The Sunbelt Agricultural Exposition showcases not only the latest high-tech farm equipment but also the latest trends in raising alpacas, goats and other animals.

Several exhibits featured alpacas, a cousin to the llama, which have small fuzzy faces with large, expressive eyes.

"It's a growing industry," said Blaine Mangum with Suwannee River Alpacas in Live Oak, Fla.

Mangum was a builder in Orlando for 15 years when he was introduced to raising alpacas on a trip out West, he said.

"Before I knew it, I was looking for land and buying animals," he said. "It was a lifestyle change."

He now raises 28 alpacas, which stand about 4 feet tall and weigh about 120 pounds full grown, he said. Alpacas are sheared once a year in the spring, and their hair is 4 inches to 6 inches long. The hair is spun into yarn.

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Source: MaconTelegraph.com, Linda S. Morris
October 21, 2004

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