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AlpacaNation Q&A with Orchard Hill Alpacas
Rebecca Hammer
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PO Box 842, Elkins, WV 26241
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304-636-5519
AlpacaNation: Tell us about yourself...
Orchard Hill Alpacas: Becky Hammer and Dan Tice operate Orchard Hill Alpacas. Our farm is small and in rural West Virginia. I have had the pleasure of growing up in a family who had land since I was in elementary school and have always been acquainted with cattle and other farm animals. It wasn't until 1982 that I purchased my first horse and I have had horses ever since. In fact my farm started out with horses and I still have seven. We live near the Monongahelia National Forest and trail ride every chance we get. Being associated with horses has given me a broad background with which to draw upon when taking care of alpacas.
Our jobs are very stressful and when I first saw an alpaca advertised in a magazine I immediately became interested and started doing research. Today, almost five years later, I would do it all over again. Alapacas are truly amazing animals and I want to share this experience with others!
AlpacaNation: How long have you been in the alpaca business?
Orchard Hill Alpacas: I first became acquainted with alpacas when I saw an ad in a magazine. It was love at first sight! I immediately mentioned to Dan that I wanted to know all about these animals and how to get one. Looking on the AOBA website I located a couple farms to visit in the fall of 2001.
The next spring I attended a seminar in California and ultimately purchased my first gal who delivered a female cria before she came home that fall. The next few years have flown by and we cannot believe that we now have 19 animals.
I would have to say that alpaca people are very helpful to those starting out in the business!
AlpacaNation: How did you become interested in alpacas?
Orchard Hill Alpacas: Like many farms I became interested in alpacas as a source of income for my 14 acre farm. I had managed horses since 1982 and was looking for something that was easier to raise and actually had a potential to earn a profit. It had to be something you did not eat and something that I could handle and train myself.
Knowing that I could show alpacas was the icing on the cake as I could participate hands on versus having another trainer involved. This was very important to my sense of satisfaction.
AlpacaNation: What advice would you give to those just getting started in the industry?
Orchard Hill Alpacas: Try to educate yourself by visiting as many farms as you can and ask as many questions as you can. There are no crazy questions. Alpaca owners are very helpful and willing to share information. Attend the national AOBA show as well as regional shows throughout the year. They discuss everything from marketing to husbandry to tax planning.
In addition choose your animals wisely and buy the best quality you can afford.
AlpacaNation: What steps did you take to prepare for raising an alpaca herd?
Orchard Hill Alpacas: Even though this decision was not made on impulse, I found that it did not quite register that I had taken that first step until I came home, studied the farm and sheds, and thought, "oh my, now I've done it!" I quickly knew that I had to make another puchase so that I would have more than one animal.
I started a search for the second, worked on my alpaca housing and waited for the arrivals. It was not until December that two pregnant females and two female cria
made the journey to West Virginia.
AlpacaNation: Describe your first alpaca purchase... would you do anything differently today?
Orchard Hill Alpacas: If I could change one thing about my first alpaca purchase it would be learning more about the industry before making that purchase. Visit as many farms as you can. There is so much to learn and don't be afraid to get your hands on the alpacas. You can't determine what is a good purchase unless you've had your hands in the fleece. It tells so much.
AlpacaNation: How did you decide on your farm name? Is there a special meaning behind the name?
Orchard Hill Alpacas: My farm has a beautiful sloping hillside with about 40 apple trees. I had already used the name for the horses I sell. It was a no brainer.
AlpacaNation: Do you have a favorite Alpaca? Why is it your favorite?
Orchard Hill Alpacas: Absolutely! Don't we all. She is a beige Suri female who is not only beautiful and smart, but she and I bonded almost immediately. Her mother is an import and unsocialable, but Tilly is just the opposite. She goes with me everywhere and waits to be stroked and talked to. She has never been hesitant about anything and loves to take walks up the farm with me. After show season this year I had my show string isolated from the rest of the herd. Tilly would walk up to me, whimper a little, look me eye to eye, as if to say, "what are you doing to me?"
All that being said, I would have to say many of my babies are special. My boys love attention and are true hams. I have one that went to a fair with me who cried everytime the children left his pen. He would beg them to come back! He was the hit of the fair and has never met a stranger.
AlpacaNation: What unique challenges do you face as a small, mid-size, or larger breeder?
Orchard Hill Alpacas: Being a small breeder often poses challenges in how to make our farm a "known" in the industry. The competition is tough and you have to be ahead of the crowd and willing to take risks. It can be done! As I mentioned I won ribbons my very first time in the show ring. I was estastic. I had no hopes of getting any recognition for my very first crias.
Time is another challenge. Many of us have other jobs which consume a great deal of time. At the end of the day, there is not much time to plan, market, go to shows, and join affiliates. Being in West Virginia also lends itself to not being as easy to jump in the car and drive down the road for a meeting.
AlpacaNation: What has been the most helpful advice you have received from your veterinarian?
Orchard Hill Alpacas: My veterinarian has a very holistic approach to taking care of any animal, much less alpacas. And she is always willing to do research.
Probably the best advice she had to give me was in regard to one of my females who delivered her second healthy cria and then went to a farm to be rebred. She then developed a problem, her milk dried up, and we sent her to a vet school to try and find out what was wrong. After numerous tests and three weeks, she came back to the farm. Prior to delivering, she weighed 200 lbs, but was now 120 lbs. At this point, my vet saw her, read her chart and said she would try gastroguard. She believed she was stressed. Along with the gastroguard she suggested some other herbal supplements that I obtained from the health food store. Alas, it worked and she is now back to normal weight!
AlpacaNation: What is your greatest achievement or favorite memory since you started raising alpacas?
Orchard Hill Alpacas: Although my favorite memory is watching the birth of a cria and seeing the miracle of life, I feel my greatest achievement thus far was winning my first ribbons.
Dan and I took our first two crias to the OABA Alpacafest when they were yearlings. He was so fond of my Huacaya female and I just had the most negative attitude about winning anything in the Huacaya classes. This was our first time in the ring and I had no idea what I was doing. Everyone was very helpful and I was so surprised because both my girls received a ribbon, my huacaya a second and my suri a fifth place. It might seem like a small thing to most breeders, but to someone who did not have the talent to train her own horses, this was amazing! I was hooked.
AlpacaNation: What has been your biggest lesson learned in terms of breeding?
Orchard Hill Alpacas: The biggest lesson I've learned thus far is to always breed the best you can afford. The extra benefit far exceeds the cost in the long run. Think about quality of fleece and conformation and you will not go wrong.
AlpacaNation: How do you see your farm and alpaca business growing over the next 5 to 10 years?
Orchard Hill Alpacas: I call our farm a journey. We are still in the start up phase and would like to see our number of animals grow to around 40. At this time I have no intention of concentrating on one breed but I want to focus on top quality animals of both breeds only. We have a guest house on our property that would make a lovely spot for a farm store to showcase our products. I have an interest in teaching alpaca husbandry for 4H children as well as at the vo-tech level. I strongly believe we are facing a crisis (at least in the East) where farmland is quickly being purchased for development interests. I am an advocate of raising alpacas as an additional source of income to the family farmer.
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