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alpaca manure


Question
My two alpacas are prolific producers of these little beans. My friends all say it's great for gardens. Is it possible there is some commercial value in this "product"? I had it tested and it's low in nitrogen so it won't burn delicate plants but other than that I wonder if I could make any money from it?

Answer
My Little Darlings Alpaca Farm, Chickamauga, Georgia thinks you can make plenty of money as a purveyor of exotic Alpaca Manure:
http://www.mylittledarlingsalpacas.homestead.com/about.html

Darlings sells Alpaca Manure in 8 oz bags but offers to sell larger quantities on special order.

Most Alpaca ranchers are focused on generating income from the luxury fleece or from breeding programs.  Even I am surprised as how many Alpaca Farmers there are in these United States.  Some of the more technology-aware:

Thistledown Alpaca Farm
http://www.thistledownalpacas.com/

Oyama Lake Alpaca Farm, British Columbia
http://www.alpacadelights.com/

Alpaca Owners and Breeders Assn
http://www.alpacaowners.com/login.asp?accessdenied=%2Findex%2Easp

There's even a blog, alpacanation, to help Alpaca farmers vent and caucus about their friendly, furry friends:
http://www.alpacanation.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1904

Some Alpaca farmers just use the stuff in their own gardens, then play this up as a side benefit of ownership.  Others may be thinking about it, but they aren't talking publicly about sales.  I would expect this could be a very popular product if you knew how to market it properly.  The issue of safety will be a problem, but people do sell manure, and it is a big business you should be able to profit from.

A valid analysis by a soil testing laboratory is a must for something like this.  Bear in mind however that manure analysis is going to be an estimate, because test results depend on a thousand variables -- what the animal ate for breakfast and other factors.  You run into the same situation when you analyze anything else -- Horse Manure, Cow Manure, Rabbit Manure, etc.

A road side stand where people passing through can pick up fresh fruits and vegetables would be a great venue for you to sell your Alpaca soil enricher.  Great stuff.  Great idea.  My hat's off to you.

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