Colorado Alpaca Breeders Building Better Fiber

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4min 07sec

For city dwellers and corporate workers wanting to try their hand at ranching, the alpaca seems to be a good fit. Since their introduction to the U.S. in the mid-1980s, alpacas have led hundreds of Coloradans to the world of livestock. Some of them will be presenting at the National Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association Show starting in Denver Friday, May 20. Breeding has been the main source of income for alpaca owners and now many are focusing on the animals' fleece as well, trying to make the high-end fiber more mainstream. Colorado Public Radio's Anna Panoka reports.

[Photos: Anna Panoka]

Alpaca Breeders of the Rockies

Jane Levene's alpaca farm

John Dillon's alpaca ranch

National Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association