QuestionMy 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?
AnswerMy 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.