No sooner are the holidays over and, instead of enjoying the relative quiet of winter on the farm, we are already faced with making decisions about and getting registered for spring alpaca shows. We have to decide which alpacas we will be taking to which shows so we reserve the … Read More
Herd health day takes on new meaning in cold weather. We’re not quite there yet; today was brisk, but not freezing. A light pair of fingerless gloves was all that was needed to keep hands warm while giving shots. For those of you not familiar with alpaca husbandry, alpacas require … Read More
The fall show season is behind us and it was a very one successful one for Snowshoe Farm! We showed four alpacas at two shows this fall. Our white herdsire, Snowshoe Aristides won a blue ribbon and Reserve Champion at the Empire Alpaca Trifecta and he won a blue ribbon … Read More
The last few days have been such a gift…mild, calm and dry. We’ve managed to get quite a lot done from our “get ready for winter” list, but Hurricane Sandy has thrown in a few extra chores. While northern VT is not predicted to bear the brunt of this storm, … Read More
This is the view from my fiber studio. It’s not very exciting on this gray day, but it’s looking a lot like Fall and we love it. And the alpacas, who have quite a bit of fleece grown back by this time of year, love the cooler temps. This is … Read More
About 9 years ago we took in three young male alpacas whose owners were divorcing and selling their farm. We eventually sold two – Salsa and Nick – but Blizzard had health issues and we never offered him for sale. Blizzard was overweight, down on his pasterns and had coarse … Read More
The first day of spring and it feels more like summer! This stretch of warm weather is so unusual for northern Vermont. We are generally sitting in a sea of snow and mud at this time of year. But most of the snow is gone, the roads are nowhere near … Read More
After the craziness of fall alpaca shows and fiber festivals, we always have big plans for all the “free” time we’ll have during the winter. Well, March is here, the first spring show is in just three weeks, then shearing starts start soon after. And all those big plans for … Read More
Those of us who farm in colder climates have to work around some challenges posed by the cold, ice and snow. One challenge is to stay warm while working outside, especially if you can’t wear heavy gloves for the task at hand. Another is to find good days for using … Read More
This time of year is as close as we get to “down time” on the farm. Outdoor chores are limited: no gardening, no mowing. Breeding chores are limited; no breeding, no birthing. We stick very close to home in the spring and summer, but this time of year we have … Read More