By Mike Maslanik, staff writer
Messenger Post
West Bloomfield, N.Y. — Hot Cakes is a new feature that highlights some of the area’s top-selling items. This time, we’re taking a look at a popular clothing item that comes from an unusual source.
What is it?
Alpaca wool socks, available through Lazy Acre alpaca farm on Baker Road in West Bloomfield. Farm owner Mark Gilbride is a member of a nationwide cooperative of alpaca farmers who raise the animals, shear them and send the fleece to Peru, where it is made into a number of clothing items.
Why do people want them?
Gilbride said the hardest part about owning a pair of alpaca socks is taking them off to put them in the wash. The socks are durable, incredibly comfortable and warm no matter how thin they are. Gilbride said that some of his best customers are police officers who need thin dress socks for their uniforms but need something warm for when they get out of their cars to direct traffic.
Where can you find them?
Lazy Acre alpaca wool socks can be purchased at a retail store at the farm, 8830 Baker Road in Bloomfield; at the Dryer-Loomis Emporium, 72 W. Main St. in Victor; and at the Simply Unique Gift Shop, at 18 Main St. in Bloomfield. You can also shop online at www.alpacacountryny.com.
How much do they cost?
A pair of alpaca wool socks can cost anywhere from $11 to $27, depending on the thickness and how much alpaca fleece they contain, Gilbride said.
Wednesday
Sunday
This is the Way to Do IT!
School music booster club to sell alpaca manure
(AP) – 2 days ago
ST. CHARLES, Ill. — The music booster club at Central Community Unit School District 301 in St. Charles isn't bothering with bake sales and car washes this year. Instead, it's selling bags of something promoters call "paca poo." Minus the cute name, the product is alpaca manure.
Booster club secretary Gudrun Dorgan said it is a great garden fertilizer, and it comes in little pellets that are easy to work into the ground.
Parents, students and teachers will be scooping and selling droppings on Saturday at Inspiration Farm Alpacas. A 30-pound bag will cost $10.
Farm owner Jeff Koehl has been raising alpacas for four years and usually sells manure for profit. He said alpacas digest their food more efficiently than most farm animals, so their waste doesn't smell too bad and doesn't require lengthy composting.
(AP) – 2 days ago
ST. CHARLES, Ill. — The music booster club at Central Community Unit School District 301 in St. Charles isn't bothering with bake sales and car washes this year. Instead, it's selling bags of something promoters call "paca poo." Minus the cute name, the product is alpaca manure.
Booster club secretary Gudrun Dorgan said it is a great garden fertilizer, and it comes in little pellets that are easy to work into the ground.
Parents, students and teachers will be scooping and selling droppings on Saturday at Inspiration Farm Alpacas. A 30-pound bag will cost $10.
Farm owner Jeff Koehl has been raising alpacas for four years and usually sells manure for profit. He said alpacas digest their food more efficiently than most farm animals, so their waste doesn't smell too bad and doesn't require lengthy composting.
Friday
Alpaca (and Career) Saving with Matthew Modine
Alpacas? Sweet. Sweet faces, soft hair. We just want to say that up front. We're sweet on those fuzzy camelids.
And when we say we've been laughing about the name of the new play that opened on September 8th at the Geffen Playhouse -- "Matthew Modine Saves the Alpacas" -- we of course are not laughing at alpacas.
Well, sometimes, when they're chewing. Because they're so cute and comical.
Well, sometimes, when they're chewing. Because they're so cute and comical.
Nor are we laughing at Mr. Modine. "Vision Quest"? You adore that movie, too. But the whole idea behind the new play from Blair Singer is inspiring the guffaws. The plot: A once-famous actor who has seen his star set takes up a cause to return him to the headlines. That cause: the alpaca. The star: Matthew Modine.
Is there a bit of winking going on here? Why yes, in fact. There is.
There are few subjects riper for satire than celebrities and their various causes. In some cases, the cause is brought to the forefront of our minds by being attached to a big name, which is a good thing. But we've all wondered, on occasion, okay, frequently, about the famous person who uses his soapbox to further his fortunes.
And, before we go. Stars starring in things as sly versions of themselves: love. "Being John Malkovich" with John Malkovich and "Cold Souls" with Paul Giamatti as Paul Giamatti are two examples. We want more, playwrights/screenwriters of the world. More!
"Matthew Modine Saves the Alpacas" is at the Geffen Playhouse from September 8th-October 18th.
Wednesday
Strung together: Love of knitting meets unique fabric
BLACK RIVER FALLS — When Bette Marshall saw the alpacas on her daughter’s farm for the first time, she thought they were cute. But when she saw the fleece, she got a little more serious.
“I told her ‘You should have some of this made into yarn,’” Marshall said. Marshall, of Black River Falls, has been knitting, sewing and crocheting for about 53 years. While she has mainly done it as a hobby or to create necessities for the family, her work with alpaca fiber has put her skills in higher demand. She even recently placed first in two categories at a fiber artist competition.
“She’s always knitted and crocheted as long as I could remember,” said Marshall’s daughter Nadine Beezley. “She’s always done such good work, although I don’t think she’s ever really known it until now.”
