NEAOBA News, Spring 2008
From GREEN CHOICES FOR RUNNING VILLAGE FARM ALPACAS
Energy Efficiency and How We Brought our 1840 Farm into the Twenty First Century
By Terry Callery of Village Farm Alpacas
with Bob Weintraub of Cloud Hollow Farm
When Bonnie and I purchased our 22 acre farm in coastal Waldoboro Maine 10 years ago, we did so because of the terrific old three story English-style red barn and the large amount of open field that could be converted to pasture. It certainly wasn’t because the drafty, old 1840 farm house was well insulated or that the plumbing/heating /electric systems were modern and energy efficient. Hey... when I did an audit last year on my three heating bills for wood, oil and propane… they totaled over $4,500! However, it just so happened that I had sold a couple of alpacas to Cloud Hollow Farm which was starting up right here in town. The new owner, Bob Weintraub, was an energy efficiency design expert moving up from Connecticut. An informal alliance was struck…I help him with the start up phase of his alpaca ranch including herd selection, a business plan, marketing assistance and farm branding and he gives me professional advice on the most cost effective ways to bring the energy systems on my farm into the twenty first century. An arrangement of convenience best described as “brain-barter”.
The very first thing Bob had me do, was to replace all of the inefficient incandescent lights in the house and all of the spot lights inside and outside the barn with the Energy-Star compact florescent light bulbs. There were 53 of them…a lot more than I expected and that included 15 outdoor spot lights around the driveway, back deck, barn and paddocks. If you believe the claims of the Energy Star folks, each of these bulbs will save $30 in electricity and bulb replacement cost over the long 7 year period of the bulb’s life. Do the math… and multiple by 53 bulbs and you get a $1,590 cost savings.
As I was talking with Bonnie and Terry about how they could translate current technology into energy savings for their farm, I asked about their utility bills- specifically their electric bill. We looked at the five major “systems” on the farm that use the bulk of the electric energy. The 53 light bulbs might make up 15% of the total electric demand. Also each around a 15% portion… would be their older Sears electric hot water heater, the old refrigerator, the well pump with small holding tank drawing a substantial amount of water for the farm and finally the summer fans and winter hot water buckets for the alpacas. If we addressed just these five areas, we would achieve more efficient use on three quarters (5 x 15%=75%) of Village Farm Alpaca’s total electric load. My technical training makes me a bit skeptical of some of the energy savings claims out there in the marketplace. For example the claim that compact florescent bulbs save 75% takes into consideration optimistic savings on bulb replacement cost as well as the lower electricity they use. If Bonnie and Terry replace 85 watts incandescent bulbs with 35 watts compact fluorescents, they should go from 4,500 watt hours to 1,855 watt hours. Assuming their lights get turned on the same amount of time as before, their expectation should be a 41% savings in the monthly electric bill for lighting the farm.
One of the things I knew needed replacing was my small 8 gallon pressurized water tank. That might be O. K for the little old lady that lived in the house years ago. But now this is a working farm and the well is sending serious amounts of water through this little tank for all the needs of the home (dishwasher/shower/washing machine etc) and the ever increasing demands of a growing farm. Bob looked at the little blue pressurized tank and just gave me a chuckle… like a big game hunter contemplating a BB gun. He suggested we replace the puny holding tank. So I searched around for a replacement that would upgrade us to a higher level of water use. I found a Flotec brand 80 gallon pressurized tank at Home Depot that I replaced the small 8 gallon tank with. This cost a little over $300.
We then started talking about Village Farm’s appliances, I recommended they all should be Energy Star rated so you have an idea what their cost could be to operate and be able to judge their energy efficiency. Well pumps that are down in deep wells do a lot of work, so I said “Wow…what about looking at your well pump and the water storage that it supplies?” If you have too small a water storage tank or one that isn’t pressurized correctly, the well pump will cycle too frequently and the cost of operating the well pump could be substantial. A properly sized pressurized water tank is extremely important to reduce the running of the well pump and could in this case double the life of the pump itself. A well pump replacement cost on my new farm Cloud Hollow would be about $1800 for a 220/240 Volt Pump, drawing 2.2 amps in a 450 foot well.
While I was having the Flotec pressurized water tank connected to the well, the plumber discovered a suspicious delay from the time the valve was opened on the tank to when the water started flowing. He poised the question that the check valve on the water pump down at the bottom of the well might not be working properly. Or that there may be another problem in the well… that was allowing the well water level to drop back down into the well. This resonated with me as I had noticed a weird hesitation…a sputtering delay of the stream of water when I pulled up the handle to the yard pump out in the paddock. I had the local well drilling company stop in to the farm to pull my well pump and check it out. Sure enough the check valve was frozen open and out of commission. This meant the water was draining back down the well casing each time the pump shut off. And that the well pump had to work extra hard to bring water all the way up from the well a few hundred feet every time the pump cycled.
