One needs a variety of skills to be a farmer. Well, at the very least, it makes life a lot easier to be able to do what needs to be done when it needs to be done. This winter has been brutally cold here in northern Vermont and we have … Read More
I know most folks are gearing up for the “big game” today, but with no interest in football and no TV, that’s not happening here. Instead, my afternoon is full of fiber (not unusual for me!). Today I’m dyeing fiber for felting. Here at Snowshoe Farm, we use only our … Read More
Snowshoe Farm will once again participate in the Buy Local Market at the Vermont Farm Show. This year marks the 84th annual farm show. Along with the usual fare of machinery and equipment displays, association meetings and agricultural products contests is the Wednesday evening Buy Local Market. This is an … Read More
There’s always a project in the works on the farm. Our 2014 project involved partially closing in the ends of our barn overhangs to help cut down on wind and wind-driven precipitation. While our alpacas make great use of the overhang areas, including on most winter days, there are times … Read More
Recent conversations with new and prospective alpaca owners prompted me to think about how we manage our farm during the winter months. Things vary quite a bit seasonally on a farm and winter has its own challenges. Staying warm is challenge number one – not for the alpacas, but for … Read More
We were very excited that female offspring from our multi-champion herdsire, Snowshoe Aristides, were ready to breed this year. Our sales list now includes several young bred females that were sired by Ari, including Snowshoe Cari, Snowshoe FancyPants and Snowshoe Aria. Each of these females has a dam that has … Read More
To celebrate 15 years breeding alpacas, Snowshoe Farm is offering 15% off all alpacas and stud fees through the end of 2014! And you can extend the savings by reserving a 2015 breeding now. A deposit will hold a breeding to any of our herdsires – including multi-champion, Snowshoe Aristides … Read More
Fall is here and that means a very busy time on the farm! During the next month, most weekends bring either a fiber festival or an alpaca show. Weekdays are filled with getting ready for the next weekend’s event. That means dyeing yarn, skirting fleeces, chasing down all the odds … Read More
Here’s our newest offspring sired by our multi-champion, Snowshoe Aristides: Snowshoe Pleione. This photo was taken just as we were getting ready to shear her. This little girl is a pistol. She’s gaining weight like crazy, leads the rest of her group out to pasture and is already chewing her … Read More
Last year I was invited to dye some of our alpaca yarn for felted pillows. I worked with Alison at woollymama fiber arts and her client who was looking for several pillows to match the colors in her rug. With surprisingly little difficulty, I came up with two colors, a red … Read More