A Passion for Alpacas
Like the ranchers at Squire Creek, many folks in Washington are getting excited about alpacas, those fleecy, four-legged South American transplants with perpetual smiles and loads of personality. Sure, the animals are cute, curious, clever, and even cuddly, but that's not what all the excitement is about. Washington's more than 16,000 registered alpacas are the second largest herd in the U.S. (after Ohio) and account for a sizable slice of what experts estimate to be a billion-dollar industry in the U.S. What was once a sideline or hobby for many who acquired that first adorable alpaca has become a lifestyle, a livelihood, and in some cases very big business.
For those considering raising alpacas for the first time, Laurie Duff-Robertson, Secretary of Pacific Northwest Alpaca Association and owner of Mountain Silk Alpacas in Spokane, sees the current market as ripe for entry, even in the face of increasing costs to maintain the animals. "With fuel prices going up, feed prices on the rise, and the economic downturn, alpaca sales are down," Laurie explains. "Some of the original ranchers who got into the business a few decades ago are retiring and selling off their herds. It's a buyers' market right now."
Even in the current market, champion breeding males with a top-of-line pedigree have been known to fetch half a million dollars, according to Randy Snow, General Manager at Alpacas of America near Tenino, Washington, but the average alpaca sells for $10,000 to $80,000, some for even less, all depending on gender, breeding potential, and pedigree. The greatest single herd outside of South America grazes Alpacas of America's pastures. With roughly 1,600 to 2,000 animals at any given time, this mega-ranch is perhaps the best spot in North America for the uninitiated to gain an appreciation for the two alpaca varieties, the vast color variations and all things alpaca.
In Washington, more than 700 alpaca owners have registered their animals with Alpaca Registry, Inc. (ARI), the worldwide organization that, through state-of-the-art DNA testing, validates and records alpaca bloodlines and maintains a database containing information about each animal and its pedigree. In the U.S., only the offspring of registered parents are eligible for registration, and the registered U.S. herd has long been closed to imported animals. These safeguards maintain the purity of the bloodline, desirable qualities in the animals and the value of each registered alpaca in the national herd.
Alpaca breeding in terms of both sire services and sales of cria can be a lucrative business, but with a single female giving birth at a rate of only one cria per year the industry experiences a naturally slow rate of growth. From 2007 to 2008, the number of new alpacas registered nationwide increased only 6 percent.
In the business of alpaca ranching, breeding and animal sales generate the bulk of the revenue, but fleece is an important component of the industry as well. This luxury fiber is commercially well-established in South America, and U.S. ranchers, including many in Washington, are working hard to create a stronger presence for themselves in the alpaca fiber market. Each alpaca yields two to five pounds of fleece annually, with the two varieties of alpacas producing very different textures of fiber. Suri alpacas sport long silky ringlets used in softer, up-market textiles. The more prevalent Huacaya alpacas grow a crimped, frizzy fleece that's commonly spun into high-end yarn.
Some ranchers sell raw fleece, home-spun yarn, and even finished alpaca textile products at on-line or on-site shops, and many are banding together to take advantage of economies of scale. Mark and Rebecca Suryan laid eyes on their first alpaca at the Western Washington State Fair in Puyallup more than ten years ago, and the next thing they knew they were selling their home and starting an alpaca ranch. Today, they own Alpacas from MaRS (named for their initials) in Snohomish, a mid-size ranch of about forty alpacas. Besides the business of breeding and livestock sales, they are members of Alpaca Fiber Cooperative of North America, along with many other ranchers who want to collectively leverage their fleece yield for lower processing costs and top dollar in the marketplace. The Suryans send half of their herd's yield to the co-op. "We're working to build a fiber industry," Rebecca says. "It's on a small scale now, but the co-op is a very positive step forward." In 2007, the co-op collected 20,000 pounds of fleece from members, and in 2008 that yield more than doubled.
In any business, reputation is crucial, and alpaca ranching is no different. A number of shows certified by Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association (AOBA) give ranchers an opportunity to showcase the best of their herds and garner some well-earned kudos. Shows feature three classes of events: halter, fleece and performance. In the halter class, judges weigh in on each entrant's conformation to breed standards; in the fleece class, the quality of the fleece is scrutinized and judged; and in the performance class, handlers (often children) lead alpacas through an obstacle course, not unlike an agility competition for dogs.
When someone considers making a living at raising alpacas, the initial motivation is often simply the desire to shift lifestyles, to trade the board room for the barn, to swap the stresses of city life for more wide-open spaces. And then, when nose to nose with that first alpaca, the deal is usually sealed.
Megan Burleson of Merrimac Alpacas in Snohomish admits that when she saw her first alpaca in 2001 she was hooked. Today, as the owner and caretaker of an entire herd, she can't imagine any other lifestyle. Megan perhaps sums it up best: "Once you fall in love, you can't go back."