Joining the Healthy Lifestyle Community of An Alpaca Breeder

As you travel the beautiful eastern United States Alpaca regions talking to breeders, seeing their farms, learning more about the fantastic world of Alpacas, you quickly realize people have been attracted to Alpaca breeding for a number of reasons...a love of this unique animal, a remarkable investment and tax management opportunity, fiber production, and the craft of spinning and weaving. Woven through all the stories of each breeder is a consistent, central theme. It's lifestyle. A healthy, family-oriented, out-of-doors lifestyle that is incorporated into the daily life-rhythm of this wonderful creature you are now being introduced to...the alpaca.

Alpaca owners and breeders come from every conceivable background - doctors, teachers, scientists, senior government officials, Wall Street insiders, homemakers, accountants, corporate executives, fashion and fabric designers - they all meet on the common ground of finding a lifestyle so perfect, so wonderful, they would never consider changing. We can't imagine where else in our modern society you will find such commitment to a way of life.

You will hear many stories of the stress-filled corporate life - constant traveling, long commutes, endless meetings, long periods away from loved ones. No more. It's fascinating to watch the always inevitable relaxed face and gentle smile that comes as your host begins describing the out-of-doors, family-together, healthy lifestyle that comes naturally from a life of tending and breeding Alpacas.

Case in point is Sue Ann Wilms and her husband Heinz at Brookmere Farm near Frederick, Maryland. Two years prior to Heinz' retirement from the Food & Drug Administration, they thought adding Llamas to the pastures where they board horses would be a sensible extention of their business. While they didn't know the first thing about Alpacas, as you will often hear, learning about Llamas usually leads to Alpacas. In the case of Sue Ann and Heinz, "It was love at first sight." By the spring of 1997 they bought six animals to start their herd and had enjoyed the birth of their first cria. Over the next few years they plan to grow their herd to 15 females and 4 to 6 males which, according to Sue Ann, "will prove extremely profitable, easy to manage and provide for our long-term retirement needs." Sue Ann says of her new lifestyle, "We have three children and their families living nearby. Our two-year-old granddaughter loves the Alpacas and we have no fear of her being with them."

On the other end of the spectrum are Tim and Cindy Lavan of the Chase Tavern Farm in Bowdoin, Maine. They are both 29 years old, have been married for four years, and have a 10-month old son named Charlie. They have been breeding Alpacas for almost three years.

Four years ago, Tim was a well-ensconced federal government employee plying his computer skills, living on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, and loving life as a young bachelor. He was swept off his feet by Cindy, who was doing her graduate work in biochemistry at George Washington University. That was 1993 and about the same time he read a USA Today article on the fantastic investment opportunities in Alpaca breeding.

Tim and Cindy got married, sold Tim's Capitol Hill home and bought their 150-acre Maine dream farm. By February, 1994, they had six Alpacas in residence and their new lifestyle was launched. They now have 44 Alpacas, 30 of which are theirs and the others are boarders. They also have sheep. "So far," says Cindy, "we've been able to name all our animals after relatives on both sides of the family."

From the investment side, they are already making "impressive sums" from their breeding. While they were among the first Alpaca farms in Maine, now there are nine. There is also a very strong cottage industry of handspinners in the state who purchase all of the fiber they harvest. The sale of fiber covers all their feed costs.

"The best part of living with Alpacas," says Cindy, "is the daily enjoyment the animals give us. It's the tiniest little things - the way they look at you, the way they want to be touched and helped, and the way they play and romp with each other. Every day is just a neat experience." Tim's parents live just 40 minutes away and Cindy's are in Baltimore. When Cindy and Tim are away, Cindy's parents love to come to the farm and baby-sit the animals. "My dad loves it. He does all the chores and extra things around the farm when he comes up. He'll do anything just as long as he can use the tractor."

Jan Hensle, to date the only Alpaca breeder in Rhode Island, started in 1991, which makes her very nearly an old-timer in the American Alpaca business. But getting to Alpaca breeding was a circuitous route for Jan just as it has been for most breeders. Born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, she was a research pharmacologist, who later married a surgeon and moved to New Jersey. After 25 years of marriage there was a "disastrous divorce, so I needed to find a new life," says Jan.

After reading two articles about Llamas in the New York Times, Jan went to a few nearby Alpaca farms and, you guessed it - "fell in love with them." She bought a small farm in Rhode Island in 1991 and started with three animals. Today she has 30 animals.

Jim and Karen Dewhirst were a young married couple climbing the corporate ladder and loving life - San Francisco style. The Bay Area nightlife and recreational opportunities were phenomenal. With stockpiles of frequent flyer miles they roamed the world. Then suddenly life changed. Children! At this juncture they were given the opportunity to buy Jim's family farm, Cross Creek Farm, in rural Decatur, Tennessee. Jim landed a job at the county bank and Karen set about becoming a farmer.

They knew they wanted livestock that met the following criteria: animals small enough to handle confidently; attractive without offensive odors, a profitable by-product not requiring slaughter; animals that required no special equipment; and safe enough for their children to be in and among without supervision. And finally, a livestock investment with an exceptional ROI. While researching other livestock options they discovered Alpacas. "The alpacas surpassed every one of our expectations, and the Alpaca people we met were so friendly and helpful."