Alpacas
“Is that REAL?” “Are those llamas?” “What the heck are they?”
All of these comments and more are heard by alpaca owners on a daily basis. Yes, they are very real, they are related to llamas and here you will learn much more about these gentle, wondrous creatures we know as alpacas.
Alpacas are fiber producing livestock. Their soft, silky fleece, similar to cashmere, is used to make yarns and fabrics for luxurious clothing. The tensile strength and durability of alpaca fiber also makes it suitable to being employed in a variety of household goods such as rugs, blankets and quilts. Alpacas in the USA are shorn once a year, early in the spring, to harvest their fiber and to ensure they don’t suffer from summer’s heat and humidity. Learn more info on the fiber aspect of the alpaca.
Alpacas are members of the Camelid family and are related to llamas, vicuna, guanaco and yes, camels! Originating from the high mountains of South America, alpacas are generally not difficult to keep. They require good quality forage – pasture or grass hay – and benefit from supplemental minerals formulated to compensate for any deficiencies in their local diet. Alpacas are compact animals (average 150 lbs), very efficient digesters, and do not require large acreage. Generally, as many as 8-10 alpacas can be grazed on grassy, one-acre (minimum) pastures. Their soft, padded feet are gentler on the soil than livestock with hooves. They use a community dung pile which makes fly and odor control more manageable, too, as well as enabling convenient clean up for intestinal parasite control. They are very environmentally friendly animals to live with – alpacas are green!
Alpacas are good neighbors – quiet and peaceful in their habits. They are capable of producing a variety of sounds, but when they are content and well cared for, they rarely make any sound at all.
Alpacas are hardy animals and like being outdoors most of the time, but need shelter (such as a 3 sided shed) available where they can take refuge from inclement weather. They tolerate cold but need shelter from severely cold wind or sub-freezing temperatures. They need relief from very hot and humid weather as they are subject to heat stress.
Alpacas are gentle natured herd animals and are very social with other alpacas. They are known to suffer stress-induced health problems if kept alone. They prefer the company of other alpacas. Where alpacas are concerned, the larger the herd, the safer and happier they feel. Alpacas embrace the concept of “The more the merrier!”
Alpacas are small and have few defenses against predators. The most common predator causing injury and death to alpacas has turned out to be the free-roaming domestic dog. Secure wire mesh fencing is essential for the protection of alpacas. Many alpaca owners add another layer of protection by keeping Livestock Guard Dogs, or Guardian Llamas in pastures with their alpacas.
As with all other livestock, alpacas need a worming and vaccination protocol appropriate to your farm and general area. Periodically they need their toenails trimmed. Some alpacas need to have their teeth filed or trimmed, also. They don’t often require a vet as most of the necessary medical care can be provided by a trained owner, but it is vital insurance to have an established relationship with a vet familiar with camelids who will make farm calls when you need them.
Alpacas fit the needs of so many people. They are gentle animals, good with children, relatively low maintenance and environmentally friendly! Plus, their fiber can be made into so many exquisite garments and more.
Us
Alpacas in the USA! is a group of alpaca business owners and breeders in the U.S.A. They are dedicated members of a “Close-Knit Family” promoting alpacas and alpaca fiber as a sustainable investment and lifestyle opportunity.
We are responsible for launching the first impact movie about alpacas to be released worldwide! This powerful marketing tool can be viewed by clicking on the link above or here.
This unique group shares radio campaigns, “Family FavorsTM”, point-of-purchase items, advertising, and other exciting, proven effective marketing tools.
Would you like to know more about this unique marketing program and how it can benefit your alpaca business? Watch a movie about investing in alpacas, read more about Alpacas in the USA!, call or e-mail any Alpacas in the USA! family member or contact us.
Join
Our mission is to promote alpacas as an economically viable and environmentally sustainable livestock to own in the USA.
