Eden's Harvest Farm Alpacas

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All of our alpacas are ARI Registered

In April of 2000 my wife and I fulfilled a dream that we had since before we were married in 1989 - We bought a farm. After all of the dust settled, following the whirlwind sale of our house in the Chicago suburb of Crestwood, the move, and settling in at the farm, we said, "Now that we own a farm, what are we going to do with it?" Thirty-three of the forty acres were leased to a neighbor, so a decision was not immediately necessary. Over the next few months, we got a couple of goats and four chickens. We enjoyed the chickens, so over time we fixed up an existing shed that only had about one third of its roof left, converted it to a chicken coop, fenced it in, and our flock grew to sixty-four.

I had organically gardened for twenty or more years, so my wife came up with the idea of growing organic vegetables. In 2002 we started farming just as the government was preparing to take over organic certification. Bad timing! As could be expected, this move squeezed out the small family farm and favored large corporate farms. So we opted for the new grass roots movement by small organic farmers - "Naturally Grown".

While visiting a neighbor, his animal wish list became the topic of conversation. He said, "I want to get a Llama!", I said, "What for?" He just thought that they were "cool". He promptly brought out a catalog, "Useful Lama Items". I started paging through the catalog and noticed a lot of Alpaca supplies. I said, "What is an Alpaca?" He said, "I don't know."

When I returned home that evening, I got on the internet and ran a search on Alpacas. I was amazed at the number of sites listed. I started surfing and reading and surfing and reading...I had to learn more about these curious animals. While surfing, I ran across an alpaca seminar about four hours away in Wisconsin that was scheduled a week hence. I called and they had three vacancies left, so I signed Janet and myself up. Six months later, we own five of these wonderful creatures and agist (board) two.

I will say that it has taken a lot of preparation, research and study, but it has been well worth it. Owning Alpacas is truly a lifestyle that brings a peaceful tranquility to our otherwise busy lives.

Although these animals are a substantial investment, they are just that, an investment. They can have a significant return on your investment in a relatively short time, and a very good return over the long term. These are hardy, healthy animals that take minimal care compared to most. They are environmentally friendly animals, they have padded feet and are easy on pastures. They have substantial tax advantages to the active investor and very good tax advantages for the passive investor. My wife's favorite point is that they are NOT grown for slaughter. This is a growing industry. The Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association (AOBA) has grown exponentially in the last couple of years.

Please take the time to read further through our web-site and schedule a farm visit...It could change your lives for the better!

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