Alpaca ranching is new to this country with the industry being only 15 to twenty years old. It's a great time to enter an industry which has such a sound future. Some ranches in other states have well over 1,000 alpacas. Success is not completely measured in dollars. These animals are fun to work with and life on the farm is a joy. It's nice to live in a rural area where there is lots of space and fresh air. The work is not especially hard but it is a good way to keep active and the rewards are many. Handling the animals by petting, halter training, and taking them for walks reduces their natural fear of people. Training your alpaca to be less stressed in your environment is rewarding for the alpaca and gives the owner a sense of accomplishment, while making life easier for everyone involved. In this industry, there is good support for ranchers because alpaca ranchers help each other and have common goals.
Florida is experiencing enormous growth in its alpaca industry. According to some estimates, Florida had 450 alpacas last year but has over 800 this year (2006). That's an unofficial growth of over 75% in one year. ARI statistics have shown Florida as having the 5th highest percentage of suris in the US by state. Thirty percent of Florida's alpaca population is suri. Suris make up only 18% of the total alpaca population in the US. I feel historical alpaca census by type, sex, age, state, and county should be maintained so that trends could be revealed which could lead to forecasting, and other important economic data for businesses.
Sun King Alpacas Inc. respects the work that goes back 6,000 years to Peru. We have some great bloodlines from 3,000 miles away that we are making available to the south eastern U.S. We limit out herdsires to 5 breedings per year to outside ranchers, which is very exclusive compared to many breeders. This keeps us from diluting their bloodlines too much and enables us to deliver the best care to our alpacas and our guest alpacas. We offer a fine Florida experience for suri females at our ranch. There is plenty of shade, good browsing and private pasture space with shelter from rain at the Sun King Alpaca Ranch.
Helping other alpaca ranchers is a specialty of this very young industry. Sun King Alpacas, with over 5 years of experience, is ready to help start or improve your herd.
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