And on Her Farm She Had an... Alpaca?

Cows, chickens, sheep - even horses. But alpacas? Old McDonald never had one of those on the farm.

Today we went to visit a farmer who raises alpacas on a small holding in Petersham, Massachusetts. Terry is one of a growing number of woman farmers in the Commonwealth. And she does it very well. In addition to her absolutely beautiful animals, she runs a bed and breakfast inn and has a small shop filled with alpaca wool yarns and apparel.

Last Saturday, the kids and I watched a program which featured alpacas. Being a knitter, I knew what they were and that their wool is highly prized (and as such hghly PRICED!). I didn't know what wonderful animals they were. They look a lot like a llama. However they are much smaller and a whole lot less aggresive. In fact, they are some of the most gentle animals I've ever had the pleasure to meet. They stand more than 5 feet tall, and are covered by thick, soft fleece. These critters feel NOTHING like a sheep. They feel like the nicest cashmere and silk blend. The babies (called cria) are covered in fleece that has teeny tiny little curls. They can be a bit timid, so it's best to let them come to you - and they will. They are very inquisitive and seem to enjoy human company.

Among the interesting things we learned about alpacas is that they create litter areas where the whole herd deposit their faeces, they all tend to line up and go at once, and best of all, they don't smell bad. Alpacas don't require much of anything from their humans, can stay out-of-doors in all weather (though they like to have shelter from intense heat and from precipitation), and don't need a large barn either. They don't eat much - a little hay and a small amount of fortified pellets is all. Caring for 10 animals takes Terry (the farmer) about an our a day.

In case you're thinking about getting one, they run about $20K apiece - females usually come pregnant or with a cria. Their blanket fleece (topmost layer) fetches about $8/oz. The average blanket weighs about 7lbs., but can be nearly twice that. The next two layers of fleece are less desirable, but still much nicer than sheep's wool and consequently more costly. Finally, alpaca have very little or no lanolin, so no 'sheepy' smell (which I happen to have a soft spot for :( ) and dirt tends not to stick to the critters like with sheep.

For more information on alpaca ownership: www.alpacainfo.com. Visit Terry online at www.colonialhillfarmatpetersham.com