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
Today was a busy one at Snowshoe Farm. With 70+ alpacas in four barns, we scrambled to prepare for Hurricane Irene’s arrival tomorrow. Like many people in rural areas, we depend on a well for water and if we lose power, we lose our water. So we filled 5-gallon containers … Read More
We’ve already had some hot and humid weather this summer and it sounds like there’s more to come this week. If you’re new to owning alpacas, you need to know how to keep them cool during hot weather. Alpacas are native to a dry, high elevation and are not comfortable … Read More
Last night’s storm was one of the worst I’ve seen. Hours and hours of thunder, lightning, rain, wind and hail. We lost power at some point and it just came back on at 9am. Our farm is located at a fork in the road; there are three roads to get … Read More
Yes, it’s officially spring, but that doesn’t mean it has to feel like spring. Up here we have a transitional season we call “mud season” and it is aptly named. It can take some time for the weather to melt all the snow, drive the frost out of the ground … Read More
Our schedule usually includes a string of alpaca shows each spring and fall. Both are very busy times of year even without the added stress of shows. But now that Ron is so busy shearing, we don’t do all the spring shows that we used to do. Ron took four … Read More
We had several lovely warm, sunny days last week…and we’re paying for it. Our road is the worst we’ve seen in years. The path down to our compost pile – where we haul manure every day – is almost impassable. We still have at least a couple feet of snow … Read More
OK, so we’re coming up on mid-March here and it still looks like mid-winter. Nevertheless, spring show season starts in 3 weeks with the North American Alpaca Show. We’re showing 5 of our males – one adult, one yearling and three juveniles. Only one of the five is currently lead … Read More