Cozy Acres Alpacas is an alpaca farm in Le Sueur, Minnesota. Here, alpacas are bred, raised, and sheered in order to make yarn out of the alpaca fiber. This yarn is actually very different from the more common woolen yarns because the fiber from an alpaca is much finer than the fiber from a sheep. It creates a stronger, warmer, and softer yarn after it is processed.
Alpacas are a domesticated relation of llamas and they originated in the Andes. They are still raised there today but are also found in all fifty states. The animals are covered in hollow hairs which provide a great deal of insulation. Because of this insulation, alpacas are able to withstand relatively cold temperatures. They don't however, tolerate heat particularly well. In order to help the animals cope with the warm Minnesota summers, as well as to be able to produce yarn, the alpacas are sheered during May. This keeps them cool in the summer but also allows time for the alpacas to grow their coat before the cold fall weather. A few of the alpacas we saw today were also wearing coats in order to help them ward off the bitter cold winter weather.
Sheering the alpacas in May is only the first of three steps necessary for creating alpaca yarn. When the alpacas are sheered, the fiber is in its raw state. Typically, only the fiber from the blanket of the alpaca—from the base of the neck to the bottom of the tail and down the sides—is considered quality fiber. This fiber is crimped which creates a smooth yarn without fibers sticking out of the strand.
After the raw fiber has been sheered and sorted, the fiber is put into a carting machine for roving. Here, the fiber is wound around a wheel with spokes sticking out of it in order to align the hairs. After it has been turned in the carting machine, the fibers create a rope about an inch in width which is then ready for further processing.
When the fibers have gone through the roving process, they are spun on a spinning wheel in order to create the alpaca yarn. One of the women from another Minnesota alpaca farm actually spins her own yarn. Another option, which is utilized by Cozy Acres Alpacas, is to send the fiber to a mill. It can be difficult to find a mill able to produce alpaca yarn, however, because a special machine is needed to process the alpaca fibers. Larger mills will often combine alpaca fibers with other fibers, like wool, so that they are able to process it. The Shepherd's Mill in Phillipsburg, Kansas, which processes the fibers from Cozy Acres Alpacas, has the capability to create 100% alpaca yarn. The yarn is then sent back to Minnesota where it is wound into skeins for purchase.
Before visiting the alpaca farm, I was very interested to hear why this sort of farm would be in Minnesota. At first glance, it seems as though the climate would not be appropriate for these animals native to South America. While the extreme temperatures in Minnesota do present some challenges for the farmers, the open areas found in rural Minnesota are actually quite conducive for raising alpacas. The animals need plenty of space and, in order to produce soft yarn, also need dusty areas to roll in. The practically treeless farms found in this location provide this environment for the animals. Also, the alpacas on this farm eat hay and a grain mixture which is actually mixed at the local farmer's co-op. The appropriate nutrition for the animals is clearly available in this location making it a convenient place to raise them. Finally, as knitting has become more popular in recent years, the farmers have a large market in which to sell their high quality yarn.
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