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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 |