Alpacas: The Five Year Plan

by Cindy Lavan, Chase Tavern Farm Alpacas, Bowdoin, Maine

YEAR ONE - "Once upon a farm?"

When people ask us how we first became interested in alpacas, my answer is always a simple one, "It was my husband's idea." Really, it was. Tim and I first became interested in alpacas after he read an article in a national publication describing the potential financial aspects and lifestyle advantages of raising and breeding alpacas. We were intrigued, and after initial discussion, followed up on the article by contacting the national association for more information. Well, needless to say we where hooked.

Now, what do we do. We investigated alpacas further and visited a farm in the area we where considering undertaking this venture. We fell in love..and after some period of thought, invested in our first two alpacas; a girl close to breeding age and a herdsire. Oh yeah, the five year plan we'd better write that now since we own alpacas. We decided to further our starter herd bringing our numbers up to six; four girls, one stud and a gelding companion. The tax man sayith, "A business needs to show profit within five years, or you reconsider the business." How did we want to structure the business and the next five years of our lives? Good question. I think we went through about 2 legal pads worth of paper before we finally figured out the best approach to our new situation. The infamous business plan was created. We would start our alpaca adventure by mostly breeding in house the first year and expand our herd. During the first year, we where expecting only one cria and breeding the other three girls for cria in Year Two. Our five year game plan was to bring Tim home from work sooner than he would naturally have a chance. He would work full-time for a computer company and I would handle the farm and its contents. We where young, 26, and figured if Tim could retire by the time he was 40 and come home, we would be doing very, very well. So thus our adventure began. All alpacas where boarded for a short period of time while we where finalizing their accommodations. Living in a climate where the ground freezes four feet deep in the winter, we had our fencing done in the late Fall, many months before the alpacas where actually due to arrive at our farm. We converted the already existent car/horse barn into a facility suitable for alpacas. Not much conversion was actually needed at first and considering it was February and Tim was away in San Francisco on business, I really didn't feel the need to do heavy construction just then. After purchasing mounds of lumber and two hammers, we got to work after the spring thaw. No cars in the barn! A nice rule to have I think. We enclosed the front and added a new wooden floor, expanding our alpaca surface area greatly. The fencing done the previous Fall was your basic perimeter fencing with one smaller fenced field closer to the barn. We further added a paddock area around the back of the barn. I think by the end of the summer, everyone within a 15 mile radius had driven by the farm to check out those crazy looking animals. The alpacas where a big hit and in high demand for fairs, school visits, etc. We were on the local t.v. news and written up about in local papers. It was at this time that the computer geek husband created our website, the first in the world dedicated solely to alpacas!!! Yelp, a lot was happening in our little corner of Maine.

YEAR TWO - "The offramps on the highway"

Well, lets back track a little bit. In year one, we where expecting our first cria, but that didn't happen. Nature, you know. So our first cria arrived in year Two. We where a little behind the black and white business plan, now experiencing the "gray" area. Animals will do what animals will do and we have to accommodate around that. We stayed focused on the future and waited patiently for our first cria to be born. Fifteen minutes, I believe she was in labor for fifteen minutes. Tim was heading up to the sheep barn when I noticed a spray of water coming from the to-be- Mom's backend. He asked, "Do I have time to feed the sheep or do you want me back now." "Oh, no, according to the book, we have time, go feed, its alright," I replied.

With that I turned around to see an alpaca hit the ground. Thump. "Ahh, Tim," I yelled, "get back here now!" What a wonderful sight. Of course, our phone bill was rather high that month from calling everyone we knew in the world and telling them every single detail about the birth and what a wonderful new addition to our lives. Back to the business plan...more alpacas where added, both by delivery on the farm and in new purchases, including an new herdsire prospect. Herdsize, 12. Things where going well and we where very excited. We invested more capital ourselves to help offset the sales of alpacas. Business still operating "in the red." Tim built a small three sided enclosure on skids to offer more shelter and allow us to use other fields besides the ones that feed from the barn. Including the routine maintenance, feed, vet bills, etc., we where getting money back from Uncle Sam once again this year. Minus a few setbacks, we where still relatively on track for Year Two of our business plan.

YEAR THREE - "HI HO, HI HO, its off to work I go?"

I think we have taken an alpaca or two to every possible event in the State of Maine and New England. Major marketing year. Three alpacas sold and capital re-invested into new stock. Quiet year overall, just a lot of marketing and letting folks learn and love alpacas and discussing the lifestyle they have provided us. Still running the business "in the red" overall. Lots of fiber sales and lots of first time alpaca enthusiasts through the farm. New fencing and field work done. A few new alpacas purchased as well. A few new tractor implements, or "toys" as they are also know as. Herdsize: around 15 by year's end. Education, education. People have to know what an alpaca is before they buy one, or two. A lot of enjoyment on our part. We are now established and enjoying the benefits of farm lif, ?the calluses and early to bed evenings, the joy of delivery and the delight in a baby standing for the first time. Special moments. A very special and fulfilling year.

