Farmers Are Pushing Alpacas on the Masses

I was out shopping over the weekend and saw my first sweater made with alpaca fleece on a regular department store sales rack, not some fancy boutique. Still not made in the U.S., but it made me wonder how American farmgirls are faring as they continue to push for greater use of alpaca fleece in clothing.

Then voila…this story at phillyburbs.com about Farmgirl Katherine Thompson, a one-time MBA candidate who is using the surge in interest in alpacas to keep up her family’s historic (1820s) Fenwick Manor Farm.

The article notes that Thompson chose alpacas because they can be profitable are “relatively easy and would have a relatively low impact on the land.”

The reporter visited the farm because the weekend was a chance for farmers in South Jersey and Pennsylvania to engage the public during National Alpaca Farm Day.

The idea is to continue to promote alpaca farming and fleece to create a market. I’m already sold on the fleece, especially if we can support local weavers. Now…will I invest in a $16,000 alpaca to start a herd. I’m not quite that sold.