Fans of alpacas call them the easiest farm animals, but as longtime producers will tell you, that’s deceptive.
That’s because these herd animals love company, and they’re a tad bit addictive with their baby-seal eyes and teddy-bear-in-a-hornless-unicorn-body kind of way.
Russell Ratti would know. He owns the Heart and Soul Alpaca farm in Montana, which hosts thousands of guests every year who come, in part, to see his herd of about 150 Suri and Huacaya alpacas.
The Montana rancher was recently in Wyoming for Cheyenne’s double alpaca show at the Archer Event Center. The Great Western Alpaca Show and the Rocky Mountain Alpaca Showdown hosted producers from all over the United States, from Texas in the south and Washington to the West.
At least a dozen states were represented, though strangely, none from Wyoming that Cowboy State Daily could find.
That’s not because Wyoming doesn’t have alpacas. They are quite popular across the state, with ranches and Airbnbs offering alpaca opportunities from Arrowhead Alpacas in Powell to the Goose Valley Alpaca Farm and Airbnb near Sheridan.
Ratti understands the attraction to alpacas well after 24 years of raising them himself.
“I retired early at a young age,” he told Cowboy State Daily. “And I had some land, and I had children, and I wanted to teach my children how to take care of animals, how to do livestock, how to work, build fences and build barns.”
A couple of sassy alpacas sporting hair that almost resembles dreadlocks at a double-header of shows for alpacas in Cheyenne. (Renee Jean, Cowboy State Daily) 
Many of the alpacas in the double-header alpaca show held in May were shorn immediately after their last appearance. That gives them more time to grow new fur for fall shows. (Renee Jean, Cowboy State Daily) 
A few products made using alpaca wool. They felt as soft as silk to this reporter. (Renee Jean, Cowboy State Daily) 
Most alpacas are shorn immediately following their last spring show appearance. That gives them a little more time to grow new fleece for the fall shows. (Renee Jean, Cowboy State Daily) 
From afar, freshly shorn alpaca fleece looks like fluffy clouds. They also feel like them when close up. Part of the reason for that is alpaca fur doesn't have a lot of lanolin, unlike freshly shorn sheep's wool. (Renee Jean, Cowboy State Daily) 
Alpaca silk and wool shawl with alpaca blanket were among items in a fund-raising auction during a recent doubleheader alpaca show. (Renee Jean, Cowboy State Daily) 
Bryan Mahosky demonstrated making yarn from fresh alpaca fiber at a doubleheader of alpaca shows in Cheyenne, held at the Archer Center. (Renee Jean, Cowboy State Daily)
‘I Knew I Could Make Money’
He bought two or three alpacas, just intending to treat them a little like family pets and not to grow a big herd at all.
What he found out is it’s quite easy to get sucked in by the cute little camelids. Each has its own personality, and there’s something about their curiously cocked heads that instantly wins people over.
The alpacas at Heart and Soul won not only Ratti’s heart but now have the run of the majority of his 80-acre farm.
“After getting started in it, I realized there was a show industry and a breeding industry,” he said. “So, then I knew I could make money doing it as a business.”
Next thing you know the Montana cowboy had not only bought the alpaca farm, but he’d bought himself a mill as well. Then he learned to not only spin, but weave, and knit, and crochet.
Working with the ultrasoft wool proved to be just another step down the old alpaca road. Which is never lonely because you’re surrounded by, well, soft and fuzzy alpacas.
“Their wool is very soft and very warm,” Ratti said. “It’s about four times warmer than wool, so you’d usually want to blend it with something else.”
That way it doesn’t end up being too warm for working in outside.
Ratti is happy to share the alpaca love with the world. His ranch is part of Harvest Hosts, which annually brings about 400 or so guests to the ranch every year all by itself.
“And then we do like a pumpkin patch and a maze,” he said. “And for Christmas, we have a Santa who comes, and we have anywhere from 750 to 1,000 people show up on those days.”
Alpacas, Ratti said, are having a moment right now.
“People are really interested in self-sustainability,” he said. “Being able to stay home.”
Alpacas Are Good With Kids
Sustainability was among the considerations for Stephanie Schlichtmann, just starting out with alpacas. She is also from Montana.
“I wanted an easy grazing animal for our homestead that was pretty friendly,” she said. “And these require very little maintenance. They’re friendly and they’re great with my kid.”
Schlictmann also considered Icelandic sheep as an option. But the alpacas which look a bit like a cross between a fuzzy teddy bear and a unicorn, won her over.
“The sheep will headbutt and they have horns,” she said. “So with my young child, I didn’t want the horns to be a factor.”
The fiber is also super soft to the touch, and many consider it superior to even merino wool.
“The fibers are more moisture wicking than merino wool,” Shlichtmann said. “And the fiber is much softer than wool. It also doesn’t have lanolin in it, so it’s also less itchy than sheep’s wool.”
When Shlictmann read about the processes of cleaning sheep wool, that, too, was a deciding factor.
“You have to put sheep’s wool in like a chemical bath to get rid of the lanolin,” she said. “You don’t have to do that with alpaca wool. It is naturally very soft. It doesn’t have any lanolin.”
While alpacas can be raised for meat, Shlictmann plans to focus on the fiber industry with her herd, which she’s in the process of right now of building up.
“Our alpacas are part of the family,” she said. “Right now, I’m just building up a foundation with females. We will have some babies born this spring yet, and then, more than likely, in the first couple of years, I’ll sell males and just keep females to build my foundation.”
She’ll sell the wool, which must be removed once a year to prevent matting and other problems.
Fiber Is Special And Cute Too
Fiber was also Bryan Mahosky’s attraction to alpacas, although the Coloradan’s focus is more on spinning and creating the yarn. He was demonstrating the technique throughout the two-day show in Cheyenne the first weekend in May.
His wife did a college class that exposed her to alpacas and their fiber. Interest in them didn’t take for her. But it did for Mahosky, who admits he became a little obsessed with it.
“I ended up falling in love with it,” he said. “The thing is, it’s not easy. Like I kind of can’t play a guitar, but I can spin yarn. And someone else who can play a guitar maybe can’t spin. (Spinning) is really a by-feel thing and I make it look easy, but a lot of people don’t have the patience for it.”
Like Schlictmann, his favorite thing about the fur is how soft it is, and how it can be made directly into yarn after shearing, no washing necessarily required.
“Like this is unwashed, unprocessed, and I can take it all the way to a finished product,” he said. “Sheep’s wool has to be scoured with chemicals and washed several times, so it’s going through tons of water. Two pounds of cotton takes like 500 gallons of water to grow. And with alpacas it just takes 50 gallons of water to get six pounds out of these guys.”
Alpacas lately are getting more and more affordable, he added. And the wool itself is just getting better and better with time, as the breeding efforts of producers from across America continue.
“It’s just starting to get trendier in the United States,” he added. “We’re only 30 years into this industry, compared to sheep, livestock, and cattle. Those have been here for hundreds of years. So, in the beginning, everything was very expensive. But now that there’s more here, they’re getting more and more affordable.”
The growing popularity of late is something he attributes to the high cuteness factor of the animal. It’s hard not to immediately like a creature who looks and feels a bit like a fuzzy teddy bear, with the baby seal eyes to match.
“Just look at them,” Mohosky said. “They’re gorgeous, right? They’re super cute, super fun. They’re not aggressive. And they’re easier to keep than sheep.”
Renée Jean can be reached at renee@cowboystatedaily.com.