Was this a self-fulfilling prophecy…proof positive that properly sized water storage extends the life of the well pump and that adding additional backup water storage is very important? The well pump was tiring out because it was lifting 250 feet of water and then being able to store only 8 gallons and then dropping 40 to 100 Gallons of water back down the well. Why? because Terry was filling five gallons of water per bucket for each draw three times to fill six water buckets when he replenished the drinking water for his animals( on an average 3 times a day), so the pump was starting and stopping frequently which lead to failure.
One of the biggest energy hogs on our farm is our electric hot water heater. Bob was estimating that this one appliance was at least 15% of the total electric bill and one of the five major systems we should address for energy savings. Our situation was exacerbated by the fact that the temperature control knob on this old Sears electric hot water heater was rusted and stuck on the high setting. Also, since the unit was hard-wired into the house, we couldn’t put it on a timer… without doing some re-wiring. With a simple timer, you can turn off the electric hot water heater at night to save on energy. While researching solar hot water heaters, I found out about air-to-air heat pumps –specifically a product made right here in Brewer, Maine called the Nyletherm Heat Pump. Most gas and electric hot water heaters cost $450-500 a year to operate at today’s gas and electric rates. The Nyletherm heat pump comes in at the same yearly operating cost as an average solar system at just under $200/year. The heat pump takes the warmth from the air in the cellar and uses it to heat the water in the hot water tank. The heat pump can be added to any two element hot water tank and they cost about $800. I jumped in my truck and drove up to the factory in Brewer and purchased a heat pump unit that looks like small air conditioner. The nice folks at Nyle Company also gave me a hook up kit -- three wires and two tubes and a bunch of copper fittings is all you need. So it will take 3-4 years to pay for itself, but the savings over a 15 year period will make a sizable dent in the electric bill down the road. The side benefit is that the heat pump also dehumidifies the air during the air-to-air heat transfer process. With an old stone foundation under our 1840 farm house and a wet moldy cellar, this was a big consideration in helping to justify the upfront cost.
This is a very efficient solution to an existing condition which provided dehumidification and the waste heat is used to pre-heat the electric water heater. Did you know that your refrigerator is a heat pump and so are dehumidifiers which compress a super cold solution and depending on which way it “blows/circulates” the heat or cold it also produces “waste energy”. The heat pump technology has been around for 25 years, but never really caught on for water heaters in a big way. Coast Guard ships use heat pumps to take the heat energy from ocean water to both cool and heat the vessel for example. More information about this product can be found at www.nyletherm.com/waterheating and the Nyletherm 1 (the heat pump unit model which Terry installed) qualifies for the US federal energy tax credit.
I knew it would be bad…but when I added up the total bills for the oil furnace and the fire wood and the gas fireplace stove, I just about died. During the last calendar year, we purchased 730 gallons of oil at the “locked in” price of $2.75/gallon. What is scary is it would have been more, if we didn’t have the group purchasing plan of the hospital where Bonnie works. We also used 690 gallons of flammable gas at $3.22/gallon. Ninety percent of that went to operate the elegant, but super costly Vermont Castings flammable gas stove in our “great room”. Just a fraction of the gas goes to the stainless-steel cook stove in the kitchen. It was that week in January that CNN reported the price of crude oil had broken the $100/gallon mark. That was it… man-o-man…I was done getting held hostage by the oil cartel. Enter the pellet stove – I found a made-in-America (Halifax, Pennsylvania) Harman Stove Company pellet stove. I paid $3,000 and had it delivered that week. We are currently burning just a bag and a half of saw-dust pellets a day at a cost of just $7.50 and we have the pellet stove’s thermostat set at 68 F degrees. Since the oil burner and the gas stove are set at 62 F they fire-up infrequently. The convection blower in the Harman really spreads the heat through the whole downstairs and “pre-empts” the more costly systems. I have got to be saving $20/day and cutting my total heating bill in half. Of course the new foil-backed polycyanuate foam insulation in the basement ceiling that I just installed myself is helping to keep all this heat in the old farm house. The fiberglass stuff gets damp in the basement and it is easy for the mice to get into. I ripped all the fiberglass insulation out and pushed the ridged foam board up against the joists, sealing cracks and gaps with the expanding foam spray insulation.
I suggested the Harmon Pellet Stove Company to Terry and Bonnie as I currently use this American manufactured appliance in both of my Maine and Connecticut homes. They draw just 35 watts/hour to operate the pellet auger and heat blower. The Harmon XXV model Terry installed can hold 50 lbs and needs re-filling with pellets just once or twice a day. They burn so efficiently as to produce little ash and almost no smoke. But the very best thing is that instead of using imported fossil fuels, the pellets are compressed sawdust a local waste product. The Harmon Pellet Stove has a simple computer-like controls based on room temperature thermostat or a temperature you set for the stove. The pellets are filled in the top of the stove and delivered to the combustion chamber by an auger that is regulated by the set temperature. These stoves can be vented out a chimney…or direct vented through a wall.
