The view as you head up the gravel hill to Jeff Suchland’s farm in Troy, Missouri, doesn’t seem remarkable—until you see a pasture speckled with grazing alpacas. From afar, the animals might be mistaken for misshapen mountain goats, overgrown poodles, humpless camels, hairy giraffes, or strangely colored deer. Up close, one can’t help but marvel at their elegant necks, endearing underbites, well-coiffed hairdos, and bushy backsides.
But they’re not just intriguing spectacles; they’re how Suchland makes his living. The 44-year-old sees the farmer as “the original American entrepreneur” and intends to live up to that title. He’s working toward a doctorate in business administration and has applied much of what he’s learned to running the 55-acre farm, Alpacas of Troy. The land has been in his family for three generations and was used for cattle until 2010, when Suchland saw a more sustainable opportunity. So he sold off the cows and began buying alpacas, eventually building a herd of 150.
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They’re gentle but can kick or spit when feeling threatened. They don’t like to be held but will eat out of your hand and can be stroked if you slyly sidle up next to one and loosely place your arm around its neck. To be sure, the alpaca business isn’t easy. They provide lean meat and attractive fiber, but the industry has yet to thrive in the United States. A St. Louis Post-Dispatch article in 2010 titled “It’s hard to get rich raising alpacas” pointed out that “there’s no market” for alpaca meat in the U.S. and noted that the return on an alpaca’s fleece was minimal compared to how much it costs to maintain a single animal.
Despite that difficult environment, Suchland says he’s been able to turn a profit, and his unique approach is helping other alpaca farmers, who are hemorrhaging money by outsourcing aspects of the business they could be doing themselves. “As we became involved in the industry, it became apparent that many alpaca owners were struggling to make the transition from alpaca owner to the business model of selling their fiber,” Suchland says. “I realized very quickly that we were uniquely suited to train a new breed of alpaca owner.”
So he started mentoring farmers in the areas of customer development, marketing, and sales. He impressed upon them the importance of incorporating various revenue streams by way of camps, tours, events, and classes. Suchland also encourages farmers to shear their own animals and learn how to use processing equipment. He provides “do-it-yourself fiber processing” by giving farmers tutorials and access to his equipment at a fraction of the price of sending it off to a large mill. He hopes to overcome the taboo surrounding alpaca meat by explaining its benefits to consumers one on one at farmers’ markets. Likewise, he’s built relationships with textile artists and knitters to market the fiber. An increased interest in buying local works in his favor.
At the moment, Suchland says, he makes close to $600 from 10 pounds of a single animal’s fiber. He sells babies to other farmers for anywhere from $850 to $1,400. Grown animals can go for $450 to $850. He’s broadened his business model by charging not only for his product but also for his time, his resources, and his knowledge. Suchland offers tours for $5, ground meat for $7 per pound, and skeins of custom yarn for $35 apiece. All in all, he seems to be finding success in an area where others have failed. That’s nothing to spit at.
Alpaca Stats
Alpacas can live anywhere from 15 to 25 years.
The gestation period for babies is around 11 1/2 months.
The cholesterol content of alpaca meat is comparable to that of salmon.
Alpaca fiber does not contain lanolin, the allergen found in sheep’s wool.
