THEBACHA/FORT SMITH
The nine Alpacas that graze on two acres of tree-shrouded pasture about 10 kilometres west of Fort Smith on Highway 5 are in for a treat, handfuls of treats in fact.

Andes, age one, is the newest animal in the Flat World herd. - photo courtesy of Helena Katz

Mike Couvrette and Helena Katz are preparing to welcome visitors to pet the alpacas as they participate in educational agricultural tours of their seven-year-old commercial farm.

The couple has previously hosted troops of Brownies and Boy Scouts and curious Fort Smith families who pop by while entertaining relatives from out of town. Soon, a fee will be added for more formal regularly-scheduled tours to help subsidize the operation, said Couvrette.

Visitors are calmed by the animals' usually placid demeanor or amused by their spontaneous antics, he said, such as Brinks' penchant for stepping in water buckets and lounging in a child-sized plastic wading pool.

"People come out and we'll talk to them about the animals and fleece-processing, the history of the domestication of alpacas in the Americas and we go out and hand-feed treats to the animals - a mix of pellets and grains," he said. "We keep getting more and more inquiries."

The farm began producing fleece for processing and retail sale in 2009, but Katz and Couvrette purchased their first six animals, five alpacas and a llama, three years earlier. Two alpacas that had been registered with the Canadian Llama and Alpaca Association accounted for more than half the $7,000 investment.

The llama, Pumpkin, died a few years ago, followed by two male alpacas, Blue and BJ. The birthrate has more than replenished the herd, however, with five new animals born in recent years.

Andes, named in honour of the Peruvian mountains his species is native to, is the youngest member of the herd and the group's first male birth. The one-year-old cria, the term for an immature alpaca derived from the Spanish word for "baby," came North last fall along with his mom, Carmel, and four other adult females from Debolt, Alta., just outside Grande Prairie, where they were boarded. The newcomers joined three males that have grazed at the farm for the past six years.

Including operating expenses, it cost the business about $10,000 to upgrade the facilities in anticipation of the new residents.

The herd may grow again next year.

"We will likely do some breeding to maintain our herd size at around eight to 10 alpacas, and may consider additional breeding if someone requested it - wanted to purchase a young alpaca from us," he said. "I do plan to breed at least one female in early summer this year for our herd maintenance."

All the new alpacas have so far been sired by members of other herds in Alberta. The gestation period for the species is more than 11 months.

"Alpaca births tend to be a do-it-yourself affair," said Katz. "They're born without the intervention of a vet. One of the comments other alpaca farmers made to us is that you know your female has given birth because you go outside one day and discover that you have an extra alpaca in your herd."

At its current size, the Flat World herd goes through from 3,000 to 3,500 kilograms of hay per year, which is shipped North from Alberta.

After retiring earlier this year from his career as a regional program director with the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Couvrette is weighing the option of using his free time to grow a field of feed to cut costs in coming years.

"It's something that I would like to look at but that's in the future," he said. "The big investment in that is a whole bunch of equipment. I'm looking at a new tractor, a combine, a harvester and stuff like that."

In the short term, Couvrette plans to develop a raised-bed vegetable and herb garden to grow produce for sale in 2016.

"This year is for setting up and learning the finer intricacies of vegetable production," he said.

Alpaca meat, which is lean and not too gamey, is sold in South America and at the Alberta farm where some of the Flat World animals were boarded and bred.

The Flat World farmers are insistent that their alpacas will never end up on any menu.

"If you give an animal a name you don't eat them," said Couvrette.

Alpacas generally live up to 15 to 20 years. The eldest Flat World alpaca, Brinks, is 16.

Blue, BJ and Pumpkin are buried in the shade of a large tree on the edge of the farm.

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