There are two energy efficiency jobs left to do. First I want to put in insulated heated water buckets and then I want to install a small wind turbine. The Nelson-type self filling automatic water heaters are insulated and because they re-fill continually, you need less of them. I have six of the plastic water buckets on the farm and you can literally see the heat escaping off the top of the water and into the atmosphere.
Time for some math . . . an electric water bucket has a 130 watt heater that is on 24/7 which equates for Terry and Bonnie to 780 watts/hour. The Nelson heated waterers are insulated and utilize ground heat to reduce their electrical load by providing an insulated column that goes below the frost line for the electrical and water supply plus the heater is thermostatically controlled so your heater is not on 24/7. So for each Nelson unit the usage could be less than half that of conventional heated water buckets on the coldest days. Because the Nelson units automatically re-fill you do not need to set out multiple buckets to insure a continuous supply of heated water. For Terry, one Nelson could replace three electric plastic buckets for a big savings just in the number of units being deployed. The coolest thing is you are not lugging 5 gallon buckets of water around and the BIGGEST plus is you don't have to dump 30 gallons of water (Village Farm Alpacas) twice a day in the winter. Why do I prefer to use Nelson waterers at Cloud Hollow Farm, including the above reason, is that they are made of metal not plastic material (plastic becomes brittle in extreme cold and we need our oil supply for Medical plastics).
Village Farm sits on top a hill that forms the Medomak River Valley along coastal Maine so we have abundant wind on this elevated location. There is a fairly inexpensive wind spiral that Bob recommends that we could purchase for the alpaca farm.
Village Farm Alpacas spends $200/mo on electricity at $0.17 per kWh which equals 1,176 kWh per month. In Connecticut, the cost of electricity is $0.37 so the electric bill would be $435/month. Different States have some or no rebates for renewable energy systems. So the goal is to reduce the electrical demand by 25% to 50% or more through using CFLs, Energy Star Appliances, properly designed water storage, Nelson Waterers and insulating the heated and cooled spaces and provide renewable energy options that fit the owners budget.
Village Farm Alpacas is situated on a hill along Maine’s coastline which is an optimum location to benefit from a wind turbine and specifically a Vertical Axis Wind Turbine. A VAWT does not need an expensive hundred foot guide tower as does a Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine. Rather, they can be mounted on 30 foot unguided towers and in some instances they stand complete at 35 feet (or even on a roof peak). Mariah Power (mariahpower.com) offers a VAWT (the Windspire @ $3,995) which I have recommended to Terry and Bonnie that can be grid tied and can produce 1kw of renewable energy. In many States the electric utilities allow their customers to sell back (really banking that has to be used in the 12 month generated) called net metering for their customers that have grid tied renewable energy systems. So based on a really good year for wind generation… it is possible for Village Farm Alpacas to reduce their electricity purchased from the utility from 10 to 20% with a 1kw VAWT or 3 times that, or more, with a 3.5 kw VAWT that I am installing at my farm.
Here is the single most important fact that folks that invest in Renewable Energy Systems need to know and that is this is an investment that adds value to your property while reducing your monthly out of pocket expenses and is very good for all of us. Terry and Bonnie are making improvements for their alpacas and lifestyle with each step that they take.
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Authors Note
“The Alpacas of Cloud Hollow Farm are owned by Bob and his daughter Erin Weintraub. Our farm is a model for the Zen of Synergy© – Balance, Cooperation and Harmony through the use and adaptation of Renewable and Sustainable practices. Energy questions are welcome at CloudHollowFarm@gmail.com”
"Terry and Bonnie Callery have 25 alpacas at Village Farms Alpacas where they also operated a very successful farm store. Terry who is now full time on his farm has been very active with NEAOBA, while Bonnie who is a weaver and spinner has contributed has time to the Maine Alpaca Association.”
The Lincoln County News, October 4th 2007
From MAINE MAY BE THE PERFECT PLACE TO RAISE ALPACAS - FARM
Maine…the Perfect Place to Raise Alpacas
As the last of the baby alpacas or crias are born at the end of the birthing season this fall, Maine’s alpaca herd is expected to reach a record high level – totaling 1,000 of these valuable fiber producing animals which are originally from South America. With its abundant farm acreage, hearty cold winter climate, farming tradition, excellent bloodlines within its foundation herds and strong opportunity to capitalize on the State’s tourism industry, Maine had become perhaps the most perfect place in the Nation for raising alpacas. Most farmers in Maine belong to the Maine alpaca association which has reported a record crop this year of baby alpacas…many of which are of the very highest quality nationwide. Maine’s climate, in particular is perfect –the alpaca’s incredibly warm fleece takes them through the winter and they are shorn in May once a year before the heat of the summer. Since you can raise 6-8 alpacas on an acre, a very high percentage of Maine residents have the minimum 3-4 acres that are requires for a decent sized profitable ranching operation. The small land requirement combined with available pasture acreage has helped to fuel demand for alpacas in Maine.
