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Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Have you dreamed about having a sustainable small farm? One where you and your family could live in harmony with nature, your kids could learn about science in the real world instead of just the classroom, and you could sustain your family on your own produce?
We certainly had that dream. With our greatest life adventure (through hard work, planning and more than a little luck) we have a working Alpaca ranch. Our Alpacas create the most life-giving, rich manure which composts into an amazing fertilizer. We use this to feed our pastures, our flowers and landscaping, and our organic vegetable gardens.
But, there’s more to sustainable farming than just fertilizer. Our goal was to create a ‘circle of sustainability’ with our ranch. The land feeds the Alpacas, the Alpacas feed the plants, we eat the veggies and enjoy the flowers. A very symbiotic relationship, indeed. The extraordinary bond between humans and the animals who share our lives is one that gives joy and purpose in amounts far greater than the effort we expend.
Alpacas do more than help us to feed our family and friends. Their fleece is amazingly soft and strong – it is often compared to Cashmere. Shearing takes place once per year, after which time the fleece regrows. It is entirely possible to get several winter garments from the fleece of one animal.
We are sharing the magic of sustainable farming with you. On September 29 and 30, we are inviting the public (that’s YOU!) to our Alpaca Farm Days Festival. Planned are activities for adults as well as children. Admission is FREE!
The incomparable Marney Blair of Fulcrum Farm will be talking about sustainable farming (she has been successfully doing it for many years right here in Nevada County) and will be showing how to take the manure from an Alpaca and turn it into GOLD for your plants.
We are also showing the process of making yarn from carding fleece to spinning. It is an amazing process, a skill (and an art) passed on from generation to generation. This is how warm winter clothing was made for hundreds of years. It is enjoying a comeback, as people realize the beauty and wonder of creating something both sensual and useable from the bounty of their animals. Knitters are enamored of Alpaca yarn, and say there is nothing that compares to sitting by a warm fire on a cold winter night while knitting a homemade sweater from the softest and most luxurious yarn.
Add to that Penney the Clown with her magic show and face painting, music, food and drink, Alpaca items to purchase, demonstrations with Alpacas which highlight the ease with which these charming animals can be handled and trained, and photos with Francesca and her friends for you and your kids. You will fall in love with the lovely and friendly Francesca!
If you have given any thought to sustainable agriculture on small acreage (two Alpacas can happily live on only ¼ acre) this is the festival you need to visit. You will come away with knowledge, ideas, and a very happy family!
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