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This
is the universal response that we encountered when sharing the news
with family and friends that we were about to embark on a unique
farming adventure. And, quite honestly, there were times that we
even asked ourselves the same question --that is, before our first
alpacas came home. The original intention of buying
some grazing animals was to spend less time mowing a field adjacent
to our house. Truthfully speaking, we were looking for some cheap
gardeners, and our dogs basically refused to eat the grass as we
had ordered.
As
fate would have it, one trip to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival
would change our destiny. It was love at first sight, and our love
and respect for these extraordinary animals has continued to flourish
since that time.
Alpacas are in the camelid family,
related to llamas and camels. Alpacas are native to South America,
largely concentrated in Peru, Chile and Bolivia. They were domesticated
over 5,000 years ago by indigenous people. The wool that they produce
is considered to be among the finest as it is extremely soft, lightweight,
durable, and hypoallergenic. Some of the most luxurious garments
in the clothing industry today are made with alpaca fiber.
Alpaca fiber comes in more natural colors than any other fiber and
is widely prized by those in the garment industry, artists and individual
hobbyists. They are low maintenance, fastidious, and gentle animals.
One acre of land can sustain 5-10 alpacas. The investment in alpacas
is advantageous from a tax standpoint as it is depreciable and compounding.
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