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Alpacas are raised for their soft fiber. Each shearing produces about 5 to 10 pounds of fleece per animal per year, according to Alpaca Owners Association Inc.
From left, Cody Burns, Pete Hofmann and Joshua Pitzl form a three-man team. They travel to farms in 12 states from April to June, shearing about 3,500 alpacas in that time. They can shear one alpaca in about five to six minutes.
Cody Burns, left, and Pete Hofmann shear "Tsumani," the primary stud at GalPaca Farm. The 2018 spring shearing isn't the 10-year-old alpaca's first rodeo.
Joshua Pitzl trims an alpaca's teeth. An alpaca's bottom teeth must line up with the pallet on top without teeth. That allows them to pick grass to chew with their molars. Without proper alignment the alpaca can't collect food.
From left, Linda Kosovac, co-owner of GalPaca Alpaca Farms, discusses the shearing process with Melissa Leonard-Flannery, agriculture teacher at Pecatonica High School, and students Hanami Boldin and Skye Hoffman.
Mindy Huitt, co-owner of GalPaca Alpaca Farm, bags fiber with the help of Joshua Pitzl. She knits and sells a variety of clothing items made from the fiber of GalPaca's Huacaya alpacas.
Alpacas are sheared once yearly to keep them cool in summer as well as to provide fiber.
Cody Burns wears a back support during the strenuous work of shearing.
MT. HOREB, Wis. – On a three-month working tour a three-man shearing team recently stopped to shear 21 alpacas at GalPaca Farm Alpacas of Mt. Horeb. By the end of June the team will have sheared about 3,500 alpacas in about a dozen states.
Lynn Grooms writes about the diversity of agriculture, including the industry’s newest ideas, research and technologies as a staff reporter for Agri-View based in Wisconsin. Email lgrooms@madison.com to contact her.
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From left, Cody Burns, Pete Hofmann and Joshua Pitzl form a three-man team. They travel to farms in 12 states from April to June, shearing about 3,500 alpacas in that time. They can shear one alpaca in about five to six minutes.
Joshua Pitzl trims an alpaca's teeth. An alpaca's bottom teeth must line up with the pallet on top without teeth. That allows them to pick grass to chew with their molars. Without proper alignment the alpaca can't collect food.
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