| |
|
|
| |
AlpacaNation Q&A with The Dear Alpaca Farm
James & Sharon Dear
~
369 Parmenter Road, Potsdam, NY 13676
~
315-268-1627
AlpacaNation: Tell us about yourself...
The Dear Alpaca Farm: We both still work Full time. We wanted to retire into something we enjoyed. This is when we found Alpacas in the spring of 2003. We had been looking for property and this gave us our incentive. We went to 12 farms and 2 shows in 2003 and with intensive research we started getting ready. Then we bought 18 acres in Oct of that year. We boarded our first 7 alpacas for 8 months, two more females being born while we got ready. On Sept 11th 2004 we brought the alpacas home.
AlpacaNation: How long have you been in the alpaca business?
The Dear Alpaca Farm: It depends on how you look at it. We bought in Dec of 2003.
The Alpacas came home on Sept 11 2004.
AlpacaNation: How did you decide on your farm name? Is there a special meaning behind the name?
The Dear Alpaca Farm: We tried for a year to choose.
We had come up with the name the flatlanders which we both liked.
We were moving from the Adirondack mountains back to our home turf in the flatlands. When we asked our friends and family they said it sounded to much like flatliners (heart). So with time running out we just took our last name for a farm name. We are glad we did.
AlpacaNation: What steps did you take to prepare for raising an alpaca herd?
The Dear Alpaca Farm: My husband has raised other animals, he was a dairy farmer for many,many years.
In 1 1/2 years time we went to at least 12 other alpaca farms, some over and over.
We went to two AOBA sanctioned shows before we brought the alpacas home. At the shows I went to all the seminars while my husband went and investigated with the hunderds of alpacas that were showing. We paid to go to a seminar that taught us about confirmation, fleece, giving shots etc. Intense internet reading, and buying of alpaca books. We prepared our land, building a 40x70 barn with cement floors. Three sections with sliding doors so that the alpacas could get out of the weather. Planting new grass on about 1.5 acres. Putting up 4 foot no climb fence and electric wire around the outside top and bottom.
AlpacaNation: How do you get shearing done.
The Dear Alpaca Farm: The first year our host farm sheared for us. The second year we took 3 of the alpacas to be done, they would be going to a show in Oct. The rest we tried to do ourselves. It was terrible. We then bought a shearing table and our son came over and said let me try. He is a natural. So in the spring of 2006 my husband and his oldest son went to shearing school with Bill Watkins. They came home so excited with what they had learned that the next morning Jen (daughter in-law) was up and getting everything thing ready so we could all start shearing.
The guys had learned so much. We did the 6 boys that day the girls to be done in 2 weeks. While they are on the shearing table (we are to old for floor work) we check teeth and feet, and give any needed shots.
AlpacaNation: What advice would you give to those just getting started in the industry?
The Dear Alpaca Farm: Go slow.
Look at everything. Go to shows, they have free seminars there.
Visit alpaca farms and ask questions, go to another farm ask same questions.
Go to the internet read, ask questions.
Take everything you have learned and think then go ask more questions.
Never stop learning. Remember,there are no medications labled for alpacas.
Alpacas are still a new field and so must be studied more.
AlpacaNation: How did you become interested in alpacas?
The Dear Alpaca Farm: JJ The son that now does shearing and would some day like to have a gelding farm gave us a call. He said look on the internet and type in I love alpacas. That all it took for us to find the answer of what we wanted to do when we retired.
| |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
