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Business: Creature Comforts
More Than an Occupation, Alpaca Farming is a Way of Life
by Emily Dolly + photos by Kata Rishel
• • •
There’s a certain calm that settles over the sweeping fields of Annapaca, Bert and Ann Kramer’s 100-acre East Hagerstown farm. Here, life seems to slow and intensify, and the land practically sings with a gentle, vibrant energy. Or perhaps this is just the audible hum of the Kramers’ alpaca herd, 25 petite, fluffy and mild-mannered members of the camel family, who commonly emit this soft noise as a means of communication.
About half the size of their better-known cousin, the llama, and just as fluffy as a sheep — though with a finer, softer, lanolin-free coat — these South American natives are gaining ground in Washington County and surrounding areas. And, in the process, they’re providing Bert, Ann and others like them with a means for both economic and existential well-being. “In 2000, we were the only alpaca breeders in Washington County,” Bert says. “Now there are five or six others…. I think there’s a trend of people moving out of the cities to adopt a more rural lifestyle.”
Fiber Farming
The Kramers themselves traded an urban life in Montgomery County, Md., for Annapaca and its denizens, whose coats run the gamut in terms of color: white, grey, tan, fawn, chocolate and black. Alpacas are the only fiber-bearing livestock to naturally produce this range of shading, and they have been bred to improve their fleece — comparable to cashmere in fineness — for more than 5,000 years. Garments made from alpaca fiber are known for being soft, warm, durable, lightweight and lustrous. And The Alpaca Shop, the Kramers’ year-round retail market at Annapaca, offers customers an impressive selection of sweaters, coats, blankets, rugs, socks, gloves and even silky-soft alpaca Teddy Bears. The Alpaca Shop also carries raw fleece, rovings (fiber that has been washed and processed into long strands for spinning) and yarn.
Pam Knepper, an alpaca farmer and fiber artist from Greencastle, Pa., has long enjoyed working with the distinctive alpaca fleece — and her love of its properties inspired her to found her farm, Humming Brook. “I wanted people to be able to enjoy what I was enjoying with the fiber,” she says. But Pam also recognizes the subtler benefits of her lifestyle. “I like to have contact with my animals every day. That’s one of my really spiritual times.”
Similarly, Bert and Ann believe the personal gain of working with alpacas far outweighs the monetary. Yet serious alpaca breeders can make a hefty profit. Though Ann says prices for non-breeding animals can be as low as $300–$400, the average price for a young male starts at about $2,000, young females sell for a starting price of about $8,000, and alpacas from top bloodlines can fetch $30,000–$50,000. Bert relates the tale of a prize-winning alpaca herd-sire, an interest in which sold for a whopping $750,000 — “the highest price ever paid.” These impressive price tags stem partially from the fact that alpacas are still relatively scarce in this part of the world. Though approximately 3.5 million alpacas live in Peru, there are only an estimated 100,000 registered in the United States, and barriers to importation prevent new alpacas from entering the country.
‘Huggable Investments’
Alpacas gain added value through other unique characteristics. In addition to being “light on the land,” intelligent, peaceful and hardy, there’s also the undeniable fact that “They’re just so cute…. They look like little teddy bears,” says Pam. “They’re called a ‘huggable investment,’ and anybody who’s around these animals wants to take them home.” Dr. Tracy Burlap, an alpaca owner and small animal vet at Longmeadow Animal Hospital in Hagerstown agrees. “Once you meet them, it’s hard not to like them and be intrigued.” Tracy had her first alpaca experience when she met Bert and a few of his herd at the Smithsburg Pride Days festival several years ago. “I was fascinated by him and the animals and by the whole concept of a gentle livestock farming — one that doesn’t typically involve slaughter.”
With her husband, Michael McIntyre, Tracy established FireRobin Farm near Ringgold in order to deepen her connection with the captivating creatures. And, though she’s in the “herd-building, start-up phase of the business,” she is working toward an ambition shared by many of her fellow alpaca farmers. “It’s a simple life,” she says. “You’re out in nature more, out in the fresh air. To do that full-time — I think that’s the goal for a lot of people and one of the biggest draws to the industry.” Ann, who is lucky enough to live a full-time alpaca-filled existence affirms, “Alpacas are very gentle animals, and this is a very gentle lifestyle.”
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Catch the alpaca craze with a visit to one of these local alpaca farms:
Alpine Alpacas
10719 White Hall Road, Hagerstown
301-393-5878
www.alpinealpaca.com
By appointment only
Annapaca Farm/The Alpaca Shop
10702 Mapleville Road, Hagerstown
301-824-2840
www.annapaca.com
FireRobin Farm
21708 Ringgold Pike
Hagerstown, MD 21742
301-797-0450
www.firerobinfarm.com
By appointment only
Humming Brook Farm
11357 Cool Hollow Road
Greencastle, PA 17225
717-597-9043
By appointment only
Millstone Manor Farm
14103 Rockdale Road
Clear Spring, MD 21722
301-582-9494
www.millstonemanor.com
By appointment only
Prairie Lake Alpacas
Smithsburg, MD 21783
301-416-0833
www.prairielakealpacas.com
By appointment only
Yes Suri Alpacas!
11605 Old Frederick Road
Thurmont, Md.
301-898-9075
This list might not be all-inclusive.
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