This is the sequel to yesterday's post sharing my experience at Farm Fest. Farm Fest is a fantastic event where many local farms open themselves up to the public. You can tour their facilities, meet the animals, and some offer food and entertainment. The following animals I met at a place called Bentwood Alpacas & Yaks. Enjoy.

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Yaks

      Yaks were first domesticated a few thousand years ago in Asia. They're primarily used for meat, milk, fiber from their coats, and as pack animals. Now, I've never eaten yak meat and I'm not declaring that we are in the age of yak mania; but, there are logical reasons why yaks are becoming more popular here in the U.S.

      Known for their hardiness, yaks are well suited to survive in even the harshest of environments. They are also incredibly resistant to disease. Having met them, I can vouch for their docile reputation. Yaks are easy to manage and require no special fencing to corral. Another advantage to raising yaks is that they consume much less than cows, making them easier on the land.

      I'm not sure what they're being raised for at Bentwood, but I know it's not for the meat. From their website:

I have to admit that I have literally fallen in love with our herd and none of them will be served on a plate!

My guess is they use their coats to produce yak fiber wool. That makes sense as it would compliment the wool produced by their alpaca herd. I wonder if they combine the wool from the two? I have so many questions for the next time I get to visit here.

Alpacas

      As I said, Bentwood raises alpacas for their wool. That's specifically why they raise alpacas and not llamas. 😂 One of my favorite things about blogging is learning new things. My ignorant self always thought alpacas and llamas were interchangeable.

      Both llamas and alpacas are in the Camelidae family of animals. Llamas are the larger of the two and have longer faces and ears. They value their independence more while alpacas prefer to be in a herd. But, the biggest difference is in their purpose. Llamas are preferred for food. Alpacas are preferred for their fleece.

      About that fleece. Alpaca fiber is warmer than sheep's wool but without the itch. That's right...it's hypoallergenic. Not only that, alpaca fiber is also flame and water resistant. Shamwow! I'm starting to sound like an infomercial; but, after meeting these alpacas, I want a herd of my own. Between them and the yaks, this was arguably the most relaxed farm you could possibly have.

      While they seemed to be checking us out as much as we were checking them out, none of the alpacas were brave enough to approach. At one point, while filming, a peripheral glimpse of white fur made me think one was right next to me. It turned out to be the resident dog you see in the pictures.

      Fun fact: Alpacas use a communal bathroom. Because of this, some have been successfully house trained. 🚻 💩

_{👇👇👇 Watch the video below! 👇👇👇}

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