Springtime at Magical Farms Alpacas

A beautiful May has arrived at Magical Farms – winter crias romp through emerald green pastures and delight in the fresh breezes that bring blossom petals swirling across their paths.  Their dams, enjoying the sunshine and wearing their freshly-shorn summer best, glance up from foraging periodically to keep a watchful eye, but not so long as to miss any tender green shoots underfoot.

The buzzing drone of the clippers has ceased just in time to be replaced by the similar but natural buzzing drone of the cicadas, while the low diesel hum of the tractor out mowing and overseeding for the season provides the baseline for the Farm’s song of the season.

The annual ritual of the fiber harvest is complete, the alpacas are happy with their new, neat, and refreshing appearance, and from all of us here at Magical Farms… Happy Spring!

I was recently asked to describe Ohio, our home state here at Magical Farms, in terms of raising alpacas and how or why it would stand out among other possible locations for an alpaca farm.  The question really got me thinking!  Below are some of the thoughts I came up with and would love to start some discussion – if you’re in Ohio, what have I missed?  If you’re in another state, I’d love to hear your thoughts on your location!

Ohio is one of the most active alpaca farming states in the country, and it makes a lot of sense if you consider our geography, general weather, relatively central location within the country and proximity to population centers, and our state’s strong agricultural roots. I’ll go into each of these in some detail:

You can of course find geographic diversity in Ohio, but for the most part we are relatively flat, the soil is very productive and tillable without the boulders of the northeast or red-clays and sand of the south, and based largely on Ohio’s size and agricultural history land is available in anything from small family farms to extremely large tracts to meet whatever your plans may be for your farm.

Our weather quite literally lends itself to raising livestock – we have four distinct seasons, each of them plays an important role, but none of them are so extreme as to be overly difficult for either the alpacas or their owners. Our summers get warm, but the hottest stretches are rarely for more than a couple weeks, and the evenings generally cool off enough that we do not have to go through extraordinary, expensive measures to protect the alpacas from heat stress. The winters get cold, but again not so extreme or drawn out as to be burdensome. Additionally it generally provides a strong enough freeze to help keep parasite populations in check. The spring and the fall are mild and beautiful and many Ohio alpaca farmers breed their females so the timing works out for a spring or fall baby – this reduces stress on the female giving birth, the owner tending to her, and gives the newborn cria a chance to really get on her feet and grow strong before the onset of either summer or winter. We have excellent rainfall and abundant water resources keeping the cost of hay and the costs or challenges of maintaining pasture low. It really is an idyllic setting for alpacas.

Ohio’s location, while not technically central in terms of mileage from the coasts, is extremely central in terms of our distance to population centers and accessibility. With interstates 90, 80, and 70 all running right though (and 64 touching the southern tip), we are an easy drive from a huge radius – this makes receiving visitors to your farm easier, the likelihood of receiving visitors to your farm higher, as well as finding professional transport for your animals very easy if needed. There are several excellent alpaca transporters who go through Ohio regularly on their way East… and then come right through again on their way back West. As a testament to this accessibility, Magical Farms holds the Breeder’s Choice Auction on-site in October, and the vast majority of our attendees are able to easily drive in whether coming from Upper New England, the Mid-Atlantic, the Southeast, the Mid-West, Texas, and more.

Ohio’s strong agricultural roots are an incredible resource for Ohio alpaca farmers. Just about anywhere in the state one can find a huge network of support – whether it is a vet who already has substantial camelid experience, a local hay provider (or you if you want to grow your own) who can produce abundant and inexpensive hay, the farmer co-ops, state sponsored educational opportunities and agricultural extension programs, or the kid down the street who grew up on a family dairy farm and can reliably watch your herd for you when you go out of town – they’re all available and abundant in Ohio.

Just as important as all of the above is our community of alpaca farmers themselves. Ohio has a robust and very active alpaca community and we are always learning from each other, helping each other, supporting each other, participating in the industry at shows, events, and more. It is a great group and we are lucky to have it and be a part of it.

Here’s to the Buckeye State!

Ty.

The first snowflakes of Ohio’s winter have fallen, but have not yet stayed long – hanging around at most a few hours on the frosty windshield of the farm pickup truck that spent the evening outside.  The sun hangs lower in the sky with each passing day, and the return of Eastern Standard Time brings with it the early sunsets and dark evening chores.  There’s something peaceful about the quiet of the cold that can’t be found in the warm sunlit summer evenings.

It was a beautiful fall, but the foreshadowing is obvious – winter is coming to Ohio, and I’m looking forward to it.  A quote from an interview with Ann Ursu sticks in my head - “I think magic is closer to the surface in the snow.”

She’s right.