ALPACAS……A NEW LIVESTOCK FRONTIER.

Even though alpacas may be one of the world's oldest domesticated livestock, the "book on alpacas" is just beginning to be written. In this day and age, no other livestock enterprise has encouraged so many urban families into considering the benefits of a rural lifestyle.

Stargazer Ranch began in 1998 from our desire to experience more of the Colorado western way of life. Raising alpacas has been challenging and rewarding on many levels and is clearly a splendid lifestyle for "out of the box" people who want more from life than the routine 9-5. Initially, alpacas seemed to be a world apart from our past lives in the healthcare and construction fields. Alpacas have since become our full time enterprise. Echoing the sentiments of many other alpaca breeders, we can not imagine what else we would rather be involved in at this time in our lives.

Knowledge is a key component to successfully raising alpacas as a business. Serving on a number of alpaca association BODs and working with clients on a national level, has given us an appreciation and understanding of the overall alpaca industry. We offer frequent seminars covering a wide range of topics to help others learn from our experience. One of our educational events, "Weekend on the Ranch", is an entire weekend devoted to classroom discussions and developing hands-on evaluation skills. A thorough understanding of the alpaca industry helps to develop relevant selection criteria which will aid in making good purchasing and breeding decisions.

Stargazer's herdsire lineup consists entirely of Champion and Blue Ribbon males proven to produce show winning offspring. The combination of utilizing only the best phenotype, along with distinguished genetics, has achieved predictability in our breeding program. This has resulted in substantial generational improvements and success in the show ring. Ranch visitors are able to view several family groups and see the evolution in each successive generation. Clients, who utilize our "Breeding Advantage" program, are able to plan and select individual breedings and still qualify for multiple breeding discounts.

After achieving notable success showing both suris and huacayas, consisting of mainly "whites and lights", we deliberated about breeding for more color. When one of the top suri breeders voiced an interest in purchasing our entire suri herd, we decided to make the change and expand our huacaya breeding program. The outcome of this recent change is that we now offer a full color spectrum of quality breeding and show stock huacayas.

Not everyone who falls in love with these animals is cut out for the daily routine of animal husbandry or the other aspects of running a business. For the investment minded, Stargazer Ranch offers a long term "Alpaca Management Program" (ALP). ALP is designed to simplify the start-up for new breeders, provide cost effective access to our herd resources and offer ongoing educational opportunities.

Anybody with access to the internet can "visit" and watch our alpacas 24/7, through our Barn Cameras. Sharing the excitement when someone experiences the birth of a cria on live streaming video, reminds us again just how lucky we really are. Our cameras can be found on our "Barn Cam" (still pictures) and "Streaming Video" pages. Personal visits to our ranch and store can be arranged with a little advance notice.

We are excited to be a part of an industry while it is "coming of age". Every alpaca born continues to be a great asset - whether it is a seed stock, champion producing herdsire or a pet gelding being raised for family enjoyment and fiber production. We are looking forward to being a part of "The New Livestock Frontier" and we invite you to join us in the journey.

Cindy and John