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AlpacaNation Q&A with LAS FLORES del ALTIPLANO ALPACAS
Marit Federcell & Patrick Borunda
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PO Box 210, Yacolt, WA 98675
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360-686-0910
AlpacaNation: Tell us about yourself...
LAS FLORES del ALTIPLANO ALPACAS: Ours is a small, five acre farm, in beautiful Southwestern Washington. We're located an hour northeast of Portland, Oregon, close to the infamous Mt. St. Helens.
We began this grand adventure with one pregnant female and now, thirteen years later have grown to almost thirty... funny how that happens!
We raise Huacayas exclusively and have bred our colored Chilean/Bolivian/Peruvian females with high quality males aiming for excellent fiber and conformation.
We've had the privilege of building our farm from the ground up, and as a result have been able to do this with an eye to raising alpacas from the very first. Of course, we've also made our fair share of mistakes, and we're a continual "work in progress," but most days we wouldn't trade it for anything!
We started the farm while working full time as professionals away from the farm. Marit now manages it full time and wonders how she ever had time for anything else.
AlpacaNation: How did you decide on your farm name? Is there a special meaning behind the name?
LAS FLORES del ALTIPLANO ALPACAS: The Altiplano is the Andean home to alpacas and other camelids. Of all that comes out of this harsh terrain, certainly the alpaca, clothier to royalty, is the "flower."
The Spanish word for "flowers" is "flores." We think of alpacas as "the flowers of the high plains," or "Las Flores del Altiplano."
In keeping with this theme, we've named our female alpacas after flowers and most of our males for trees. Our web site gives the meaning of these names.
AlpacaNation: How long have you been in the alpaca business?
LAS FLORES del ALTIPLANO ALPACAS: We've been in the business for 13 years. The industry has grown so much in that time... it's literally "awesome" in the true definition of that word!
The changes and improvements in the quality of the animals is a testament to the hard work and perseverance of the "pioneers" and the willingness of newcomers to get in, roll up their sleeves, and take an exciting risk.
AlpacaNation: What advice would you give to those just getting started in the industry?
LAS FLORES del ALTIPLANO ALPACAS: Develop a good working relationship with a vet that you can trust. Make sure that the doctor will come to your farm when you're in an emergency. Remember them at Thanksgiving among those things for which you're most grateful. Your alpaca's life could literally depend on this.
Build strong, positive relationships with fellow breeders. A corollary to this is "who you buy isn't necessarily as important is who you buy from." Your alpaca's life could literally depend on this.
Evaluate your feeding program regularly. Your alpaca's life could literally depend on this.
Evaluate your breeding program regularly. Don't be afraid or too proud to admit that you've taken a wrong turn... and correct it quickly. The success of your alpaca business could literally depend on this.
AlpacaNation: What is your greatest achievement or favorite memory since you started raising alpacas?
LAS FLORES del ALTIPLANO ALPACAS: One of our happiest days came recently when one of our customers took a Color Championship ribbon with a yearling hembra, the produce of a bred female that we had sold to them. We love it when our customers are successful!
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