Alpaca farming continues to be a growing industry that provides a great opportunity for small acreage farmers to realize profits from livestock and enjoy the benefits of raising these adorable and curious animals.
Origins
Originally from Argentina, Peru, and Bolivia these animals are ideally suited to the North American colder climates similar to the climate of the Alto Plano in their native South America. Alpacas were only imported to the United States for a few years in the early 90s, so the herd we have in the US is the herd that we have going forward in the industry.
Uniqueness of the North American Herd
Through collaboration and selective breeding the North American herd has excelled in producing top-quality fiber. The North American herd excels in color variety where the niche market hand spinning and specialty products made of naturally colored fibers could be marketed effectively.
In contrast, South America specializes in uniformity of color and mainly focuses on white so that it can be sold to the textile industries and dyed to specific colors. As an alpaca farmer in North America our market is the niche of natural color.