Alpacas are extremely appealing because they appear to be like big cute teddy bears. They have a regal and mystical quite quality about them. These are medium-sized animals that are members of the camel family and they are easy to care for. “Like nothing else on earth” these creatures were bred by various cultures in South American which include the Inca. Centuries of selective breeding have resulted in the finest of natural fibers measuring just 20 microns (fine human hair is 100 microns in comparison). Their intelligence and quiet demeanor is captivating. They are raised for their fleece (not for slaughter) and for sale as breeding stock and they have become one of the very hottest alternative livestock in New England…now estimated at a 50 million dollar industry.
Maine’s alpaca farmers enjoy the fact that the herd goes lightly on the land. Alpacas are environmentally friendly having soft padded feet with just two toe-nails. Pastures which contain orchard grass are kept well manicured because alpacas graze with just one bottom set of teeth. And since alpacas naturally go to one communal dung pile, pastures are fresh and clean, as well as nicely groomed by grazing. Alpacas require only a simple three-sided shelter for protection… although much of Maine’s herd is housed in some great old barns or out buildings that Maine’s ranchers have adapted to their needs. Many of the State’s alpaca farmers relish the idea that some of these terrific old horse and cow barns are finding renewed use in an alternative livestock revolution. Alpacas weigh an average of 160 lbs, so the flake of hay and cup of grain they eat makes them economical to feed. One farm that owns 25 alpacas has recorded that the cost for orchard grass squared-baled hay, Blue Seal alpaca grain feed and the year’s veterinary bills average the same at $300/ animal four years in a row, after they have analyzed their farm expenses.
The laws of supply and demand have helped to keeps prices strong for Maine’s alpaca farmers. Alpacas birth just one baby and almost never twins. They can not be artificially inseminated… and most importantly from the supply side, they can no longer be imported from outside the country. All serious breeders have registered animals which are recorded with microchips and DNA blood samples. The national alpaca registry has been closed to all alpacas from outside the country since 1998 putting an artificial cap on the supply. Because there are 85-90 farms in Maine which own a total of just 1,000 animals, the average farm is quite small. Small farms which tend to hold onto foundation herd do not have large numbers of animals for sale. Prices for alpacas in Maine are about $15,000-20,000 for a quality bred female. These prices have been stable in part because only a fraction of the total herd is actually for sale. Many of Maine’s alpaca farmers start small…with just a few bred females. As the herd multiplies the investment grows. There are many tax benefits to alpaca ownership for those who have breeding stock –these include capital gains and depreciation as well as taking the loss of a growing ranching operation that has not started to sell livestock against other income a farmer may have. With sound business plans and the high value of alpacas, breeders in Maine have the potential to generate substantial income from modest size herds. This in turn helps to fuel the demand.
A growing number of alpaca farmers have opened small farm stores on their farms in order to market 100% alpaca yarn spun from their herds as well as other high end alpaca products. Maine’s strong tourism industry dove-tails nicely with this “agri-tourism component” of retails sales that can be added to a farm’s business plan. Maine’s strong fiber industry (as exemplified by the Maine Fiber Arts Group in Topsham) and the large number of small custom fiber processing mills, support Maine’s alpaca farms.
This Columbus Day Weekend, October 6 & 7 is Open Farm Day sponsored by the Maine Alpaca Association. Twelve alpaca farms around the State will open their barn doors to the public to show off their animals, sell luxurious fleece and yarn, give fiber processing demonstrations and answer questions about the industry. Some farms will have beautiful alpaca apparel, such as sweaters and blankets for sale./
Also Maine’s big alpaca show will follow the weekend after Columbus Day…on October 13-14 the New England Coastal Classic Alpaca Show will be held at the Pinelands Equestrian Center in New Gloucester. This is an AOBA certified level III alpaca show for performance, halter and fleece classes where hundreds of high quality alpacas can be seen competing in one place. They have a web site www.necoastalclassic.com.
Lincoln County News, June14th 2007
From GOLDEN ALPACA WINS BLUE
Maine’s Golden Fleece
Of all the fiber producing animals in Maine, it can be argued that the most luxurious and valuable fleeces are being produce from Maine’s herd of 800 alpacas. Alpaca fiber is as fine as cashmere, four times warmer but lighter than sheep’s wool, comes in 22 natural colors, is hypoallergenic and is worth up to $40/lb in it’s unprocessed state.
