WELCOME TO
Owners
Larry and Sharon Bates
South Bend, Indiana
**SPRING SPECIAL ON OUR MALES**
ONLY $400 EACH!!
We're often asked...
So how did we become Alpaca Farmers?
What is an Alpaca?
Along with Llamas, Guanacos, and Vicuñas, Alpacas are a member of the South American Camelid family. Aside from the Vicuña, Alpacas boast the rarest and finest fiber of all the camelids. These passive animals have been domesticated for thousands of years and are prized for their luxurious fiber.
The Alpaca, with its alert attentive face and pucker, will melt your heart. Their delightful personalities match their exquisite fiber. The lifespan of the Alpaca is about 20 years and gestation is 11.5 months. Alpacas eat grasses and chew a cud. Adult Alpacas are about 36" tall at the withers and generally weigh between 100 and 200 pounds. They are gentle and easy to handle. Alpacas don't have incisors, horns, hooves or claws. Clean-up is easy since Alpacas deposit droppings in only a few places in the paddock. They require minimal fencing and can be pastured at 5 to 10 per acre.
Our Huacaya's
Cute and cuddly in appearance, Alpacas produce one of the world's finest and most luxurious natural fibers. It is clipped from the animal without causing it injury. Soft as cashmere and warmer, lighter and stronger than wool, it comes in more colors than any other fiber producing animal (approximately 22 basic colors with many variations and blends).This cashmere-like fleece, once reserved for Incan royalty, is now enjoyed by spinners and weavers around the world.
Our Alpacas are only Huacaya, each selected for its qualities of fiber fineness, length, strength, color, handle, crimp and consistency. Silky alpaca fleece is even rarer than cashmere. The fineness of alpaca hair (between 16 and 30 microns in width), the length (from 8 to 12 cm), and its hollow, insulating core give alpaca fiber a smooth, velvet, and light weight softness. The first clip of the shearling Alpaca, called Baby Alpaca, provides a cloud soft fiber that is even more prized.
ALPACA ORGANIZATION
Alpaca owners enjoy a strong and active national organization. The Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association (AOBA) with a growing number of Regional Affiliates and AOBA sanctioned national committees addressing every aspect of the industry.
The Alpaca Fiber Cooperative of North America (AFCNA) accepts fleece from its members, and turns the precious textile into quality alpaca garments and products. Members benefit from a ready outlet for their fiber, while the cooperative works to increase awareness of and demand for this every day luxury.
The Alpaca Registry has been established to help ensure accurate records and has a state-of the-art system to document bloodlines. Alpacas must be blood typed in order to be registered. Virtually every alpaca in the U.S. is registered.
Owners
Larry and Sharon Bates
South Bend, Indiana
**SPRING SPECIAL ON OUR MALES**
ONLY $400 EACH!!
We're often asked...
So how did we become Alpaca Farmers?
Well about 5 years ago my wife Sharon had seen some information in the newspaper regarding Alpacas and said she wanted to do this for retirement. I wasn't really interested at the time but she continued to bring it up on a weekly basis. I tried to ignore her until one day she pinned me down and said she wanted to go to a farm to see the animals!
So we went to three farms and looked over the animals, listened to the information and was excited to hear what everyone had to say about this being a great way to make an income and build the future. After a few weeks of deliberation we purchased two pregnant females and now we have ten, 5 boys and 5 girls.
Our Alpacas are truly a joy to be around. They all have their own personalities and are fun to watch especially the young crias. They are very smart which makes them easy to train, and we look forward to each new year that brings us a new born to the farm.
So we went to three farms and looked over the animals, listened to the information and was excited to hear what everyone had to say about this being a great way to make an income and build the future. After a few weeks of deliberation we purchased two pregnant females and now we have ten, 5 boys and 5 girls.
Our Alpacas are truly a joy to be around. They all have their own personalities and are fun to watch especially the young crias. They are very smart which makes them easy to train, and we look forward to each new year that brings us a new born to the farm.
What is an Alpaca?
Along with Llamas, Guanacos, and Vicuñas, Alpacas are a member of the South American Camelid family. Aside from the Vicuña, Alpacas boast the rarest and finest fiber of all the camelids. These passive animals have been domesticated for thousands of years and are prized for their luxurious fiber.
The Alpaca, with its alert attentive face and pucker, will melt your heart. Their delightful personalities match their exquisite fiber. The lifespan of the Alpaca is about 20 years and gestation is 11.5 months. Alpacas eat grasses and chew a cud. Adult Alpacas are about 36" tall at the withers and generally weigh between 100 and 200 pounds. They are gentle and easy to handle. Alpacas don't have incisors, horns, hooves or claws. Clean-up is easy since Alpacas deposit droppings in only a few places in the paddock. They require minimal fencing and can be pastured at 5 to 10 per acre.
Our Huacaya's
Cute and cuddly in appearance, Alpacas produce one of the world's finest and most luxurious natural fibers. It is clipped from the animal without causing it injury. Soft as cashmere and warmer, lighter and stronger than wool, it comes in more colors than any other fiber producing animal (approximately 22 basic colors with many variations and blends).This cashmere-like fleece, once reserved for Incan royalty, is now enjoyed by spinners and weavers around the world.
Our Alpacas are only Huacaya, each selected for its qualities of fiber fineness, length, strength, color, handle, crimp and consistency. Silky alpaca fleece is even rarer than cashmere. The fineness of alpaca hair (between 16 and 30 microns in width), the length (from 8 to 12 cm), and its hollow, insulating core give alpaca fiber a smooth, velvet, and light weight softness. The first clip of the shearling Alpaca, called Baby Alpaca, provides a cloud soft fiber that is even more prized.
At Pine Row Alpacas we want our visitors to meet these captivating creatures face to face. The Alpaca will approach quietly, like a hum, it only takes one look into those beautiful eyes and the rest is history!
ALPACA ORGANIZATION
Alpaca owners enjoy a strong and active national organization. The Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association (AOBA) with a growing number of Regional Affiliates and AOBA sanctioned national committees addressing every aspect of the industry.
The Alpaca Fiber Cooperative of North America (AFCNA) accepts fleece from its members, and turns the precious textile into quality alpaca garments and products. Members benefit from a ready outlet for their fiber, while the cooperative works to increase awareness of and demand for this every day luxury.
The Alpaca Registry has been established to help ensure accurate records and has a state-of the-art system to document bloodlines. Alpacas must be blood typed in order to be registered. Virtually every alpaca in the U.S. is registered.