Goodrich – In 1997 Barrie Wood saw the face of an alpaca on her home computer screen and instantly fell in love.
‘I was watching the Discovery Channel, I had never seen this animal. I wanted to learn more so I went to the alpaca international website. Because my computer was slow, the face of an alpaca started to show little by little. When I finally saw the big eyes and fluffy head, I couldn’t believe it, I kept saying to myself, ‘Oh my gosh,?? she said.
At the time a single mom, she was living paycheck to paycheck and wanted to find a business to ease the financial strains. When she dug into researching alpaca businesses, she learned there was a great return on investments.
‘The tax benefits are good. Since alpacas are classified as livestock, they can be depreciated,? she said. ‘Then it became my dream to have a farm and i thought this would be a way I could actually put my daughter Kristen through college.?
Now married, she and husband Bill say they are living their dream. The whole family, daughter Kristin and sons, Mark, 8 and Daniel, 10 help with the farm.
Wood said she started with one alpaca. Today, ‘Benchmark Alpacas,? 8475 Gale Road in Goodrich, has approximately 130 alpacas roaming 28 acres.
Although Wood shears her alpacas for fleece, she said the majority of their business is birthing and breeding. ‘Fleece is my seocondary market,? she said. ‘I take my fleece to a fiber mill that turns it into yarn. There is a store in New York that buys it.However, since I specialize in breeding, I don’t have the time to get enough money back from shearing. But what little I do get, pays for the care of my alpacas.?
However, she added, there is money to be made if an alpaca farm owner developed a market for the fleece. ‘An alpaca’s fleece is extremely fine and it’s used for blankets, rugs, sweaters and all sorts of products. It is warmer and softer than wool. Because fleece is so soft, it feels really good next to skin,? she said ‘There are also a zillion colors and officially the alpaca market has 22 recognized colors and it also easy to dye.?
Over the 11 years Wood has been in the alpaca business, she has birthed about 250 babies.
‘Babies are my favorite. I love it that all four of their little feet come right off the ground at only four days old,? she said.
Alpacas have soft padded feet, making them gentle and they have no top teeth in the front. ‘When children come over to visit our alpacas in the pasture, I can relax knowing they won’t be able to bite them,? she said. ‘Alpacas have a life span of 15 to 20 years, so you can enjoy your alpaca for a long time. Not only do they have a long reproductive life, they will provide fleece for a lifetime.?
Wood believes alpacas are perfect. Inexpensive to feed, she said it only costs one bale of hay a month for one alpaca. ‘They just don’t make a more perfect animal,? Wood said. ‘Alpacas have three stomachs and are in the same animal group as camels known as the ‘Camelid? family. They eat the hay and regurgitate it over a month.?
Only giving birth during the day is another reason Wood believes alpacas are an easy animal to breed. ‘I don’t have to sit up all night long waiting for a baby. Also, I have only had to assist a mother with maybe eight over the last 11 years, because the mothers know what to do.?
An alpaca’s gestation period is 11 to 12 months and they have single births (twins are extremely rare). A baby alpaca, called a cria, usually weighs between 15 and 20 pounds.
The mothers aren’t the only animals that know what do to at Benchmark Alpacas. The farm has two working dogs with natural instincts. ‘Ciobi? is a Carpathian Shepherd from Romania that helps during the birthing process. ‘She is also the guardian of my alpaca livestock. I know when a mother is about to give birth because Ciobi will lay next to the mother. Once a baby is born she will claim it and guard the baby,? she said.
The other working dog on the farm is ‘Wyatt,? an Australian Shepherd who helps herd the alpacas.
Wood said the breeding process requires an owner become knowledgeable about alpacas. ‘I study a lot and have gone to alpaca seminars at Ohio State University. Because I also enjoy showing my alpacas, I have attended national judges training so I could get certified and learn what I needed to look for to breed champions.?
Discussing with her husband possible combinations to create champion-caliber alpacas, is a real turn on. ‘There are so many different possibilities, they are endless,? said Wood.
With attention to details necessary to create a champion — such as confirmation marks and bone structure, — Benchmark Alpacas has received many awards at shows across the nation, ‘We are very proud our alpaca herd consists of many champion bloodlines,? she said.
In the business of selling alpacas, Wood said prices vary. It can cost as much as $25,000 for a champion pregnant female, but some females tcan be bought for $10,000. If an owner does not want to breed, Wood said non-breeding males (used just for their fleece) cost about $1,000 a piece. ‘I work with people and mostly want good homes for my alpacas. A new owner could get three alpacas for $1,200,? she said. ‘A good working farm could have as few as 20 alpacas.?
Although the money in alpaca farming is useful, Wood said there are some things about owning an alpaca farm that money just can’t buy.
Her favorite daily ritual is watching her alpacas ‘pronk? when the sun goes down. ‘In the alpaca world, it’s called ‘pronking.? I don’t know why alpacas do it, but my alpacas run the perimeter of the pasture chasing each when it becomes twilight. This goes on for a good 15 minutes. They are leaping and bouncing about four feet in the air and hit the ground with all four feet. When they run that fast, it’s almost like they are floating over the ground as they boink around the perimeter of the farm,? she said.
Husband Bill enjoys watching his wife doing what she loves. ‘Until recently, I didn’t quite know what Barrie Lynn meant when she spoke these words, ‘It feels right.? Now, at the end of the day when the asphalt turns to dirt, the road takes a jog to the left, then to the right, over three hills and dales and up the drive, I take in the views. The alpacas grazing on rolling pastures, the row of oaks that meander through our fields, and my wife riding high on her tractor coming home from her days? work on the back forty. Yes, it feels right.?