Every year following the Spring shearing season, Maine’s fiber producing community comes together for the Maine Fiber Frolic held this past weekend (June 9 -10) at the Windsor Fair Grounds. Central to the two-day event is the fleece competition… where over a hundred fleeces are evaluated and judged for excellence. This year’s blue ribbon for alpaca fleece was awarded to Waldoboro’s Village Farm Alpacas for the fleece of their golden/fawn colored herd sire Aureus Magnus.
“I guess this means we own Maine’s Golden Fleece.” Explains Terence Callery, who with his wife Bonnie, operate Village Farm Alpacas in Waldoboro. “Aureus Magnus is a stunning animal with a super soft fawn colored fleece that can be described as golden in color. This is an exceptional male who was the Reserve Champion at the North American Alpaca Show. He has outstanding bloodlines as his sire, Magnus, was a two time blue ribbon winner at the National Alpaca Show. We plan to have this fleece processed right here in Waldoboro at the NEWAIM mini fiber mill…with custom processing it should make a super premium yarn of the very highest quality. And it is all owned shorn and processed locally.
Village Farm is home to 25 alpacas including Aureus Magnus who is available for stud services. The farm operates a store open seven days a week, The Alpaca Shop, which carries 100% alpaca yarn as well as alpaca sweaters, vests, blankets, ski hats and capes. The farm also sells alpacas for breeding stock. Alpacas are originally from South America and have been in Maine only since the early 1980’s.
PHOTO CAPTION: This Champion alpaca in full fleece won first place for alpaca fleece at Maine’s Fiber Frolic-- making farm owners Bonnie and Terry Callery of Village Farm Alpacas, owners of the “Golden Fleece”.
NEAOBA News, Summer2006
From WRITING A BUSINESS PLAN
Writing a Business Plan –How the Element of Time Will
Affect an Alpaca Ranching Operation
By Terence Callery… Village Farm Alpacas…Waldoboro, Maine
Perhaps the most important ingredient of a successful alpaca ranching operation is time. I have spoken with many people during our open house events and at fairs where Village Farm has been an exhibitor, that were thinking of alpaca ranching as a “turn key” business opportunity. As if they could buy a pair of bred female alpacas, hang out a shingle, quit their day job and become overnight gentleman farmers. Of course their animals will produce very valuable fleece in the spring, however at $40/lb, the fleece will just about cover the cost of feed and veterinarian care. We have been averaging right around $300/animal for the maintenance cost of hay, grain, mineral mix and routine vet bills per year. “No!” I tell these aspiring alpaca farmers. “You really need the time, for the herd to grow and to have the tax advantage kick in. I would try to think in terms of a 5 year plan… if I were starting a ranching operation”.
The first of the two key time elements in the business plan is how your herd grows over time…sometimes referred to as the “herd multiplier effect”. You can not be in the alpaca business, until you have available inventory to sell… and you do not have that until your herd has grown to a point where the foundation females and their offspring are producing at a level where you can sell off several animals and still maintain a constant herd size-- so that your ranching operation is sustainable. If you do not allow the right amount of time, and you start selling off your foundation animals or their first offspring to early, you will not be able to sustain your sales over time, since your ability to produce crias will begin to drop. There is a terrific tool found on the Northwest Alpacas web site—www.alpacas.com that will actually calculate herd growth. For example if you start with three pregnant females…enter the assumptions of a 90% birth rate and a 50/50 mix of male to female births and so on, you can see 10 years of herd growth multiplied out base upon the assumptions you factor into the equation. If you allow the five years, I have recommended above, you would have 14 males and 14 females out of those first three pregnant girls you started with. In terms of your business plan you should “throw out” any income from the sale of males produced on the farm. Nine out of ten will be geldings or males that will be “neutered” and not used as herdsires. If you are lucky enough to produce… and then sell a top quality male as a stud…consider it gravy. Think of your alpaca ranching operation as an investment which doubles every two years. While an investment in a mutual fund might take 7 years to double at a 12% per annum growth rate, an alpaca herd doubles in size every two years!
So at the end of the five years time period (remember this is all about time), one could write into the business plan the sale of 4 of those 14 females. This first sale should offset the original investment in breeding stock. With 10 females left, figure 4 males and four females born on the farm the following year and you have replaced the four girls you have just sold. This would now be a more or less sustainable scenario where a conservative selling price of $15,000-$20,000 for a bred female would generate between $60,000-$80,000 to the farm, if you average selling four girls per year. Guess what? “Now you can quit the day job and become a full time alpaca farmer” In this scenario you might price six or seven of your females each year, in order to sell four. It is very hard to make a sale with selection of just a couple of animals. There is a certain point where it becomes much easier to sell animals because you have grown to the point where you can offer some selection to potential buyers of bloodlines and colors and prices. Again that point is reached only after the requisite amount of time.