Participation is by Application (with a one-time $30 Application fee in 2010) and/or via “sponsorship” by a Licensed A/USA Family member in good standing. Simply purchase products and/or services from a Participant named on this site, inquire about membership, and/or obtain their recommendation and sponsorship. Some participating farms even pay for the Application fee, so be sure to ask them about that! An A/USA Family member will then contact you for an interview and will provide answers to any questions you may have. Next, the simple, getting-to-know-you Application Form will be sent to you. Once you’ve submitted the Application Form with $30 fee, and are approved to come on board for the Premier movie and website, this document will be sent to you to be signed. Finally, the new Participant sends in their one time Admin/Set-up/Enrollment fee to be added to all databases, set up online as a Licensee of A/USA, and sent all start-up materials; new Participants then submit their Participation fee if they haven’t already.
Becoming an active part of this “Close-Knit Family” of alpaca businesses, farms and breeders enables you to promote your alpaca business optimally, and at a manageable cost. Note that we do not have a “busy” site with a varied and bright mix of outside advertisers on the site, taking focus away from our Participants’ farms and animals, products and services… You will be able to post events, upload pictures and other information, be featured on at least four to five places on the overall website (for no additional charges) in rotation with your fellow A/USA Family folks, sell anything you have to offer in your very own online store with PayPal capabilities, have an elegant home page with a link to any other site you may have, AND you’ll have your own URL you can print on your business cards and other materials.
Participation provides you with use of the impact movie under the terms of the Limited Use License Agreement. You will have the right to purchase high quality CD copies of the impact movie from A/USA – with a full-color label that has room on it for you to put your own contact information sticker, or you may design and order an approved label to be made with your own logo, farm colors and images (it should include our A/USA logo somewhere on it, even if small). As a participant in A/USA, you will be able to freely distribute your copies of the impact movie to potential customers. You will be able to put the movie right into your email signatures and directly onto your own web site. You’ll have the right to show the movie in your farm store, show booth and farm displays, in your barn during farm tours, and at any festivals and street fairs you may attend. Only about 1 percent of the available U.S. alpaca market presently has access to this site and the impact movies, so you will have unique, high-quality and extremely affordable marketing materials to help your business stand out “among the growing mass of alpaca enthusiasts.”
As a member of the Alpacas in the USA! Family you may enjoy “Family Favors,” as they may be offered by various A/USA participating farms and breeders (i.e. offer for participation in Close-Knit Alpacas’ new “One Stop Close-Knit Shop!” program, or discounts off products like The Alpaca Rosa’s “Tooth-A-Matic”), exclusive only to fellow Licensees, referrals from other family members, extra support and resources, and access to other unique marketing tools and opportunities offered “ala carte,” including the opportunity to purchase other Licenses for other impact movies with varying topics of focus; these will remain exclusive to this united group and their customers.
Alpacas in the USA! can help you with graphic design services (CD package customization for the Impact Movies(s) with your farm info), print ads, brochures, logos, brochures, etc.; in-house audio arts services (verbal announcements, radio air-ready commercials, etc.); a spiffy web presence; and a host of ever-changing marketing tools (banners for shows and farm visits, posters, and planned for the not too distant future CD/electronic and other book publications).
Family members are further authorized and encouraged to utilize the Alpacas in the USA! logo and slogan to add prestige to their businesses and to augment their existing marketing programs, while helping to share the important messages of Alpacas in the USA! with people everywhere interested in learning more about the wonderful realities associated with having alpacas in this country. We have web banners available for usage on your website, emails and other applications.
The Initial Join-Up costs for new members in 2010 includes Application, Set-Up/Admin fees and the Licensing fee, renewable annually. ONLY A/USA Family have marketing use of the impact movie and website, and a subscription to the accompanying website – www.AlpacasInTheUSA.com – is included during the licensed year at no additional charge. After payment in full is made for the year, and the Licensing Agreement signed, you will receive the Files you’ll need of the impact movie on a CD for your business’ use. Licensing of the Premier impact movie, combined with Web site subscription and Application fees for 2010 are a total of just $250 per year, not including the Set-Up/Admin. fee of an additional $45.00. NOTE: THIS SET-UP/ADMIN FEE IS BEING WAIVED FOR THE SPRING 2010 SPECIAL DRIVE FOR NEW PARTICIPANTS! A/USA Family members enjoy the ability to put up an unlimited number of listings and images on their pages at no additional fees, plus other features unique to our site. Please take time to thoroughly surf the site!
