VOA标准英语2010-Alpacas Move From Andes to America

Farmers raising alpacas for their fleece are a growing segment of the U.S. agriculture industry

Erika Celeste | Ft. Wayne, Indiana 27 April 2010

Unlike in South America, North American alpacas are not raised for meat, but for their valuable fleece.

Related Links
Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association

Fifteen years ago, Jim Barker's wife came home from an Ohio county fair and told him she'd found their calling.

"She said, 'I just fell in love with an animal and I think we should get a couple of them,'" he recalls. "I said 'What are they called?' And she said, 'Alpaca.' I said, 'Al-what?' I'd never heard of an alpaca."

The Barkers did a little research and learned that alpacas are extremely easy to care for and easy on the environment, too. Four of the animals, which stand about a meter high at the shoulder, can easily be raised on half a hectare. They can eat much rougher vegetation than cattle or sheep and do not challenge fences or tear up pastures like other livestock¹.

The Barkers bought four animals in 1996, and in 1999, Barker says, "I walked away from my corporate² job and started doing alpacas full time."

A small but growing industry

The Barkers are among the more than 4,000 American alpaca breeders who have helped increase the U.S. herd³ to close to 150,000 animals, worth more than $50 million annually⁴. Each of those highly prized animals is micro-chipped, so they can be tracked and their owners identified.

Unlike in South America, North American alpacas are not raised for meat. Most breeders view their animals as a cross between pet and money-maker.

Bill Pearce, with the Indiana Alpaca Invitational, says the cash comes from the fleece. "It's softer than wool, rated pretty close to cashmere or marina wool. Comes in 22 natural colors."

All those colors are on display at the Indiana Alpaca Invitational, one of the competitions that take place all over the country every spring. Judge Brenda Barboza says the animals are ranked on fleece and confirmation⁵, as well as color.

"[If] you have a male," she explains, "you like [it] to look like a male; very strong, a lot of presence, very proud, the way they walk, well boned, good confirmation and they're bringing in a good fleece on top of that. It's just an all-around animal."

Fluffy⁶ or corded

There are two breeds of alpacas, and two types of fleece.

Breeder Jim Barker had never heard of alpacas when his wife first learned about them 15 years ago.

Almost all the American animals are huacayas. They have a fuzzy sheep-like appearance. The other 10 percent are Suris, a breed with long dread-like cords.

The fibers⁸ are often blended in textiles, but that doesn't stop owners of the different breeds from being strictly⁹ divided.

Rick Stumpf, of Prairie Lake Alpacas in Maryland, for example, is a Suri man. "With their long flowing locks, the Suri is just beautiful to watch with the wind created by the running or natural air movement."

On the other hand, Deb Zeller of Big Hair Alpacas in Ohio, goes for the huacayas. "They're amazing animals," she says, hugging the alpaca she calls Dirty Diana. "They look like big fluffy teddy bears and they make you want to hug them all the time, and they're so peaceful."

While Suris and Huacayas do not compete against each other, both breeds have male and female categories divided into age and color so there are a lot of winners. "At the end of each category - like male brown suris - there is a championship and then there is a reserve champion and a grand champion and color champion," says Barboza, the judge.

The value of a prize-winning alpaca

When the Indiana and other spring invitationals are over, the alpacas will get their annual shearing¹⁰. Owners of prize-winning animals can command top dollar for their fleece.

Owners of prize-winning alpacas can command top dollar for their fleece.

Maryland breeder Rick Stumpf says there's a ready market for American-grown alpaca fiber⁷. "Right now, a lot of it is imported from South America, but we are getting more and more alpacas in this country so the alpaca industry is ready. There's excitement to turn more and more of our American alpaca fiber into clothing."

And business is booming. Crafts people are demanding alpaca yarn¹¹ for blankets and textiles, while designers are clamoring for high end sweater, coat and suit fibers.

To encourage American alpaca farming, the U.S. government offers tax incentives¹², but Jim Barker says that's only a small reason to start raising alpacas. "I want people to get into the alpaca business because they love the animals as much as we do."

The Barkers now have one more reason to love alpacas. Their animals swept the Suri White Female category at the Indiana Invitational. They'll be going on to the national competition next month.

 

1 livestock   

n.家畜，牲畜

参考例句：

• Both men and livestock are flourishing.人畜两旺。
• The heavy rains and flooding killed scores of livestock.暴雨和大水淹死了许多牲口。

2 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

3 herd   

n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• He had no opinions of his own but simply follow the herd.他从无主见，只是人云亦云。

4 annually   

adv.一年一次，每年

参考例句：

• Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
• They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。

5 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

6 fluffy   

adj.有绒毛的，空洞的

参考例句：

• Newly hatched chicks are like fluffy balls.刚孵出的小鸡像绒毛球。
• The steamed bread is very fluffy.馒头很暄。

7 fiber   

n.纤维，纤维质

参考例句：

• The basic structural unit of yarn is the fiber.纤维是纱的基本结构单元。
• The material must be free of fiber clumps.这种材料必须无纤维块。

8 fibers   

光纤( fiber的名词复数 )； （织物的）质地； 纤维，纤维物质

参考例句：

• Thesolution of collagen-PVA was wet spined with the sodium sulfate as coagulant and collagen-PVA composite fibers were prepared. 在此基础上，以硫酸钠为凝固剂，对胶原-PVA共混溶液进行湿法纺丝，制备了胶原-PVA复合纤维。
• Sympathetic fibers are distributed to all regions of the heart. 交感神经纤维分布于心脏的所有部分。

9 strictly   

adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地

参考例句：

• His doctor is dieting him strictly.他的医生严格规定他的饮食。
• The guests were seated strictly in order of precedence.客人严格按照地位高低就座。

10 shearing   

n.剪羊毛，剪取的羊毛v.剪羊毛( shear的现在分词 )；切断；剪切

参考例句：

• The farmer is shearing his sheep. 那农夫正在给他的羊剪毛。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The result of this shearing force is to push the endoplasm forward. 这种剪切力作用的结果是推动内质向前。 来自辞典例句

11 yarn   

n.纱，纱线，纺线；奇闻漫谈，旅行轶事

参考例句：

• I stopped to have a yarn with him.我停下来跟他聊天。
• The basic structural unit of yarn is the fiber.纤维是纱的基本结构单元。

12 incentives   

激励某人做某事的事物( incentive的名词复数 )； 刺激； 诱因； 动机

参考例句：

• tax incentives to encourage savings 鼓励储蓄的税收措施
• Furthermore, subsidies provide incentives only for investments in equipment. 更有甚者，提供津贴仅是为鼓励增添设备的投资。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法