Stud Male Alpaca
There are two reasons people think about becoming involved with alpaca ranching.
The first is the financial investment benefits.
The second is the lifestyle benefits.
Alpaca farming
The first benefit to alpaca farming is the tax breaks. We were able to write off our animals, fencing, etc.and received back a nice sum of money the first year we started raising alpacas. The money we got back helped with our initial outlay of cash. You could invest it back into your business to help grow your alpaca farm
There’s the sale of an alpaca. Most alpacas are still going for a minimum of $10,000. But even if you sold them for $5,000, you’d be making a good income.
If you are lucky enough to have a stud people want to breed to, you can make from $1,000 to $5,000 for stud fees. What you can charge for a stud will depend on genetics and winning in show rings. Hemmingway, a very well know stud, was able to command top stud fees of $5,000. Some of our alpacas have Hemmingway lineage.
Farming equipment for alpaca ranching can be minimal. It doesn’t take much to maintain an alpaca.
Your investment can be insured against loss. We used Wilkins Insurance for our animals. We felt insuring them was prudent and the cost wasn’t bad.
Your investment is protected in a couple of ways.
First, an alpacas slowrate of reproduction means that you will not have to worry about an immediate surge in available alpacas that would drop the prices.
Second,no new imports are allowed, again keeping the available amount of alpacas down.
Finally, you have the luxurious fleece. If properly marketed, your fleece can provide all the money you need to maintain your herd. So no money comes out of your pocket to keep them even if you don’t sell one.
Alpaca Herd
Lifestyle Benefits
Alpaca Herd
Caring for animals is healthy for you. Did you know that alpaca ranching can lower your blood pressure?
When you are more relaxed and interacting with animals, your blood pressure comes down.
Performing hobbies like knitting keeps your mind active, possible warding off Alzheimers.
Another benefit is that your whole family can become involved. Yes, the children, too. We had our girls involved in the care of the alpacas. They taught them to lead, took them to talks, watched babies being born, and laughed with us at the alpaca antics in the pasture. Alpacas fit well into their home school learning.
Spinning, needle felting, and crocheting are great for relaxing and producing beautiful unique projects for family and friends or saleable items.
Focusing on the hobby at hand helps clear your mind and puts you at ease.
Successful farming is a great accomplishment. You spend time outdoors and you actually SEE the results of what you put into practice. Farm life is clean fun.
Alpaca ranching provides financial and lifestyle benefits. If money is holding you back, look into farm grants or loans. Research the alpaca industry and see if you would like to share in the benefits alpaca farming can offer.
