Alpacas draw visitors to Morrison farm

MORRISON - One by one and with a big smile, Randy Larson greeted guests as they arrived at his 10-acre farm Saturday.

The “I Love Alpacas” T-shirt he was wearing highlighted the reason why visitors of all ages were showing up at his and his wife Jan’s farm six miles west of Morrison. Saturday marked the first day of a weekend celebrating the 17th annual National Alpaca Farm Days, which included guests getting the chance to pet an alpaca and learn more about an animal known for its soft, luxurious fur.

Jan and Randy, who moved onto their Morrison farm three years ago, are originally from Alpha. When Randy retired from his large animal veterinary practice a little over 20 years ago, he and Jan decided to look into raising alpacas.

“Our kids had 4-H animals,” he said. “We had three kids and they had cows and sheep and pigs, and they all graduated and went to college, and the 4-H projects left. Then I retired from active large animal practice in 2000 and we were looking for something to take care of and we started investigating alpacas.”

Alpacas are native to Peru, Bolivia and Chile and were introduced into the U.S. in the mid-1980s, he said.

“We were aware of them but prior to that they had only been in zoos,” he said.

The couple spent a year studying up and visiting farms before investing in their first alpacas. They now run their own business, Kalmar Kolors Alpacas, at 9721 Lincoln Road, Morrison.

Alpacas are primarily raised for their fleece in North America, according to the Alpaca Owners Association. One facet of alpaca fleece is its variety of natural colors: pure white, several shades of fawn and brown, several shades of gray and true black and many other subtle shades and hues, up to 22 of them. White, light fawn and light gray can be readily dyed, offering a rainbow of colors for the fleece artist.

He said alpacas are sheared annually in the spring, with the fleece harvested in a process known as skirting. The fleece is shaken, dust and debris are removed and the skirted fleece is sent out to be turned into yarn.

Larson said fleece can also be blended with other fine fibers like merino wool, cashmere, mohair, silk and angora, and is highly sought by cottage-industry artists that include hand spinners, knitters and weavers, as well as the commercial fashion industry. The Larsons have theirs turned into 100% percent alpaca fleece, which is graded as baby, royal, average and coarse, and used to create various clothing or textiles.

To learn more about alpacas, the goods made from their fleece or how to start up an alpaca business, contact Larson at larson26@divcominc.net. Their website can be found through www.openherd.com.