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AlpacaNation Q&A with Alpacas at Phoenix Hill Farm, LLC
Marilyn & Bruce Wentworth
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8266 Rock Riffle Road, Athens, OH 45701
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740-593-8710
AlpacaNation: Tell us about yourself...
Alpacas at Phoenix Hill Farm, LLC: We live in beautiful southeast Ohio on a six acre farm overlooking the town of Athens, Ohio. Bruce builds custom houses and barns and Marilyn is a retired administrator for local social service agencies. We have been involved with horses for over 30 years and decided to take the plunge into alpacas in 2007. We are so excited to be part of this new and growing industry. We are starting small but we found amazing bloodlines to start our herd.
AlpacaNation: What sets your farm and herd apart from others in the industry?
Alpacas at Phoenix Hill Farm, LLC: We are beginning our herd with very high quality bloodlines. Owning part of Canclewood Rocko (who earned 7 Color Chapmionships and won 26 first place and better awards in both halter and fleece competitions)is a fantastic way to get high quality breedings for our girls and to help others improve the fleece for their herds. He is so famous, we must have had a lucky star shining on us when we first talked to the other owners. Our bloodlines also include Torbio, Belmonte, Ace, and Bruxo. And we're just getting started!
AlpacaNation: Do you have a favorite Alpaca? Why is it your favorite?
Alpacas at Phoenix Hill Farm, LLC: Rocko is our favorite because he has done such a great job of putting the "Rocko Lock" on his cria. He's also funny to watch when he's hangin' out with the boys, friendly, and always ready to please the girls! I know he's going to be a huge influence on growing our herd.
AlpacaNation: How long have you been in the alpaca business?
Alpacas at Phoenix Hill Farm, LLC: After months of research and many farm visits to lots of Ohio alpaca farms, we felt we were ready to bring our girls home in the spring of 2008. We are anxiously awaiting the birth of our first two crias this June.
AlpacaNation: How did you become interested in alpacas?
Alpacas at Phoenix Hill Farm, LLC: Marilyn has always been the "animal" girl in the family. She has ridden horses since high school and has owned them since 1979. After watching the inviting alpaca advertisement on television, she started to actively research the business. Also, it was the perfect way to transition into retirement because she could continue her active, outdoor lifestyle.
AlpacaNation: How did you decide on your farm name? Is there a special meaning behind the name?
Alpacas at Phoenix Hill Farm, LLC: We bought our farm with a burned down house on it. After we bulldozed the rubble and ashes, we built a beautiful new home on the same hilltop site. Wouldn't you call your place "Phoenix Hill" too?
AlpacaNation: What steps did you take to prepare for raising an alpaca herd?
Alpacas at Phoenix Hill Farm, LLC: We researched the entire industry on the web. There is so much information there, it takes time to soak it all in. Also, Marilyn attended Alpaca Jack's seminar and joined the Southeast Ohio Alpaca Breeders Coop to meet other local alpaca owners. They have been very generous in offering their help and guidance.
Another important step was working with our Cooperative Extension Agency. They helped us plan our pastures and offered other helpful suggestions.
Three veterinarians have offered ideas and their experience in helping us select our animals.
And finally, we joined AOBA, Alpaca Nation, ARI, and OABA to access as many resources as possible.
AlpacaNation: What unique challenges do you face as a small, mid-size, or larger breeder?
Alpacas at Phoenix Hill Farm, LLC: Our biggest challenge is adapting our horse farm to alpacas. It meant building new sheds, fencing off new fields, getting different hay and equipment, etc. We figured we were "ready" but in reality, we had to start over because everything is different for alpacas.
AlpacaNation: How do you see your farm and alpaca business growing over the next 5 to 10 years?
Alpacas at Phoenix Hill Farm, LLC: We really want to help other farmers get started with as much generosity as we've received. We won't grow to more than 15-20 animals because we have a small farm. But we'll definitely keep our quality at the highest levels. Right now we have only light colored alpacas, but we'd like to branch out into those rich colors that are avaiable too. We think it's all about the fleece, white to black!
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