ANDERSON — Betsy Foreman loves alpacas, so when a fuzzy chocolate-colored alpaca leaned in toward the fence that separated them, the Anderson resident leaned in return and touched her face to the creature.
Foreman was one of a handful of visitors to the Grazing Grass Alpacas farm on Sunday who stood outside fences that held eight alpacas belonging to Brenda and Marvin Ginn.
Sunday was National Alpaca Farm Day, so the Ginns opened their farm to visitors, informing the public about the unique animal that originated in the Andes Mountains.
The Ginns began keeping alpacas three years ago after looking for a retirement investment.
Alpaca fur is softer than wool and can sell for $2 to $5 per ounce, Marvin Ginn explained.
Each animal costs less than $200 per year to raise, he said.
The alpacas are sheared once a year.
On Sunday, the alpacas were regrowing their fur after being sheared in May and resembled small llamas with teddy bear fur.
“It’s the softest thing,” Lee Foreman remarked, watching the three male alpacas chase and play in a grass-covered fenced in pen dotted with wild mushrooms.
Betsy Foreman thought their unique sound made the animals enticing. Instead of neighing, barking or snorting, alpacas hum in a soft whine.
Frank Wood of Anderson brought his three granddaughters to the farm. They’d experienced chickens and cows, but Sunday marked the girls’ first experience with alpacas.
“They’re soft like a pillow,” 3-year-old Autumn Robinson cooed, peering into a cage holding two male alpacas.
“When they lie down,” the 3-year-old said, referencing her favorite thing about the cold weather creatures.
Alpacas, like their camel cousins, have long, lanky legs and lean forward onto their necks, pull their legs beneath them and then lower themselves gracefully to the ground to lie down.
Her sister, 7-year-old Courtney, said she’d like to add an alpaca to the family farm. She’s not sure if her parents will go for the idea.
For now, the alpacas are a collection of family pets for the Ginns, and haven’t actually turned a profit.
In the distance, beyond the pens where male alpacas met the public, Ginn motioned to three tall alpacas grazing near a barn.
They’re all pregnant, he explained, and due soon.
Ginn is hoping at least one of his pregnant alpacas give birth to a female alpaca baby. They are worth the most for their breeding ability.
Alpacas are not traditionally farmed for their meat or milk, which appealed to Ginn, who said he didn’t want to raise “kill” animals.
Now, he’ll have to wait for his flock to grow to be profitable, but in the meantime, the Ginns are enjoying the unique animals’ presence on their rural Anderson farm. “It’s a huggable investment,” he said.
Contact Brandi Watters: 640-4847, brandi.watters@heraldbulletin.com
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