The second time element in writing the business plan is depreciation. The longer you hold off selling any alpacas and wait for the herd to continue to multiply, the longer the ranching operation takes a loss that can be taken against your other income. Many alpaca farmers have reduced their taxable incomes substantially during the growth stage of their ranching operations. Typically breeding stock can be depreciated over 5 years. However one should consult with an accountant to find out about the 179 deduction, which allows for depreciation up to a maximum amount all in one tax year. The 179 deduction allows one to potentially recoup a sizable portion of the inital investment in tax savings. If you can get a third back in tax savings and half back when a female cria is born in the spring...that's 5/6th's of the upfront investment. The tax advantage can be very important in the initial phases when you are not selling animals and the farm is taking a loss. The way in which a farm times their depreciation on their animals can greatly affect their total tax exposure.
Lastly, a new farm should consider the time element in their other end of the business…the sales and marketing side. A recent AOBA marketing survey shows that half of the new owners are doing little or no marketing. Many make the mistake of waiting until they have animals to sell until they start going to fairs, putting up a web site and getting the word out about how terrific their breeding program has been. That same marketing data however, also shows that new alpaca buyers often take several years to finally get set up to make an actual buy. You have to consider the lag time it will take for your marketing efforts to begin to have some traction. You can not turn on the marketing effort over night, it takes time to refine and time to start to have the desired effect.
Lincoln County News, October 27
From FOR MAINE'S ALPACA FARMERS --"SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL"
FOR MAINE’S ALPACA FARMERS….SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL
Large dollars from small acreage provide alternative livestock option
As a livestock exhibitor at both this year’s Windsor Fair and at the Common Ground Fair, our alpacas continue to be something many folks have never seen up close. “Are they baby llamas…how old are these?” people would ask us, as they grew captivated by our gentle and graceful alpacas in our exhibitor pen. We would explain that alpacas were originally bred in South American for their fine fiber-- and that an adult alpaca was small--perhaps 150 lb. Llamas, because of their much larger size, were bred as pack animals by the Peruvian and Chilean peoples of the Andes Mountains. Their small stature, wonderfully colored soft fleece and big beautiful eyes evoke the same response from most people who are meeting alpacas for the first time, “They’re so cute!”
There are now about 600 alpacas in Maine, up from just several dozen in the early eighties when the first of the importation of these fiber-producing animals began. Not only are the animals small in size, but also are most farms. The majority of Maine’s 60 alpaca farms have between 5-20 alpacas. And since you can raise 5 alpacas on one acre, the requirement for pastured land is very modest for the average Maine farm. This is one of the factors driving the red- hot demand. For many alpaca farmers, “Small is beautiful.” There are just a few large breeders in the State with over 40 animals. With the value of Maine’s herd estimated at over six million dollars, a newly formed Maine Alpaca Association is now active providing educational and marketing resources to inform the public and promote the expanding industry. A list of member farms can be found on the Association’s web site www.mainealpacafarms.com.
Alpacas are low impact livestock that go “lightly on the land”. They are environmentally friendly, having soft-padded feet and only a set of bottom grazing teeth. Clean-up chores are made easy by their use of a communal pile. Most alpaca farmers have little or no heavy farm machinery and most do not hire outside help. The average alpaca requires just 20 small square bales of hay per year in addition to pasture and a cup of supplemental grain mix. The animals require a simple three- sided shelter for protection from the elements, although many of Maine’s alpacas are quartered in beautiful old barns or elaborately constructed new ones. Alpacas are very intelligent and can be easily handled and halter trained for transport. Many new alpaca breeders have no previous livestock experience. They look at the minimal land requirement and at the small amount of farm infrastructure such as fencing; mowers, buildings etc…and they say, “Hey, I could do this!” So many of Maine’s alpaca farms start small, with just a few bred females. As the herd multiplies, the investment grows.
For the last decade, prices for alpacas have been fairly stable, with most quality bred females selling in the range of $15,000 - $20,000. Demand is fueled by the many tax benefits of alpaca ownership such as depreciation and capital gains… as well as by a very strong national association which promotes alpaca ownership in print advertising, on television, at shows and on the web. Alpaca breeders benefit from a slow and steady herd growth, which is limited by the fact that alpacas have just one birth each year with a long gestation period of eleven and a half months. In addition, the supply is also limited because the registration of alpacas is closed to new imports. Much like through-bred horses, alpacas are micro-chipped and an “Alpaca Registry” records each animals lineage and bloodlines. Thus, with a sound business plan and the high value of alpacas, a Maine alpaca breeder can generate substantial income on small acreage. Alpacas are becoming an alternative to traditional livestock, much in the same fashion that winter hearty garlic and specialty herbs have become higher value per acre alternatives to corn and potatoes. At $9/lb for his crop, a garlic farmer reflects the same “small is beautiful” philosophy and approach that alpaca farmers seem to have embraced.