Contact our founder, Wren Owens, or any participating alpaca business owner named on the Alpacas in the USA! web site for more details, and to start your way on into the hearts of our Family. You may also visit the Home Page for Close-Knit Alpacas on this site to pick up an Application and peruse the store, because there are PayPal Buy Now Buttons there to make the submission of your fees quick and easy!
To submit your application online, visit our Membership Application page!
Resources
All Things Alpaca For Sale!
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Official “Alpacas in the USA!” Store
This little web shop offers all sorts of garments and other products bearing the “Alpacas in the USA!” logo. Take some time to peruse the store and purchase Tee-Shirts, Sweatshirts, hats, mugs, stickers, magnets, bumber stickers, cards, posters, ornaments and more!
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Alpaca Farming Classifieds
This site is for the General Farming community to post ads for alpacas and products at fair market prices, for fair trade and barter, or to give away for free.
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The Alpaca Shopper
This is a great little yahoo group chat site where you may find the alpaca or services you are looking for posted directly by the provider or owner…If you have alpacas or things or services alpaca related for sale, barter or trade, this is a good place to post. Looking for THE alpaca, product or service to answer your needs? Posting is free. Check it out!
Alpaca Organizations
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Alpaca Support
This group was created to provide a forum for alpaca owners who are either experiencing health challenges with their alpacas, especially those that may be or are definitely life-threatening, and for owners who have experienced the loss of alpacas from their herds.
It is the hope of the owner of the site that the forum will provide not only support and guidance, wisdom and knowledge for those seeking help, but that it will also lift the spirits of those feeling down and perhaps discouraged to the point where they actually consider walking away from a life with alpacas. THAT would be a great tragedy… So, perhaps thru this site, we can find each other, support each other, and SUPPORT ALPACAS.
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Alpacas in the USA!
a unique group of like-minded people working together to promote alpacas as an economically viable and environmentally sustainable livestock to own in the USA.
As a “Family Community,” we are dedicated to the principles of sharing, mutual support, and the provision of facts, experiences, and education to those new to alpacas and the universally valuable properties of alpaca fiber.
JOIN US!
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AOBA
The Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association
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ARI
The Alpaca Registry (ARI) is a database housing the genealogy, blood typing/DNA and ownership records of alpacas in North America and those of a few alpacas outside this area. At its inception in late 1988, the Registry mandated blood typing as a requisite for registration and currently accepts only offspring of ARI registered alpacas that qualify by DNA testing.
Alpaca Services
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AlpacaEASE/HerdEASE
The number 1 ranked software to manage your herd and business. Used by over 1000 alpaca breeders nationwide!
See for yourself. Visit our website and download a FREE 30 day trial copy! -
Jeffers Livestock
Jeffers Livestock Fencing and Farm Supplies
Alpaca Shows
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Alpaca Western Extravaganza
Show Dates and Times:
Saturday, April 11 8:30am – 5:00pm
Sunday, April 12 8:00am – 4:00pmShow Entry Deadline:
March 9, 2009No Changes will be accepted after March 27, 2009.
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Best of the Midwest Alpaca Show
Join us for the First Annual Best of the Midwest Alpaca Show and Sale. Stay warm, and enjoy an indoor alpaca event that will offer you a winter get away to show your best. Join us in Columbus, Ohio in March for this welcome to spring event.
The show is a Level IV certified by AOBA Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association (Certification Pending) . We are excited to provide the first regional show of the spring show season, as well as the first regional auction of the year.
Ohio Expo Center and State Fairgrounds
Bricker Building — This handsome, modern facility has 3.5 acres under one roof, with a 20′ ceiling, and over 152,000 sq. ft of space. It has hosted several Alpaca shows and has proven to be a perfect venue for our industry.
