Alpacas are great producers and they produce two things very well. The first is what they're best known for, their fleece. The second, not so well known but up to the same high standards is manure. In the great tradition of naming livestock manure after food (horse apples, cow pies, goat berries), we with alpacas call it "beans". They do after all have a similar shape to say kidney beans.

So what do we do with it? It makes wonderful fertilizer. Alpacas are ruminants and masters at digestion. What comes out is ready for the flower bed and vegetable garden. Mix it with soil or mulch, or throw it right on top.

Our alpacas are grain, grass, and hay fed. While we use no herbicides or pesticides the hay and grain we feed might have, so I make no claims about being organic beans, but the chemicals are at least once removed.

So where do you come in?

They make it, I rake it, you take it.

I have piles of the stuff. Literally. They're making more every day. Best part about it is that for you, it's free. All you have to do is come take it. I suggest a plastic container, either a garbage can or rubbermaid tote would do fine. I have old feed bags I could put it in, but I'd hate to have it tip over in your car! Some of it is fairly pure straight manure, some is older, some is newer, some is mixed with hay & straw. You're welcome to as much of it as you want, they'll make more.

So give us a call to arrange a time to come visit the alpacas and get some beans!

Ryan & Joanna Maas
(919) 303-1078