Family nest egg nestled in fleece
By Michelle Knight knight@theacorn.com

Visitors to the As You Like It Alpacas ranch in Somis saw something Saturday few people in Ventura County witness-a dayold alpaca.

Owners Brian Weiner and his wife, Claudia Weintraub, opened their ranch to the public one day after Marcella, one of their 22 alpacas, gave birth. Weiner and Weintraub also showed off jewelry and clothing made from alpaca fleece and gave a free seminar to potential investors and breeders on the business of raising, breeding and selling alpacas.

Weintraub and Weiner are downright smitten with the animals that look somewhat like a long-necked sheep. But it wasn't the creature's cuddly looks that first appealed to Weiner; it was the substantial tax benefits Uncle Sam allows alpaca business owners.

At a dinner party a couple of years ago Weintraub first heard of the deductions and other tax benefits of alpaca ranching. She told her husband, who immediately scoffed at the idea. He was looking for a way to channel less money to the government and more into a comfy retirement nest egg. After verifying the tip's value with his accountant, however, Weiner was sold on the idea. He was so enthusiastic that he wrote an electronic book on the subject.

California Lutheran University instructor Claudia Weintraub, left, enjoys caring for the alpacas she and husband, Brian Weiner, own on their Somis ranch. Above is Marcella, one of the alpacas in the family's herd of 22, with her day-old baby.

Monetary benefits aside, the Thousand Oaks family of six has profited from the business in other ways. Weiner said their four children, who range in age from 12 to 18, are now more willing to pitch in and clean up the farm instead of vegetate in front of the TV.

And when a baby is born, one of the children or their friends get to select a name from a Shakespeare comedy. Weintraub, a German and English composition instructor at California Lutheran University, said that prompts the young ones to read the bard's books.

"Having a ranch changes the family lifestyle pattern," said Weiner, who owns a WoodlandHills media distribution company that also produces movie trailers and print ads.

Weiner said "Alpacas mean to me a chance . . . to drag the kids away from all the electronics, games and MTV and work together as a family toward a bigger goal. "It represents strong family values and an opportunity to save up a retirement we can count on when the Social Security system is failing."

The venture has also been a learning experience for the greenhorn ranchers. Weintraub was attracted to the gentle creatures and the chance at animal husbandry. But the native of Switzerland had never before heard of the shaggyhaired animals indigenous to South America. Ever the educator, Weintraub researched raising and breeding of the animals by reading everything she could get her hands on and talking to veterinarians and alpaca ranchers.

Her keen love of learning probably saved young Isabella's life. The infant alpaca, or cria as they're called, was born with a potentially fatal liver disease. Weintraub took her to the vet, but the relief was only temporary- Isabella would die if something wasn't done soon. The vet called on peers for suggestions and Weintraub looked for help from other breeders-folks in the industry have the rare distinction of freely sharing their knowledge with each other. Herbs were the recommended remedy.

After intense homeopathic treatments, Isabella gradually improved and began behaving as a cria should, pronking-alpaca lingo for jumping-about the ranch. Weintraub penned an article about the experience for Alpaca magazine.

The magazine, a national registry and the growing alpaca population in the U.S. suggest the trade is catching on here. But the estimated 90,000 registered alpacas in the U.S. are a mere pittance compared to Peru, Bolivia and Chile, where 99 percent of the world's 3 million alpacas can be found.

California lays claim to about 6,000 registered alpacas.

The Weiners want to change that figure. They've positioned their ranching business as a onestop, all-things-alpaca shop. They also sell and board alpacas for other investors.

High-quality males with unique physical traits or outstanding offspring have been known to fetch more than $150,000 at auction. Weintraub and Weiner charge as little as $5,000 for a young male yet to prove himself at shows, up to $35,000 for a female from an award-winning blood line.

New investors can be mentored through the breeding process by the Weiners. They'll also exhibit the alpaca at industry shows, where the animals are judged on movement and the quality of various aspects of their fleece. The more awards an alpaca wins, the higher its value.

The fleece is another opportunity to make money on the alpaca. It's harvested once a year and is as soft as cashmere. Each animal can produce 3 to 10 pounds of the naturally crimped hypoallergenic fluff that ranges from white to tan to black in more than 20 shades.

The U.S. has an eager cottage industry that spins and weaves the fluff into yarn skeins, or the fibers can be sent south of the border to be made into sweaters, coats and the like by a thriving garment industry. Alpaca fleece has an elastic quality and can be felted for a smooth texture or kept in its natural wooly state.

Few downsides to the business exist, Weiner said. Of course, land is needed to board the animals, and there are veterinarian costs associated with breeding. There are also fees to enter the alpaca in a show.

But for the most part, the Weiners say, the business is trouble-free. The animals eat very little, possess an inquisitive nature, are easy to transport and generally live a long life. Additionally, females-who automatically ovulate when a male is nearby and, well, amorous-tend to give birth in the daytime and can be impregnated nearly every year, compounding the financial return.

Weintraub anticipates that two more crias will be born on the ranch before the end of November.

Perhaps one day, as retirement looms and after their youngest child is off to college, Weiner and Weintraub will build a house on this 4-acre farm along Highway 118 at the base of a gentle hill.

But whatever the future, Weintraub is happy with her fluffy-headed animals.

"For any alpaca breeder, it is (the chance) to get away from the rat race of everyday life and I think to a big degree we've already done that," she said.