Wiregrass farms participate in ‘Alpaca Days’
Published 10:00 pm Thursday, September 25, 2008
Five Wiregrass area alpaca farms will participate in the 2nd Annual “National Alpaca Farm Days” this weekend, giving visitors a chance to learn more about the growing alpaca industry.
On Sept. 27 and Sept. 28, area alpaca breeders will invite the public to come to their farm or ranch to meet their alpacas and learn more about these unique animals.
Jerry Sanders, of Alabama Peanuts and Pacas in Ozark, said he has seen tremendous growth in alpaca farms since he and his wife, Wanda, started their alpaca farm in 2004.
“These warm and fuzzy, fairy tale like creatures will steal your heart,” Sanders said. “In the last year or so there have been three new start up alpaca farms in the Wiregrass area.”
Alpacas, cousins to the llama, are native to the Andean Mountain range of South America, particularly Peru, Bolivia, and Chile.
They were first imported to the US in 1984, and since then, the alpaca industry has grown steadily, according to the Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association (AOBA).
There are more 120,000 registered alpacas with the Alpaca Registry, Inc. (ARI) in the US and more than 4,000 AOBA members in North America.
Alpacas are shorn, without harm, every twelve to eighteen months. They produced five to ten pounds of luxurious fiber.
Because of its soft texture, alpaca fiber is sometimes compared to cashmere.
Containing no lanolin, alpaca fiber is also naturally hypoallergenic. Most people who are sensitive to wool find that they can wear alpaca without the itching or irritation they feel from wool because alpaca fiber is smooth.
Wiregrass area farms participating in Alpaca Farm Days, and their hours are:
Alabama Peanuts & Pacas
4946 South County Rd. 20
Ozark, AL 36360
Phone: (334) 445-2762
Cell: (334) 300-5358
Farm Day Hours: Sat & Sun 1:30 to 4:00 pm
Humming Hills Alpacas
Chris Miller & Sue Ellen Miller
Newton, AL 36352
Phone: (334) 692-3745
Cell: (334) 790-4545
Will be at Oak-Leigh Peacocks & Alpacas
Little Hummers Alpaca Farm
Gregory Andrews & Shelia Andrews
1707 Hwy 123 N.
Ozark, AL 36360
Phone: (256) 683-2184
Cell: (256) 683-2079
Farm Day Hours: Sat 10am to 5pm; Sun 1pm to 5pm
Oak-Leigh Peacocks and Alpacas
Kenneth Spruell & Patti Spruell
11780 Fortner St
Dothan, AL 36305
Phone: (334) 692-4425
Phone 2: (334) 678-5900
Cell: (334) 596-1867
Farm Day Hours: Sat & Sun 1 to 5pm
Wiregrass Alpacas
Wynne Simmons
1786 Bluff Springs Rd
Ashford, AL 36312
Phone: (334) 899-4227
Phone 2: (334) 797-3322
Farm Day Hours: Sat 10am to 4 pm; Sun 1:30 to 4pm