While sheep’s wool is sold in the $4/lb range, alpaca farmers in the State report getting $40/lb for their fine fleeces and they may get 5-8 pounds per animal from each Spring shearing. Alpaca fleece is almost as fine as Cashmere, has no lanolin, is hypoallergenic for most people and is thought to be four times warmer than sheep’s wool. Alpaca fiber comes in 22 natural colors that include rose gray, true black and maroon-red, so most alpaca is sold to hand spinners, knitters and weavers naturally colored although it can be dyed. Most alpaca fleece is being custom processed at “min-mills” here in Maine that often run just one fleece at a time cleaning, carding and spinning it into yarn. Again the “small is beautiful” approach applies to this growing cottage industry. Maine has more “mini-mills” custom processing alpaca, angora, cashmere and other specialty fibers than anywhere else in the United States.
With its abundance of old fields and farmland and its farming tradition, Maine is the perfect place for these hearty animals.
The Courier Gazette, July 27, 2004
From VISITORS VIEW ALPACAS ON MAINE OPEN FARM DAY
Terry Callery explained alpacas are more rare and more expensive than llamas. As the animals grazed quietly behind him, Callery said their gentle temperament and fine fleece make alpacas an attractive farming option.
Inquisitive and intelligent, alpacas do not seek out human contact or companionship, he said, but pointing to a gray and white female.
"Althaea is different. She is the exception," he said. Minutes later she ambled over and Callery hugged her. She nuzzled his face in return
Wild Fibers Magazine, Summer 2004
From THE OTHER THING OUR ALPACAS PRODUCE ON OUR MAINE ALPACA FARM
When visitors come to Village Farm Alpacas, they often leave with beautiful yarn, soft natural colored roving, or the warmest alpaca socks imaginable. Many of them also leave holding our alpaca farm’s signature give-away premium – a few bulbs of blue ribbon garlic! The secret to our garlic is composted alpaca manure. It’s the "other thing" our alpacas produce.
Every fall we plant 400 cloves of garlic in five raised beds, which yield full bulbs in August of the following year. This is Russian Red stiff neck garlic and it is big – the size of a cue ball. At five bulbs to a pound, our annual production is eighty pounds. We save the biggest and the best-shaped bulbs to plant for the following year, culling about 15 pounds annually. This careful seed selection, combined with the rich composted alpaca manure that we pile onto the beds is the reason our garlic wins a blue ribbon every year at the Union Fair in Maine. Garlic is a heavy feeder and alpaca manure is like an "All you can eat buffet".
The Free Press, October 3, 2002
From ALPACA FARMING IS BOOMING IN MAINE
Investing in Alpacas
The alpacas investment value comes from the fact that they are rare outside of their native countries of Peru, Chile, and Bolivia and cannot be mass-produced. Females produce only one offspring per year. In 1998, the U.S. Alpaca Registry closed its doors to importation. Alpacas imported after the closure can no longer be registered. Presently, there are roughly 35,000 alpacas in the country. Maine’s alpaca farmers are banking on the fact that demand has kept pace with supply and auction prices have remained constant over the past 10 years. Because alpaca owners here in Maine and elsewhere in the United States are generally breeding to the very best males, the quality of the North American alpaca is recognized world wide as being exceptionally high.
Bangor Daily News, November 24, 2001
From THE FLEECING OF AMERICA
Since the females can have 12-15 offspring in their lifetime, it’s possible to get an annual return on an investment in an alpaca.
"If you keep a constant herd size, you can realize about a 26 percent return on your investment, and you can’t get that in the stock market, " Terry said. "In terms of the amount you can generate per acre, there’s nothing that beats alpaca farms." During the start-up phase for the farm, you can depreciate the animal’s purchase price over a five year period.
The animals began being imported into the United States about 20 years ago, but they’ve caught on quickly. Every month in the U.S. about 30 families become alpaca owners. Membership in the Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association has increased 2,000-fold over the past decade.
The Free Press, October 3, 2002
From ALPACA FARMING IS BOOMING IN MAINE
"As we are building our herd, the tax advantages of owning and breeding for us are terrific, especially during the start-up phase of the farm. Additionally, we produce enough income from fiber products to cover the cost of feed. "Raw alpaca fiber from the blanket area, or middle section, is worth $40 per pound and is in high demand by spinners."
