Alpaca auction at South Point attracts 250 seeking to grow herds
While fans cheered for their teams Saturday morning during the Big City Showdown basketball tournament at the South Point Arena, 50 alpacas were gathered in pens within the venue's lower level, ready to be sold at the Priority Alpaca Auction.
The woolly creatures drew their own set of aficionados, including hobbyists and full-fledged alpaca breeders seeking to add to their herds of the South American relative of the llama.
Auction co-owner Debbie Harden-Vigus of Silver Penn Sales said nearly 20 consigning farms from across the U.S. came to sell their alpacas at the sixth annual auction, which attracted 250 people.
"Each year we've grown in popularity and attendance as we become more well-known," she said.
Co-owner Brett Kaysen said the alpaca business appeals to a wide range of people.
"We see a diverse clientele — everything from the fourth-generation farmer to a doctor and lawyer who want a rural lifestyle and opportunity to be with livestock on a daily basis," he said.
Alpacas differ from llamas, Kaysen said, noting they're smaller and more compact in size, their fleece is used for fiber and they have an easy temperament.
Leslie Jorritsma of the Autumn Mist Alpaca Farm and Fiber Mill in Prattsburgh, New York, recalled the day 10 years ago when her husband, Jeff, came home with 11 alpacas.
"I didn't even know what they were," she said. "Within two weeks I was head over heels in love."
Their 120-acre farm now boasts 60 alpacas, Jorritsma said.
"They're sweethearts, and they each have their own personality," she said. "They also handle the cold really well, and being near the Finger Lakes, that's important."
Pat Martin, owner of Heritage Alpacas in Gaston, Oregon, said she set out 15 years ago to find a unique business opportunity.
"I was looking for something different to do," Martin said. "After I saw an ad on television, I went out to visit some farms and said, 'This is for me.' "
Martin now owns 50 alpacas that are used for breeding and for the fleece fiber they produce.
"It's processed into rugs for our own use," she said about the alpaca fleece. "I've also made dog and cat beds out of it."
In addition to rugs and animal beds, alpaca fleece can be made into everything from scarves, coats, sweaters and hats.
Martin said she's keeping an eye out for a male with colored fleece at the auction.
"I have a lot of white alpaca so I need more color," she said. "White alpaca fleece is popular because it can be dyed easily."
Martin uses a particular process to find just the right alpaca, she said.
"I feel the animal to make sure it's not too thin or too fat," Martin said. "Then I'll feel the fleece from the head to the tail and check its bite to make sure everything's normal."
Jeff Williamson, owner of Liberty Alpacas in Maple Valley, Washington, was selling a gray mother and a baby alpaca, also known as a cria.
"A lot of people love grays because there are a lot of whites and fawns," he said. "We specialize in grays and do research on the colors of the alpaca's offspring in order to try and be strategic but there's only so much we can do."
This is the fourth time Williamson has attended the Priority Alpaca Auction.
"We've done really well here," he said. "It's also a place to bring breeders from all over the country together to see the quality from these different farms and bring bloodlines from the East Coast out here to the West Coast."
Williamson said he got into the alpaca business because of his wife, Lorrie.
"She grew up with horses and when we purchased a larger property, we looked for additional livestock options," he said. "Nine years and 35 alpacas later, here we are."
Contact Ann Friedman at afriedman@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4588. Find her on Twitter: @AnnFriedmanRJ.