Marshall love of the alpaca fiber began about three years ago after Beezley began raising alpacas on her Hickory Wind Farm in Bangor.
Alpacas have been a growing industry in the United States since they are no longer imported, and breeding has made the business profitable. Alpaca fleece has been catching on as well.
Alpacas are usually sheared once a year and one can produce two to five pounds of fiber, which is soft and light and hypoallergenic.
Marshall made some scarves and a couch throw for a wedding present and started asking for more alpaca fiber.
“It’s so soft — it makes all the difference in the world,” said Marshall, 78. “The fiber is like working between twine and silk thread.”
Beezley took a couple of scarves to a farmers market for a display when someone asked how much she wanted for one.“Once I put a price on it, they started selling like hotcakes,” Beezley said.
Marshall’s alpaca sweaters, booties, hats, scarves and afghans were popular at two open houses on the farm.
Beezley even entered her mother’s work into the Fall Festival Alpaca Show in Loveland, Colo. Marshall’s prairie shawl and scarf won first prizes.Marshall is a self-taught knitter.
As a child, Beezley wanted a sweater with dogs and cats on it.
“Well, we couldn’t afford that,” Marshall said, “so I went and got me some yarn and it’s been an undying love since then.”
Beezley has set aside an area for alpaca products at Hickory Wind, currently available by appointment and during open houses.“(Nadine) comes up with the ideas and I just knit them,” Marshall said. “As long as she keeps supplying me with yarn, I’ll keep doing it.”
.
“I told her ‘You should have some of this made into yarn,’” Marshall said. Marshall, of Black River Falls, has been knitting, sewing and crocheting for about 53 years. While she has mainly done it as a hobby or to create necessities for the family, her work with alpaca fiber has put her skills in higher demand. She even recently placed first in two categories at a fiber artist competition.
“She’s always knitted and crocheted as long as I could remember,” said Marshall’s daughter Nadine Beezley. “She’s always done such good work, although I don’t think she’s ever really known it until now.”
Marshall love of the alpaca fiber began about three years ago after Beezley began raising alpacas on her Hickory Wind Farm in Bangor.
Alpacas have been a growing industry in the United States since they are no longer imported, and breeding has made the business profitable. Alpaca fleece has been catching on as well.
Alpacas are usually sheared once a year and one can produce two to five pounds of fiber, which is soft and light and hypoallergenic.
Marshall made some scarves and a couch throw for a wedding present and started asking for more alpaca fiber.
“It’s so soft — it makes all the difference in the world,” said Marshall, 78. “The fiber is like working between twine and silk thread.”
Beezley took a couple of scarves to a farmers market for a display when someone asked how much she wanted for one.“Once I put a price on it, they started selling like hotcakes,” Beezley said.
Marshall’s alpaca sweaters, booties, hats, scarves and afghans were popular at two open houses on the farm.
Beezley even entered her mother’s work into the Fall Festival Alpaca Show in Loveland, Colo. Marshall’s prairie shawl and scarf won first prizes.Marshall is a self-taught knitter.
As a child, Beezley wanted a sweater with dogs and cats on it.
“Well, we couldn’t afford that,” Marshall said, “so I went and got me some yarn and it’s been an undying love since then.”
Beezley has set aside an area for alpaca products at Hickory Wind, currently available by appointment and during open houses.“(Nadine) comes up with the ideas and I just knit them,” Marshall said. “As long as she keeps supplying me with yarn, I’ll keep doing it.”
.
Sunday
Number of alpaca farms growing in the Wiregrass
Romeo loves Juliet.
His affection is clear in the way he follows her around the yard, frolics with her in the dirt, nibbles at her fur and sniffs her ... uh, well, you know.
Alas, Romeo will have to wait. Juliet, born in April, is too young for Romeo, himself born in November. As a female alpaca, Juliet needs to be 18 months old before she can mate and have a baby alpaca, called a cria. But Romeo and Juliet’s young love affair leaves owner Chris Miller hopeful of the area’s growing alpaca population.
Miller and his wife, Sue Ellen, started alpaca farming nearly a year ago after attending National Alpaca Farm Day. Their Wicksburg farm, called Humming Hills Alpacas (named for the alpaca’s penchant for humming), is now home to six alpacas.
“They’re a lot like cats,” Chris Miller said. “They’re very curious. They want to be around you, but they don’t want you to invade their space.”
For the second year, local alpaca farmers will participate in National Alpaca Farm Day. Last year’s event only had two farms — one in Ozark and one in Dothan. This year’s event, set for Sept. 27 and 28, will have five local alpaca farms (two at one location) open for the public to visit and get a closer look at these creatures.
Native to the Andes Mountain range of South America — particularly Peru, Bolivia and Chile — alpacas are camelids and cousins to the llama. They were first imported to the United States in 1984, according to the Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association. Today there are more than 120,000 alpacas registered with the Alpaca Information Management System.
Since last year’s farm day, there have been at least three new alpaca farms started in the Wiregrass.
“We’ve seen a big interest since alpaca farm day last year,” said Jerry Sanders, who owns Alabama Peanuts and Pacas in Ozark. “Of course, we had nearly 300 people in attendance last year over the weekend. We sold animals after the event last year ... Last month, we sold nine alpacas to new farms. We just delivered four two weeks ago to a new farm in Andalusia.”