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Breeder’s Showcase
May 8 – 10, 2009
Toyota Arena, York County Fairgrounds
York, PennsylvaniaPennsylvania Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association
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Buckeye Alpaca Show
When – May 2nd and 3rd
Where – 717 East Seventeenth Avenue
Columbus, OH 43211Fun for the whole family. Come and see these unique and beautiful creatures that will be on display at the Expo Center May 2nd & 3rd from 8 – 5 each day. The Buckeye Alpaca Show expects a record number of Alpacas from more than 15 states, and is expected to draw in almost 1,500 exhibitors and spectators. Also available during the show will be various demonstrations, special events for children, silent auction, and vendors selling unique fashion items made out of natural Alpaca fiber. More than 1,000 Alpacas are expected to participate in this highly anticipated Alpaca Show. The Buckeye Alpaca Show is a non-profit show benefiting the International Camelid Institute and the School of Veterinary Medicine at The Ohio State University.
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California Classic
April 25 – 26, 2009
We invite you to participate in a Premier Spring Alpaca Show Event. Come to the easy to access Alameda County Fairgrounds for an exciting Full Fleece Halter show, Performance show AND, for the first time, a Spin-Off!
GELDING CLASSES!! Bring your geldings to the show for a new class just for geldings – compete in color championships if minimum entries are met!
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Carolina Alpaca Celebration
CABO is excited to announce the 2009 Carolina Alpaca Celebration to be held at the Cabarrus Arena and Events Center in Concord, North Carolina. We have had excellent responses to our previous shows and expect this event to be even better! This is an AOBA certified event.
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Empire Extravaganza
Every year, mid to late October
The Empire Alpaca Association is very proud to sponsor this, large and exciting Level 5 show.
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Indiana Alpaca Invitational
Next Show: April 4 – 5, 2009
Indiana Alpacas, Inc is a private organization of Indiana alpaca breeders created with the goal of founding, organizing and managing alpaca related events within the State of Indiana with the intention of benefiting the alpaca industry and related charities.
Our first year was a huge success! Over 1100 alpacas from across the country came to compete. Our Silent Auction and Herdsire Breeding Auction raised nearly $10,000 for local FFA and Young Farmers chapters and for Purdue University. As a first-time show, we certainly had our hiccups, but overall most participants agreed that the IAI was a well organized, first class show. Be ready for some changes that will make this
year’s IAI show even better!In 2009, we will be limiting the size of the show so that everyone attending can be in the Main Expo. We are also changing the host hotel.
New for 2009 is a Fleece Show!
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Kentucky Classic Alpaca Show
The Kentucky Classic Alpaca Show is one of the Nation’s premiere alpaca shows. Visit our site for information on all the Kentucky Classic Alpaca Shows throughout the years.
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MAPACA Jubilee
MaPaca is a cooperative group of alpaca breeders in the Mid-Atlantic states of Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia.
Next show: April 23rd thru the 26th, 2009.
It’s the MaPaca Jubilee’s 13th year, again located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex, April 23-26. New and exciting are the key words to this years show. Admission is free to the public. Get ready to be part of the all new and exciting 2009 MAPACA Jubilee!
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Maryland Alpaca Show
The Maryland Alpaca Show & Sale brings the most beautiful, intelligent and truly “huggable” alpacas (smaller, gentle members of the llama family) to the Baltimore metro area April 18th – 19th 2009.
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Minnesota Alpaca Expo
Minnesota Alpaca Expo is a Level IV Halter & Level I Fleece Show!!!!
Please watch for deadlines and they will be different for 2009.
