The foothills outside of Denver are known for their elk herds, but there’s another doe-eyed herd animal making its mark on the area.
“It’s a perfect environment for alpacas, because they come from the Andes and they’re used to the extreme cold,” said Michelle Swango, owner of Eye of the Needle Ranch near Genesee where she and her husband, Mike, have been raising alpacas for 10 years.
With around 60 alpacas, Eye of the Needle is probably the largest ranch in the area, but it is part of the close community of about 15 ranchers in the areas of Golden, Evergreen, Conifer, Arvada and southwest Denver that are a part of .
“In the past 10 years, the industry has really seen a change,” said Kathy Garrett, who, with her husband, Josh, owns Eagle Spirit Alpacas in Erie. The country’s herd population has grown and prices have come down in recent years, she said, and new ranchers are entering the alpaca breeding and fiber industry.
Alpacas live in herds and are sometimes confused with their larger, more aggressive cousins, llamas, which are solitary and often used as pack animals. There are two types of alpacas in the United States: Huacaya alpacas have short, fuzzy fleece, and the rarer suri alpacas are coveted for their longer, finer fleece that looks like dreadlocks.
Garrett is the event manager for an annual educational event hosted by Alpaca Breeders of the Rockies at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds. It attracts families, fiber artists and people who are interested in learning more about raising the animals.
Kim Taha said she was introduced to alpaca ranching through the event and now owns 14 suri alpacas at her Taha Suri Alpaca Ranch on Lookout Mountain, west of Golden.
“It’s a great community of people that are very supportive of each other and help you learn the industry,” said Taha, who decided to satisfy a dream of working with livestock by raising alpacas in her retirement.
Without any prior livestock experience, Taha said she found alpacas to be a great entry-level animal. They do not require much land — 1 acre can accommodate up to eight animals. They are hardy, yet timid, and rely on their herd for socialization and protection. Their toes, unlike hooves, are easy on the earth. So are their eating methods, since they do not pull vegetation from the ground at the root. And their pellets make little mess but make a great fertilizer.
“They’re really neat, clean animals,” said Kevin Derks, who with his wife, Lisa, owns High Timber Alpaca Ranch in Conifer.
Like the Swangos, Kevin Derks said they originally looked to . But the lifestyle was also appealing and it has led to other benefits. The Derkses did not know many of their neighbors very well during the early years they lived in Conifer, but that changed when they started building their herd and people became curious.
“We’ve met a lot of our neighbors through the alpacas,” he said.
Derks and the other breeders agreed that the local community helps sustain the industry. Though they are competitors in the breeding circuit, when someone has an issue with an animal or a birth, they know they can look to each other for help.
“One of the things that attracted my husband and I to the industry,” Garrett said, “is that, for a group the size of alpaca breeders in Colorado and even nationally, the people are really outstanding, really in tune with helping each other and mentoring other ranchers and farms.”
Josie Klemaier: 303-954-2465, jklemaier@denverpost.com or twitter.com/JosieKlemaier
Alpacas on the rocks
When: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Oct. 11 and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Oct. 12
Where: Jefferson County Fairgrounds Event Center, 15200 W. Sixth Ave., Golden
Cost: Admission and parking are free
Details: alpacasontherocks.org
More: National Alpaca Farm Days Sept. 27-29. Ranchers open their farms to the public. Visit nationalalpacafarmdays .com for participating farms.
