Our Story
After living in a gated community for several years, we realized living under the thumb of an HOA just wasn't for us (Max here. I knew all along!). We got this crazy idea to start an alpaca farm. After visiting several alpaca farms, we surprised the heck out of our family, and decided to take the plunge... And why not start an apiary while we're at it?!
We purchased our farm in the beautiful Beaver Valley in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania last year, 2023. We have about a year of farming under our belts. We have eight alpacas, a guard llama, six bee hives, and a bunch of poultry.
Join us on our journey to becoming honest-to-goodness alpaca farmers and apiarists. We'll keep you updated along the way... The good, the bad, and the ugly. Subscribe to our email newsletter to get updates right in your email inbox.
about our animals
Alpacas
Alpacas are domesticated mammals in the camelid family. The camelids include the better known species camels, llamas, and alpacas, in addition to wild guanacos and vicunas. Alpacas are a fully domesticated species. They are originally from the Andes Mountains of South America, in Peru, Chile, Bolivia, and Ecuador , living at elevations of 11,000 to 16,000 feet. The typical lifespan of an alpaca is 18-24 years.
The first alpacas were imported into the United States in 1984, and have grown in number to several hundred thousand. However, this makes up less than 1% of alpacas worldwide. The vast majority still live in South America, and the bulk of those hail from Peru.
There are two varieties of alpaca. Suri and Huacaya. The vast majority (Over 90%) are Huacaya, and are the ones found on Honey Herd Farms. These are the fluffy marshmallow type alpacas that most people typically think of when they think of alpacas. The Suri have locks of fleece that give the appearance of dreadlocks.
Alpacas are primarily kept for their fiber (i.e. their 'fur'), which is known as their fleece. The alpaca's fleece can be used in similar ways to sheep's wool. However, the alpaca's fleece is far finer, and is hypoallergenic, on account of being lanolin-free. Alpaca fiber is most commonly compared to cashmere and merino wool. Merino wool is a durable fiber that is mostly used in outdoor clothing. Cashmere is soft and warm, and is used in luxury clothing. However, it is not durable. Alpaca combines the strengths of cashmere and merino to form a durable and luxurious fiber that is used in high end luxury clothing as well as outdoor clothing.
