|
HOW
TO OWN ALPACAS
There
are 3 primary ways to become an alpaca owner:
1.
The first is to do what we did, jump right in with both feet,
acquire land for pasture, build a barn and fences and, of course,
purchase your foundation herd. Before doing this you should visit
several farms to get an idea of the range of approaches, styles and
costs. Also spend some time assuring yourselves that you are prepared
for the commitment of time and money that starting the business of
alpaca breeding requires and do a lot of reading and talking to others
in the field.
2.
Buy alpacas as pets. While they are more work than a dog in
some ways, they are easier than horses or sheep and in several states
owning alpacas may allow you to claim farm status on your property
taxes.
3.
Buy alpacas as an investment. Board them at the seller’s farm
(called agisting in the alpaca industry) for about $2-$3 per day
plus vet fees. Even if you never intend to buy farmland and raise
them yourself, you can depreciate your investment in any alpacas
purchased and enjoy the income from any babies (cria) born to your
females. And of course visits to your alpaca are tax deductible (not
the skiing or boating, but at least the trip and the stay).
Naturally there
are way too many issues to begin to discuss here, however, we will be
happy to spend all the time you need covering them and can even
provide serious visitors with our Excel spreadsheet model 10 year
business plan for figuring capital costs, expenses, herd growth and
the like.
Barry Finer and Virginia French
2642 State Route 28
North Creek, New York 12853
(518) 251-3040
|
