Alpaca farm to host open farm

A male alpaca grazes on grass Thursday afternoon at Glen Haigler's farm, The Sunflower Alpaca Farm, which will be open to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday and Sunday. (Michael Pommier/Tribune)

Local residents will have the opportunity to get up close and personal with some unique animals.

From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, Glen Haigler and his wife will open the Sunflower Alpaca Farm to the public in participation with the National Alpaca Association's nationally sponsored farm day.

Haigler said the public is welcome to visit their farm and learn about alpacas and what they can provide.

One of Glen Haigler's male alpacas peeks up Thursday afternoon as Haigler calls him over to eat. Haigler has 14 alpaca on his farm. (Michael Pommier)

The Haiglers moved to Fort Scott in November 2009 after living near Wichita where they bought five alpacas as an investment after retirement. Haigler said he rolled his 401k into alpacas six or seven years ago and it has served him well.

"We used it as an investment," he said. "From that original purchase, we've grown from five animals to fourteen."

Haigler said he thought that alpacas would be a better investment than the stock market. In his eyes, the decision was a good one despite the economic downturn.

"Although the prices have gone down with the rest of the economy, if we just sold out today we probably still would get our investment back," he said. "It's worked out ... to be better than the stock market as far as an investment goes."

The alpaca's gentle nature is what drew Haigler to them. He said that because of this along with their large eyes and soft hair, alpacas are very popular with children.

According to Haigler, alpacas are often bred so that they can be sheared and the hair be used to make fleece. He said he shears his once each year, generally in the early spring after the last freeze.

The fleece from an alpaca is often used as an alternative to wool because it is not as oily as wool. Also, it is lighter, warmer, and does not scratch the skin like wool.

"A lot of people compare it to cashmere for fineness and softness of feel," he said.

Haigler added that although there is not that big of a market in the United States of America for alpaca fleece, there are alpaca farms in all 50 states. He said that because of this the market for alpaca fleece is growing, however it has a long way to go before it can compete with the market from South America.

Haigler said that he hopes to spread the interest of alpacas in the area as well as try to sell the fleece.

The Sunflower Alpaca Farm is located at 1019 240th St., just north of Jayhawk Road on the east side of U.S. Highway 69. Haigler said that visitors should not bring dogs along with them to the farm, because the alpacas are afraid of dogs that have not grown up with them.