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Alpacas Are a Breed Apart

 By Carl & Ann Bradbury

The Homesteader Northern Colorado Edition.

 

Alpacas are the World’s Finest Livestock Investment

Looking to add some fiber to your investment diet?

Alpacas produce a premium fiber in 22 vibrant colors, the demand for which is ever increasing. Annual fiber yields vary from about five pounds from a single female to a reported thirteen pounds from a larger male. Breeding and selling in this ever increasingly popular industry is another easy way to add to your investment dollars!  Due to a high demand for these beautiful animals, it is common for a female offspring of an alpaca to sell for the same price or more than an investor breeder paid for the dam. Returns of 30 to 74% are not uncommon in the alpaca industry.  Not to be overlooked as a very important aspect of raising alpacas are the great tax benefits that our favorite uncle Sam now provides. An alpaca can typically be depreciated over a five-year span or 20% per year and, in addition, the 2006 and later tax-years Section 179 of the tax code allows for the deduction of a capital asset up to $108,000 in the first year the asset is acquired. Capital gains can be available on the sale of breeding animals and their offspring. Current expenses are deductible. Consult a tax advisor for specifics as they relate to you.

Add to all of this that alpacas are 100% insurable. Can stocks do all of this?

All You Need is Love

Alpacas are so easy to raise, practically all you need to give them is love. They eat very little food and therefore require only a small amount of acreage per animal. Veterinary costs are minimal. Besides their endearing qualities of warmth, friendliness, and trainability, they have an enduring quality of strength and toughness. That means you’ll have a friend for a long time to come. Coming from the rugged Andes makes life on the farm a piece of cake...for your alpaca and for you!

The Many Benefits Of Breeding

As your alpaca herd breeds and grows, the return on your initial investment multiplies at a strong and steady rate. Along the way, you’ll receive numerous tax benefits and incentives that make your investment even more attractive! Deductible expenses, capital gains benefits, and insurable, depreciable investments are just a few of the many ways you can save money while also taking part in one of the most exciting industries in the world.

Educational Alpaca Article submitted by Carl & Ann Bradbury, Ridge Valley Alpaca Ranch, Loveland, Colorado.  Phone: 970-669-0043 or go to www.alpacarancher.net.

 Alpacas are so easy to raise, practically all you need to give them is love. They eat very little food and therefore require only a small amount of acreage per animal. Veterinary costs are minimal.  Besides their endearing qualities of warmth, friendliness, and trainability, they have an enduring quality of strength and toughness. That means you'll have a friend for a long time to come. Coming from the rugged Andes makes life on the farm a piece of cake...for your alpaca and for you!  Alpacas are so personable that you cannot resist being around them. Alpacas have no teeth on top in the front and do not bite, have soft padded, earth-friendly feet, and a non-aggressive personality, all of which make them an adorable farm animal or pet.  Listen to their gentle humming and let the alpaca transport you into a new lifestyle of peace and tranquility.

 

 

Alpacas are without a doubt one of the most beautiful animals that roam our planet earth. Just the facts that alpacas come in 22 different colors makes them unique, but add to that their gentle nature, tranquil temperament, luxurious fiber, and gentle, calming humming sounds and you have an animal that no human can resist hugging.  The natural habitat of the alpaca is the high Andes of South America, but since 1984 they have also flourished on farms throughout the United States because they are so adaptable.  There are two different kinds of alpacas in the United States--the suri alpaca which has fiber that appears to be in the form of dreadlocks and is very silky, and the huacaya (pronounced wa-ki-a) alpaca which has very colorful fiber that is extremely fine and gives the alpaca a woolly and round appearance.  Alpacas prefer outdoors to being cooped up in a barn so a three-sided shed is perfect. You provide an enclosed barn for birthing.  They eat very little food each day, usually as much as a large dog. We feed them grass, good quality grass hays (some alfalfa is fine), and a special alpaca crumble. They need hay and/or grass for the fiber it contains. You give alpacas annual inoculations and worm them as you would your dog or cat.