Alpaca Farms and Alpacas for Sale Locations Locator Map and Directory

Alpaca farms raise alpacas either for breeding and sale of the animal or for the sale of the alpaca fleece. Many alpaca farms also participate in agritourism and allow the public to visit and learn about the alpacas and the alpaca farm.

From Wikipedia

Types of alpacas

There are two types of alpaca: Huacaya (which produce a dense, soft, crimpy sheep-like fiber), and the mop-like Suri (with silky pencil-like locks, resembling dread-locks but not actually matted fibers). Suris are prized for their longer and silkier fibers, and estimated to make up between 19-20% of the Alpaca population. Since its import into the United States, the number of Suri alpacas has grown substantially and become more color diverse. The Suri is thought to be rarer, possibly because it is less hardy in the harsh South American mountain climates, as its fleece offers less insulation against the cold.

About Alpaca Fleece and Alpaca Wool

Alpaca fleece is a light-weight, lustrous and silky natural fiber. While similar to sheeps wool in that it is a natural fiber, it is warmer, not prickly, and bears no lanolin which makes it hypoallergenic. It is also soft and luxurious. In physical structure, alpaca fiber is somewhat akin to hair, being very glossy, but its softness and fineness enable the spinner to produce satisfactory yarn with comparative ease. It is hollow as well, which makes it a good insulator. The preparing, carding, spinning, weaving and finishing process of alpaca is very similar to the process used for wool.