National Alpaca Farm Days
Brown Alpaca.
Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association (AOBA) invites you to visit their member farms and ranches on National Alpaca Farm Days on September 29th and 30th. This is a unique opportunity for the public to explore the many aspects of the alpaca livestock industry in the United States and Canada.
From meeting these beautiful, inquisitive animals in person to experiencing luxurious alpaca products at individual farm stores, there will truly be something for everyone.
Visitors can also learn how alpacas are a green business opportunity, as they are animals that are sensitive to their environment in every respect!
While most alpaca farms welcome visitors throughout the year, National Alpaca Farm Days are sure to include special activities and educational opportunities.
For a complete list of participating farms and ranches, visit www.NationalAlpacaFarmDays.com. ;
Alpacas, cousins to the llama, are beautiful, intelligent animals native to the Andean Mountain range of South America, particularly Peru, Bolivia, and Chile. The United States first commercially imported alpacas in 1984. There are now more than 180,000 ARI (Alpaca Registry, Inc.) registered alpacas in North America.
Sensitive to their environment in every respect, alpacas have soft padded feet instead of hooves and can leave even the most delicate terrain undamaged. Damage to topsoil decreases long-term soil fertility and in the process, the soil is eroded and weed invasion is encouraged.
Alpacas prefer to eat tender grasses, which they do not pull up by the roots. Lacking upper teeth, alpacas cut the grass with their bottom teeth and upper palate. This vegetation cutting encourages the plants’ growth.
While alpacas are environmentally friendly, and even beneficial to the land, what makes them even more “green” is the fiber they produce. No chemicals are employed either during feeding or during the industrial production of alpaca fleece into fiber. If dying is desired, only 20 percent of a normal dye quantity is required.
Alpacas require no insecticides, herbicides or fertilizers that pollute the groundwater.
To learn more about the alpaca industry, visit www.AlpacaInfo.com. To find out more about National Alpaca Farm Days visit www.NationalAlpacaFarmDays.com.
Category: Animals
