For some reason, it seems like spring has been very slow to reach to the NEK this year. Even nice sunny days have had a cold wind. But we’re finally seeing the birds return and the pastures turn green. The alpacas love this weather. They’re in full fleece and the … Read More
While much of southern New England continues to dig out from the feet of snow dumped by the storm some have dubbed “Nemo”, it wasn’t a remarkable snow event up here. We received about a foot of very light snow and that gives us a total of only about a … 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
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 has been a busy weekend of delivering alpacas. Seven alpacas were delivered to their owner yesterday. Today we delivered five alpacas to one farm and six alpacas to another farm. These are all wonderful homes with good facilities, livestock-experienced owners and room to grow. We’re very careful about making … Read More
Two big events coming this weekend: NYS Sheep & Wool Festival in Rhinebeck, NY and Green Mountain Alpaca Show in Essex Jct, VT. I’ll be in NY and Ron will be at the show. We have help with the farm for the weekend, so we should be able to manage. … Read More
Our Beginner Handspinning class started yesterday. I, for one, had a great time! All the participants are current or future alpaca owners, so we’ll spend a lot of time playing with and talking about alpaca fiber. Handspinning can be a little frustrating at first, but this group did amazingly well … Read More
I started planting our vegetable garden today. We still have a few snowbanks here and there, but our raised bed have dried out nicely. I cleaned up a few weeds, raked and planted the first five raised beds. I sowed seeds for lettuce, spinach, chard, collards, kale, carrots, beets, sugarsnap peas and dill. It … Read More