Online Registrations will be available January 2009! Please sign up early due to early sell out in 2008. -
MOPACA Alpaca Invitational Show
Next Show:
March 27 – 29, 2009AOBA Certified
Level IV ShowLocation
American Royal/Hale Arena
Kansas City, MOFleece Judges
Babs Manion & Sharon LonerHalter Judges
Babs Manion & Sharon LonerPhoto Contest Judge
Karl Timmerman, M.A.J.D. -
North American Alpaca Show
Next Show: April 2-5, 2009
Location: Eastern States Expo Center
1305 Memorial Avenue (Route 147)
West Springfield, Massachusetts -
Southern Select Alpaca Show
The Southeastern Alpaca Association, an AOBA affiliate, is pleased to invite you to the Southern Select 2009, 8th annual Alpaca Show at the Calsonic Arena in Shelbyville, Tennessee.
On March 7-8, 2009, we anticipate hosting one of the premier halter and fleece shows in the nation with a Level IV halter and Level II fleece show.
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Spring Bling Alpaca Show
Great alpaca show with fun classes for kids, too. Come join us!
Date: March 21-22, 2009.
We are excited to host our second annual SPRING BLING Alpaca Show, March 21-22 2009. The start of the show season for many. So mark your calendars, and we’ll see you in March 09 at the Tri County Arena, Neenah, Wisconsin!
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Sunshine State Alpaca Expo and Auction
The Florida Alpaca Breeders Association is excited to have you as our guest at The Sunshine State Alpaca EXPO and Auction 2009.
This year promises to be filled with fun and new ideas for our Exhibitors and everyone in attendance.
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The Northeast Alpaca Expo
MAY 2 & 3, 2009
The Expo should be an AOBA Certified Level 4 or 5 show judged on a 50/50 comparative judging basis. We will have full fleece, shorn and composite classes, shearing on site and a full line up of seminars for all levels of alpaca knowledge.
Show Superintendent: Melissa Young
Judges:
Amanda VandenBosch – Full Fleece Huacaya Males
Mike Safley – Full Fleece Huacaya Females
Jude Anderson – Suris, Brown Huacaya Males, all shorn and composite classes
Visit our website www.NEAlpacaExpo.com to learn more. This is a brand new website and content is growing everyday.
Registration will open February 9, 2009
Alpacas and Camelid Husbandry
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Cornell Camelid Program for Breeders
Visit this page for the latest information regarding the next scheduled Program to be conducted by Cornell University Large Animal Hospital specifically for Alpaca Breeders. Register Early to secure your space!
You can click on the link below, or get the complete brochure by using this link:
http://www.vet.cornell.edu/education/ConEd.htm
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Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine
Visit this outstanding university with its growing Camelid Department when you have any emergency or special cases with your alpacas. The veterinarians, students, staff and facilities are top-notch. Call 1-607-253-3100 for the Large Animal Hospital (where farm animals such as alpacas are treated).
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Preventing heatstress
Good information from Dr. David Anderson on keeping your alpacas cool in the heat!
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What IS an Alpaca, exactly?
Everybody’s shared this question at one time or another….What IS an alpaca and what is an alpaca NOT? Huh?
Alpacas as an Investment
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Foundations for Success / Alpaca 101+ Buyers
Educational seminars
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The Value of Alpaca
Information about the investment potential of alpacas, and shared factual information reprinted with permission of AOBA.
Fiber Facts & Resources
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Alpaca Fiber Alliance
The Alpaca Fiber Alliance is a group of alpaca farmers, breeders, fleece judges, fiber artists, processors and manufacturers, wholesalers, reps, retailers, and alpaca enthusiasts. AFA members are desirous of opportunities to network and coordinate all efforts toward the end goal of seeing alpaca fiber become a main staple in the textile market worldwide.
Fiber Processing
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The Alpaca Fiber Cooperative of North America
AFCNA is an agricultural cooperative formed and owned by alpaca producers in North America for the purpose of collecting and processing alpaca fiber and distributing alpaca fiber and related products and the profit from them to its owners (members).
Fleece Shows
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Empire Alpaca Fleece Event
February 6-8, 2009
Participate in a full encompassing fleece show so BIG we needed to call it a Fleece Event
The 2009 Empire Fleece Event held in conjunction with the Empire Education Symposium.
Members
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