The once-fledgling alpaca breeding and fiber production business is now booming with approximately 25 farms currently in Maine, with nearly 400 animals, estimated to be worth over $5 million. Annually, the raw, unprocessed fleece shorn from Maine’s herd each spring is worth over $100,000. Processed alpaca products including spun yarn, knitted sweaters, and woven blankets add much more to the dollar amount generated by Maine’s alpaca business.
"Female alpacas can be worth in the range of $15,000-$20,000 each, so when our first female had a female cria (baby alpaca) that spring, we figured we got a one-year return on our investment," said Terry.
Free Press, October 3, 2002
From ALPACA FARMING IS BOOMING IN MAINE
Starting the Farm
In order to get ready for the animals, the first project was getting water and electricity hooked up to the barn. Electrical outlets were installed for lights, fans, and the electric fence. Seven thousand pounds of lime were spread and orchard grass planted. A six-strand electric fence standing five feet high was professionally installed around three acres of pasture. Crushed limestone was placed around the east and south sides of the barn and a red metal roofed addition was wrapped around those sides, creating 864 square feet of added shelter. Hay was purchased and stored in the barn loft for the winter. Finally, the Callerys were ready for their first alpacas.
The Free Press, October 3, 2092
From ALPACA FARMING IS BOOMING IN MAINE
"It all began eight years ago, when I acquired an old four-harness loom and taught myself to weave," said Bonnie. "We started talking with cashmere goat owners, angora rabbit breeders, sheep farmers, and the alpaca folks we met at the Common Ground and Union fairs." When the idea of owning fiber animals began to crystallize, the Callerys put their home in Rockland, Maine on the market and began to look for a place with a barn and a few acres of pasture to raise a few alpacas.
Their new residence—a 22 acre farm on the edge of Waldoboro village, they named Village Farm Alpacas. The farmhouse was 140 years old with lots of character, but it was the 30x40 foot, three story, old red barn and the hilltop pasture that made the place perfect for raising alpacas. "We never thought that we would buy a home because it had a terrific barn! I guess alpaca fever has turned topsy-turvy our priorities in life," said Bonnie. "Watching our alpacas run around the pastures, "pronging" like antelopes as they do in the early evening, gives us a great sense of fulfillment and joy. These animals have really transformed our lives."
Bangor Daily News, November 24, 2001
From THE FLEECING OF AMERICA
"But an alpaca farm is not just an investment for the Callerys: it’s a lifestyle change. Eventually Bonnie hopes to retire to the farm, to tend the herd and her fiber business full time."
In the meantime, it’s been an enjoyable adjustment for the pair. "It gives us a rhythm and a pace," Terry said. "It’s something we can do together and it’s been good for us as a couple. It’s filled our lives up with something important to us."
ALPACA MAGAZINE, HERDSIRE EDITION, 2004
From BUILDING A "BUTTRESS STYLE" ADDITION FOR YOUR ALPACAS
By Terence Callery, Village Farm Alpacas
When my wife, Bonnie, and I purchased "Village Farm" in historic Waldoboro, Maine (home of the famous five-masted schooners), we did so because of the classic 1840 red three-story barn sitting on the hilltop pasture.
We decided to build an addition to the barn. Our carpenter suggested a "buttress style" addition to the east side with a corrugated metal roof that would stand 10 feet tall at its highest next to the outside wall of the barn. The maintenance free red metal roof, which comes in 14-foot long sections, would slope away from the barn to a height of 7 feet along the outside wall. This would give us a 30-foot enclosure that was 12 feet wide. Since we knew that we would eventually have to separate males and females, we decided to continue the enclosure around the back side of the barn as well, giving us and "L" shaped buttress wrapped around the south-east corner of the barn. This gave us two 30 x 12 foot legs with a 12x12 corner section adjoining them, which we use as a catch pen/ birthing area, totaling 864 sq. feet.
The idea of creating an additional structure off of an existing barn has provided the benefit of using the building to stage all the activities that go along with owning alpacas. The horseshoe shaped loft in our barn is used for general storage as well as for storing a year’s worth of square hay bales. We have room for a work shop, a firewood storage area, fiber processing equipment, as well as a tack room—where we keep grain in plastic barrels, a vet supply closet, and halters and leads hung on wall pegs. Along the back wall, we have proudly hung show ribbons (which a visitor can’t miss before being led out to see the animals).
The best thing is that our alpacas really like the set up. They like the openness that the wide doorways and large windows afford, and they are more comfortable going into a structure with high clearance above. They like the shade and the coolness of the crushed stone floor in the summer. They are protected from the cold north winds in the winter bedding down on lots of straw. We really like being able to walk only 15 feet from our farmhouse back door into the side door of the barn, especially during birthing season.
I estimate that building a structure off of the existing barn reduced our building costs by a third- and I like that!
