Released March 17, 2008
URBANA, Ill. -- The first University of Illinois Extension sustainable agriculture tour this season represents one of the more unusual enterprises in Illinois — Tuesday, May 13 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Eagle Dancer Ridge Lamas, Inc. in East Peoria. (Note: the genus name is spelled with one "L" and Eagle Dancer raises both llamas and alpacas).
"Over the years, we've toured goat farms, free-range poultry farms, even a reindeer ranch, but this will be our first tour of facility that raises llamas and alpacas," said Deborah Cavanaugh-Grant, Small Farm and Sustainable Agriculture Extension Specialist who is coordinator of the tours.
There are four types of lama -- the llama, the alpaca, the guanaco, and the vicuna. They have a three-compartment stomach, and chew a cud like sheep and cattle. Lamas have been domesticated for many centuries and used as a beast of burden, as a fiber source, and as a meat source in South America.
So, why raise lamas in the United States?
"My husband and I are both totally city-raised, but he wanted to be a 'gentleman farmer' and I wanted to have a business using fiber. We both enjoy hiking and I wanted some sort of animal," said Lisa Saunders co-owner of Eagle Dancer Ridge Lamas, Inc. "We fell in love with llamas first because of their personalities and fiber, and enjoyed raising them for many years. Then we met our first alpaca and have since added another element of love to our lives."
Adult llamas' average weight can range from about 250 to 450 pounds, with a height from 5 1/2 to over 6 feet tall. They live from 15 to 25 years. Adult alpacas generally weigh about 150 pounds and are four feet tall.
"Visitors are first impressed by the curiosity and sweetness of our animals," said Saunders. "They comment on the llamas' intelligence and the alpacas' fiber and that they are just fun to be around."
Saunders said that visitors on the U of I Extension tour will be able to take a llama around the obstacle course used by the birthday party groups, hike in the woods, enjoy the early spring plants and a delicious lunch. "The hiking trail is about a quarter of a mile. It winds a lot and is covered with wood chips," said Saunders.
For more information about Eagle Dancer Ridge Lamas, Inc., visit http://www.edrlamas.com.
A fee of $20 per person will be charged for each tour, which includes lunch. Registration at least one week in advance is required. Visit http://www.extension.uiuc.edu/smallfarm/ to register and for more details about each of the tours including a map and agenda. To register by phone, contact Donna Cray at (217) 241-4644. For more information, contact Deborah Cavanaugh-Grant at (217) 968-5512 or cvnghgrn@uiuc.edu.
The remainder of the 2008 tour schedule is as follows:
- June 20, Learn Great Foods in Mount Carroll (http://www.learngreatfoods.com/)
- July 11, Lyons Fisheries in Sandoval
- July 22, Cedar Valley Sustainable Farm Community Supported Agriculture (http://www.localharvest.org/farms/M5067)
- August 8, Organic Apple Field Day at University of Illinois Dixon Springs Agricultural Center, Dixon Springs (http://www.cropsci.uiuc.edu/research/rdc/dixonsprings) This tour is being co-sponsored by the Upper Midwest Organic Tree Fruit Growers Network (http://www.mosesorganic.org/treefruit/).
- September 8, Iyabo Farms in Hopkins (http://www.sustainusa.org/familyfarmed/profile_iyabo.html)
- October 3, Mill Creek Farm in Quincy (http://www.millcreekfarmquincy.com/)
The tour to Eagle Dancer Ridge Lamas, Inc. is co-sponsored by the Tazewell County Extension Office, Woodford County Extension Office, Illinois Lama Association, the Illinois Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association, and South East Lama Rescue.
University of Illinois Extension is a statewide educational network that links the resources and research of the University of Illinois to the people of Illinois. The programs and workshops, which take place throughout the state, address issues involving youth, families, community development, agriculture, and natural resources. If reasonable accommodations are needed in order to participate in any of the programs, call (217) 241-4644.
The tours are sponsored by the University of Illinois Extension, the North Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Professional Development Program, the Agriculture Tourism Partners of Illinois, and the Agroecology/Sustainable Agriculture Program at the University of Illinois.
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Contacts: Debra Levey Larson, (217) 244-2880, dlarson@uiuc.edu
Deborah Cavanaugh-Grant, (217) 968 5512, cvnghgrn@uiuc.edu