YEAR FOUR - " The Eagle has landed"

Wow, what a year!!! Babies coming out of everywhere!! Herd growing!!! Selling fiber like mad. Spinning like mad!! I should put an pedometer on the treddle of my spinning wheel, just for kicks!! Herd size, around 40 by year?s end. Fairs!! Events, shows!!! To help increase bloodlines to the farm, we did a lot of breeding out in Year Three for babies born this year. I planned it so that no more than two girls would be bred to the same guy, increasing the number of bloodlines on the farm by about ten. "Wait. How did you go from 15 alpacas one year to roughly 40 by the next year's end?? you ask. By selling and re-investing in new alpacas. By investing more capital. Since the business was doing well, we invested more capital on top of the re-invested funds from sales of alpacas. And remember, mother nature helped. If you have ten pregnant females, you could have ten cria as well before you know it, and ten and ten add up to twenty..and so on. This was now truly a business and we needed to treat it as such. Don't get me wrong, we love our alpacas, each and everyone, but a business this is. To offset tax consequences and to just make life easier, we expanded our farm by fencing new fields and detailing those already fenced to further accommodate the numbers of alpacas on the farm now and in the future. A new barn was constructed as well that would feed two newly fenced fields. Tim was still working full time and we had our own human version of a cria. That added a bit of spice to it all, but we managed through quite well. By the end of the year, twenty three alpacas were sold to new owners and established breeders. We were very excited for what lay ahead the following year.

YEAR FIVE - "I love my husband, I love my husband"

Alright, now I'm spinning and knitting like mad!! Besides running around chasing a toddler, I am managing the farm, actively involved in the national organization and mildly going out of my mind. The scary thing in it all - I love it!!!! Where else can you change a diaper by one hand, answer a phone with the other and watch a mom have a cria, all at the same time? In my barn, that's where. Other news to date. New herdsire added. We now have five on the farm, the latest, a masterpiece of alpacaness?Altiplano Gold!!!! Major investment, but well worth it with the value of livestock on the farm. The next step in the evolution of our business.

With over 50 alpacas, some here boarding, some here for breeding, my time was becoming very, very valuable. Continuing to maintain the level of quality we have provided these past years to all alpacas here at the farm, and not work my husband to death on the weekends, we batted around the idea of bringing in hired help to assist in the routine chores, etc. We have also from year's beginning, considered Tim as an option. He has worked here on the farm part-time from the beginning and would be easier to train than someone new coming in. Hmmmm, what to do, what to do? Well, after much serious thought and contemplation, I decided to hire my husband. And come to find out, its year five in our business plan and we are making it work!!! One quarter through the year and we have sold half the number of alpacas we sold last year total!! Farm visits all the time. With the child in daycare a few days a week to socialize with other creatures on the planet besides alpacas, llamas, sheep, goats, dogs and cats, my husband and I are working side by side as a team. Needless to say..communication is key in this new relationship.

He?s home!!! We didn't have this in our business plan for another nine years!! Life is good. Alpacas are great!. What an opportunity they have provided us. Basically, we are at a point in our lives and the business, that it makes more sense for us to concentrate on the home business or alpaca business, than for Tim to work off the farm. A majority of alpaca owners are retired folks, looking for life after the "city." We work the farm now and plan now for retirement. For all we know, we maybe back in the "city" but I doubt it. Its hard work, but its all been worth it. So that's the past five year's of our lives in a nutshell. Remember, this alpaca thing was all his idea. (He has a few good ideas every now and then.)

Life is not fancy, just fun. The alpacas have provided us with countless hours of joy and entertainment over these past five years. Its still work mind you. Chores will be chores. As Tim now says, "I'll rather shovel this stuff then some of the stuff back at the office." And the business plan? I think we'll be seeing some black come April 15th next year.

Cindy along with her husband Tim, an AOBA Alpaca Judge and Judge Trainer and their two sons, Charlie & Petey have been breeding and raising Championship alpacas since 1993 on their coastal farm in Maine. They maintain a herd of over 100 alpacas and have over 15 working herdsires, 10 of whom were born on their farm producing the next generation of prize winning alpacas. Their son, Charlie, also runs his herd of suri alpacas under the name, Chickadee Ridge Alpacas.

To learn more about the Lavan’s, visit their websites at www.chasetavernfarm.com and www.chickadeeridgealpacas.com.