When the Millers visited Oak-Leigh Peacocks and Alpacas in Dothan last year, they didn’t intend to become alpaca farmers.
“We had five acres, and we weren’t doing anything with it,” Miller said.
They helped out on local alpaca farms to get a feel for the work involved. They outfitted some of their property with fencing. A group a Great Pyrenees dogs share the network of pens with the alpacas. The big territorial dogs leave the alpacas alone, but chase off potential predators.
An alpaca doesn’t come cheap. Average is around $10,000 and up to $30,000 per animal. Some can cost much more. Herds don’t grow quickly. A female alpaca will carry a cria for nearly a year before giving birth. And they only have one cria at a time. It can be several years before a farmer makes any money off fiber.
Sanders has about 28 to 30 alpacas in his herd.
“They’re gentle animals — fluffy and huggable,” Sanders said. “You just want to go up and grab them and hug them. They’re the type of animal people want to put their hands on.”
Alpacas are herd animals; it’s not recommended to have just one. Their fiber is soft, lightweight and warm but without the itchy feeling of wool. It’s a popular yarn for clothing in South America. It’s also naturally hypoallergenic and comes in 22 natural colors. Because of their furry coats, alpacas have to be watched carefully in the summer, especially here in the South. Miller puts out kiddie pools for his alpacas and will hose them down on a regular basis to keep them cool.
While skittish of unfamiliar adults, alpacas seem to have no problem with children. Why that is, breeders don’t know for sure. But it’s an aspect of their personalities that make the farm day event fun.
“They’re not at all threatened by kids,” Miller said. “It’s like they sense they’re a little one.”
His affection is clear in the way he follows her around the yard, frolics with her in the dirt, nibbles at her fur and sniffs her ... uh, well, you know.
Alas, Romeo will have to wait. Juliet, born in April, is too young for Romeo, himself born in November. As a female alpaca, Juliet needs to be 18 months old before she can mate and have a baby alpaca, called a cria. But Romeo and Juliet’s young love affair leaves owner Chris Miller hopeful of the area’s growing alpaca population.
Miller and his wife, Sue Ellen, started alpaca farming nearly a year ago after attending National Alpaca Farm Day. Their Wicksburg farm, called Humming Hills Alpacas (named for the alpaca’s penchant for humming), is now home to six alpacas.
“They’re a lot like cats,” Chris Miller said. “They’re very curious. They want to be around you, but they don’t want you to invade their space.”
For the second year, local alpaca farmers will participate in National Alpaca Farm Day. Last year’s event only had two farms — one in Ozark and one in Dothan. This year’s event, set for Sept. 27 and 28, will have five local alpaca farms (two at one location) open for the public to visit and get a closer look at these creatures.
Native to the Andes Mountain range of South America — particularly Peru, Bolivia and Chile — alpacas are camelids and cousins to the llama. They were first imported to the United States in 1984, according to the Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association. Today there are more than 120,000 alpacas registered with the Alpaca Information Management System.
Since last year’s farm day, there have been at least three new alpaca farms started in the Wiregrass.
“We’ve seen a big interest since alpaca farm day last year,” said Jerry Sanders, who owns Alabama Peanuts and Pacas in Ozark. “Of course, we had nearly 300 people in attendance last year over the weekend. We sold animals after the event last year ... Last month, we sold nine alpacas to new farms. We just delivered four two weeks ago to a new farm in Andalusia.”
When the Millers visited Oak-Leigh Peacocks and Alpacas in Dothan last year, they didn’t intend to become alpaca farmers.
“We had five acres, and we weren’t doing anything with it,” Miller said.
They helped out on local alpaca farms to get a feel for the work involved. They outfitted some of their property with fencing. A group a Great Pyrenees dogs share the network of pens with the alpacas. The big territorial dogs leave the alpacas alone, but chase off potential predators.
An alpaca doesn’t come cheap. Average is around $10,000 and up to $30,000 per animal. Some can cost much more. Herds don’t grow quickly. A female alpaca will carry a cria for nearly a year before giving birth. And they only have one cria at a time. It can be several years before a farmer makes any money off fiber.
Sanders has about 28 to 30 alpacas in his herd.
“They’re gentle animals — fluffy and huggable,” Sanders said. “You just want to go up and grab them and hug them. They’re the type of animal people want to put their hands on.”
Alpacas are herd animals; it’s not recommended to have just one. Their fiber is soft, lightweight and warm but without the itchy feeling of wool. It’s a popular yarn for clothing in South America. It’s also naturally hypoallergenic and comes in 22 natural colors. Because of their furry coats, alpacas have to be watched carefully in the summer, especially here in the South. Miller puts out kiddie pools for his alpacas and will hose them down on a regular basis to keep them cool.
While skittish of unfamiliar adults, alpacas seem to have no problem with children. Why that is, breeders don’t know for sure. But it’s an aspect of their personalities that make the farm day event fun.
“They’re not at all threatened by kids,” Miller said. “It’s like they sense they’re a little one.”
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