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AlpacaNation Q&A with Country Haven Farm Alpacas
Joel & Suzanne Backer
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708 Inverness Road, Ft. Collins, CO 80524
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970-407-0887
AlpacaNation: How did you decide on your farm name? Is there a special meaning behind the name?
Country Haven Farm Alpacas: Joel came up with the name for our farm. We liked the "haven" part of our name because it sounds like a safe and happy home for our Alpacas.
AlpacaNation: What has been your biggest lesson learned in terms of breeding?
Country Haven Farm Alpacas: We have learned throughout the years the importance of picking top quality males to breed our females too. Because we have followed this path - if we happen to have a male, he is always has the potential to be a herd sire.
AlpacaNation: What piqued your interest about the industry? What led to your initial purchase?
Country Haven Farm Alpacas: I was interested in a hobby so we went to the Estes Park Wool Market to look at spinning demonstration and looms. When we first arrived we went into the Alpaca tent. We had never seen an Alpaca and didn't have any idea what they were. I (Suzanne) had also been looking for something else to do to replace what I did for a living. I did not want to leave my current job and just go to another office. When we started visiting with some Alpaca breeders, we started learning about the business side of Alpacas and something just clicked. The business side sounded perfect for us and our lifestyle. We started learning more and more about the animals and visiting many farms. It was about a year latter when we made or first purchase. We were living in town, so we started looking for a home where we could have our animals. We found a house on five acres. Last year we started a new barn and are very close to completing it and our new fencing. We also were partners in a restaurant which we sold last year, so we could expand our Alpaca business. We bought more pregnant females so we could have a better inventory to offer breeders. We currently offer Suri Alpacas for sale that have the Peruvian bloodline and some of our animals are 100% Accoyo. It has been an amazing journy and we love our new way of life with the Alpacas.
AlpacaNation: What steps did you take to prepare for getting into the industry?
Country Haven Farm Alpacas: We were living in town so se needed to find a place to have our animals. We found a home on 5 acres that has worked out wonderfully. We have spent the last year building a new barn and new fencing. Last year we also sold a restaurant business so we could expand our Alpaca business. We have enjoyed the Alpacas much more then the restaurant business.
AlpacaNation: What sets your farm and herd apart from others in the industry?
Country Haven Farm Alpacas: We plan to keep our herd smaller so we can give our Alpacas individual attention. I would like our animals to be very manageable to a new breeder our an experienced breeder. We have bought the very best quality Alpacas we could so we can offer the best quality to a new clients. All our Alpacas have the Peruvian bloodline and some our 100% Accoyo.
AlpacaNation: How do you see your farm and alpaca business growing over the next 5 to 10 years?
Country Haven Farm Alpacas: We would like to continue breeding to the very best males in our business and grow our herd to approximately 25 - 30 Alpacas. I would like to stay at that size so we can continue to work with every Alpaca. We want to be recognized as a farm that is smaller, but can offer top quality Alpacas.
AlpacaNation: What unique challenges do you face as a small, mid-size, or larger breeder?
Country Haven Farm Alpacas: As a smaller farm we probably have the challenge of educating people looking for Alpacas that a small farm can have top quality animals over a larger breeder. Sometimes a new breeder assumes they have to go to a large breeder to get the quality or best price. As a smaller farm I can offer both and also better attention to the needs of a new breeder for continued support.
AlpacaNation: What advice would you give to those just getting started in the industry?
Country Haven Farm Alpacas: Visit many farms and buy from someone who you are comfortable with. We have formed many friendships in this business and love helping our clients with any questions.
AlpacaNation: Tell us about yourself
Country Haven Farm Alpacas: We moved to our small farm about 4 years ago. We have been busy fixing it up and building a new barn for our growing herd of Alpacas. We enjoy the fact that we are a smaller farm able to give individual attention to our Alpacas. We spend much of our spare time out in our barn, but when we are not out in our the barn, we enjoy working on houses and golfing. With spring here and new cria's on the way, we are on baby watch and have been paying close attention to our moms to be. Joel is in the Real Estate business and I (Suzanne) left my accouting job last February to devote more time to our growing Alpaca business.
AlpacaNation: How long have you been in the alpaca business?
Country Haven Farm Alpacas: We have been in the business for 6 years now.
AlpacaNation: What sets your farm and herd apart from others in the industry?
Country Haven Farm Alpacas: All our Alpacas have the Peruvian bloodline and some are 100% Accoyo. We pick our Studs very carefully wanting to create the best quality cria's.
AlpacaNation: Describe your first alpaca purchase... would you do anything differently today?
Country Haven Farm Alpacas: We got our feet wet a little slowly. Our first purchase was a 1/3 interet in a male Huacaya named Kilimanjaro. We thought he was a spectacular male and were excited about the prospect of owning a stud quality Alpaca. He has done very well for us and then about a year latter we bought another interest in a stud quality Suri alpaca and a pregnant Suri female named Lourdes. She was a great pick for a first time buyer like us because she has wonderful babies and is a great mom to her crias.
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