee – http://www.missiongrounds.com/ourphilosophy.php

It donates all its profits and proceeds to helping orphans and impoverished children. We currently are building schools in rural China, orphanages in South America; supporting orphans in Russia and Africa. And helping homeless children in the United States.

Lets make the world better -

George “Boake” Moore

Mission Grounds gourmet coffee