Well our open house turned out very nice in spite of the wet and muddy conditions.   We had a great day with very inquisitive visitors.  Many people often ask, "Why alpacas and are they profitable?"  We love the alpacas and enjoy them immensely, however, it is also an investment and we do sell our alpacas.  My advice is it does require daily work and should not be entered into unless you love the animals.   However, we are entering into our 5th year and are seeing the fruits of our labors.  Last year we sold 6 alpacas and had 3 births with 2 more scheduled in the next 60 days.  Our herd growth is study and stable and the sales are coming in.  Interestingly, The Wall Street Journal had an article about investing in alpacas this week.  Below is an excerpt from the article.

"Sales of exotic livestock are up. The U.S. Mint has seen a gold-coin rush.

Investors have long turned to hard assets in market downturns, the idea being that if you invest in something real, it won't disappear, even if its value declines. But analysts say this downturn is different in that real estate, the most traditional safe haven, is also sinking. Between July 2006 and July this year, home prices dropped 19.5%, according to the S&P/Case-Shiller 20-city composite home price index.

Peggy Parks, a 49-year-old auditor in Johnstown, Pa., turned to an unusual farm animal. "I've lost a fortune in stocks, and my 401(k) is falling through the floor. I feel comfortable in alpacas," she says. She invested $56,000 in a small herd that she believes has a better outlook than most mutual funds because of the animals' breeding potential.

The national Alpaca Registry Inc., in Lincoln, Neb., says registrations are on pace to rise 7% this year and currently stand at 140,297. Ms. Parks says a female of "medium quality" can fetch $10,000 and that prices have been rising, supporting her hopes that she'll see a profit on her alpaca portfolio in five years."