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Long Acres Alpaca Farm is located in south central PA, twenty minutes from I-81 and I-70. We purchased our 130 acre farm in 2002. It is set against the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains, providing a breathtaking vista to showcase our huacaya alpacas.
In 2005, we purchased our first alpacas, several bred females and one male cria who would later become our "ambassador alpaca." The following year saw our purchase of our first Champion Herdsire. In November 2006, we moved into our new home on the back of the property. The female barn was built at that same time and the first stage of pasture development too place. In 2007, we enjoyed our first group of crias that were the result of our breeding decisions. We began showing those crias the following year and were successful at our first "home grown" Champion. We continued that success into 2008. In 2009, we began to see the results from establishing our breeding program and numerous decisions and management changes we've made along the way. In 2010 we built a second larger barn to house the females and we added additional pasture. The following year we opened our farm Alpaca Clothing & Gift Shop.
We've been most pleased with the consistency within our program as evidenced by our show placements and fiber analysis and fiber weights. Breeding Best Quality Females to Elite Males came about out of our desire to strive for the highest quality alpacas in terms of show winnings and fleece analysis. To that end, we currently manage a herd that includes:
80% of all mature females are ribbon winners
35% of all mature females are Halter Champions
100% of our Herdsires are Champions or have produced Halter Champions
2010 shearing as a group have an average micron diameter (AFD) of 22.5 of all alpacas!
In the Fall 2010 Show Season, Long Acres Alpaca Farm received 21 Banners!
Judges’ Choice Empire Extravaganza Male
1st & Champion Empire Extravaganza Black Male
1st & Champion Empire Extravaganza Light Male
1st & Champion VAOBA Black Male
1st & Champion VAOBA Fawn Male
1st & Champion VAOBA Light Male
1st & Champion VAOBA White Female
1st & Reserve Champion VAOBA Light Male
1st & Champion NJAC Black Male
1st & Champion NJAC Fawn Male
1st & Champion NJAC Light Male
1st & Champion NJAC White Male
1st & Reserve Champion NJAC White Female
1st & Champion SEPA Light Male
1st & Reserve Champion SEPA Light Male
1st & Reserve Champion SEPA Fawn Male
1st & Reserve Champion SEPA White Male
1st & Champion Maryland Classic Black Male
1st & Champion Maryland Classic Light Male
1st & Champion Maryland Classic Fawn Female
1st & Champion Maryland Classic White Male
1st Get-Of-Sire Maryland Classic
1st Get-Of-Sire NJAC
1st Get-Of-Sire VAOBA
1st Get-Of-Sire SEPA
We hope to further advance our herd in the years to come and invite you to visit our farm and see for yourself the results of our efforts. Our alpacas come from outstanding lineages, including Vengador, Dom Lucilio, Hemmingway, Felix, Pluro’s Ross, Bueno, Shades of Grey, and Macusani. We have been able to apply our medical backgrounds in caring for these wondrous animals and are equally committed to providing our customers with personalized service and continued support.
Raising alpacas has been our first endeavor in breeding livestock. Soon after we started we learned first hand that it doesn't take much skill to breed alpacas but to create a breeding program takes a great deal of time, work and research. Those we admired most had established a herd "look" and we were intrigued to learn more. We've come to appreciate the many sides of breeding programs, both a science and an art topped off with some luck!
The science includes measurable parameters and with guidelines for both males and females as well as criteria for yearly improvement.
- Fiber Analysis conducted by Alpaca Consulting Services, USA--this analysis gives us a look into the entire history of the fiber rather than just one point in time.
- Fiber weights--we weigh blanket and neck on the entire breeding herd.
- Follicular biopsy reports--performed on most Herdsires as well as each of our female lines.
- Husbandry data--collection of herd health issues such as parasite loads and weight/body score issues.
- Conformation--correction of minor faults and elimination of major faults.
- Birthing & Breeding data--includes data on ease of birthing and breeding for both males and females.
The art includes alpaca temperament and behavior which are not as easy to quantify but are equally important.
We have based our breeding program drawing from well established livestock models. Give us a call and arrange a visit. We would enjoy sharing our information with you and are confident that at the very least, you will enjoy the pleasantries and sharing in the tranquility.
We are native to the area, both of us were born in Chambersburg, PA, and moved away briefly for our educations. Mike is a Cardiologist and practiced the majority of his career in Chambersburg, PA. Sarah is a Nurse Practitioner and practiced primarily in Family Medicine. One of Mike's other interest has been target shooting with precision rifles (he would peruse volumes of tables in books every night). Sarah grew up having a father as a large animal veterinarian and hence has always been interested in horses (against her father's better judgement). We have always had an interest in living on a farm and raising "something" and after going through the usual suspects....cows, goats, sheep to name a few...we stumbled on alpacas one evening while out shopping for Christmas. Six months later and we had purchased our first females and have continued to grow. The name for our farm was easy. Our farm is over a mile long and if you remember back to the 60s a show called Green Acres... We joke that phoning from atop of the electric pole might work better than our cell phones!
9703 Blue Spring Road, Mercersburg, PA 17236 
