Released April 22, 2009
MANHATTAN, Kan. - Fiber. It’s not just something that is healthy in your breakfast cereal. Natural fibers grown on alpacas have many benefits when used in fabrics. Today we’ll learn about an innovative alpaca breeder located in rural Kansas.
Teresa and Phil Hammond are the owners of Jornada Alpaca Ranch in southwest Kansas. They became alpaca owners relatively recently, but are strong believers in the benefits of these animals.
Both Teresa and Phil have roots in rural southwest Kansas. Teresa grew up at Hugoton and Ulysses and Phil grew up on a farm between those communities. Phil now has his own construction company called Hammond Remodeling. Teresa works at the farmer’s cooperative at nearby Johnson City, a town of 1,524 people. Now, that’s rural.
After living in town for a number of years, the Hammonds found a place in the country outside of Ulysses. On their acreage there’s not room for a lot of big livestock, so they considered raising various kinds of alternative animals. After a year of research, they made their choice: Alpacas.
Alpacas are members of the camelid family, along with llamas which are typically slightly bigger than alpacas. The specialty of the alpaca is fiber. For centuries, alpacas were bred in South America for fiber production, and their fiber is highly valued.
Unlike sheep wool, for example, alpaca fiber comes in various colors – as many as 22 different hues. The alpaca fiber is highly prized. Clean, high-quality alpaca fleece might range in value from $3 to $5 an ounce.
One enthusiastic alpaca owner says that a 100 percent alpaca garment is “stronger than mohair, finer than cashmere, smoother than silk, softer than cotton, and warmer than goose down.” Wow. Alpaca fiber is made into woven and knitted garments like sheep wool, but it is lanolin-free and therefore hypoallergenic.
Teresa and Phil Hammond learned about these benefits while researching alpaca production. In June 2005, they bought their first alpacas. These included one bred female with a cria, or baby, at side. That first female has had an incredibly favorable history for someone wanting to raise more females to naturally increase their herd. Teresa says, “Every single baby she had has been a female.”
Today, the Hammonds own Jornada Alpaca Ranch which includes some 20 alpacas. They named their place Jornada, which is the Spanish word for journey. Teresa says, “It is a journey for us.” Phil has learned how to shear alpacas, and Teresa has learned to spin and weave alpaca fiber.
Teresa says, “I learned to weave on a simple lap loom.” After purchasing the yarn, she said she realized, “I ought to be able to do the spinning part of that.” Not only did she take a class and learn to spin, she talked Phil into building her a spinning wheel. It must be nice having a carpenter in the family. Now she can use her own harvested fleece and clean, spin, and weave it into a scarf.
Today the Hammonds are marketing their breeding stock as well as the fiber itself. One of their females won reserve color champion at an alpaca show in Shawnee, Oklahoma, which is evidence that their breeding program is on the right track.
Teresa is making scarves, which have sold as far away as Wichita and Colorado Springs. She is also a strong believer in education and is co-sponsoring a seminar called the Fabulous Fiber Fest. That event will be April 18, 2009 in Haven, Kansas. It will begin with shearing an alpaca, followed by skirting, cleaning, washing, carding, spinning, skein winding, and ball winding. For more information about their alpacas or the Fiber Fest, contact Teresa at 620-356-4019 or email her at jornada@pld.com.
Fiber. It’s not just something that is healthy in your breakfast cereal. It can also be healthy for the rural economy as rural entrepreneurs start to breed, produce, and market excellent natural fiber from alpacas. We commend Teresa and Phil Hammond for making a difference with their innovation and development of this specialty enterprise. Such innovation can help strengthen the fabric of the rural economy.
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http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/news/story/KSProfileHammonds042209.aspx
Contact: Ron Wilson, rwilson@oznet.ksu.edu
