BOZEMAN – About 100 alpacas, a few llamas and close to 800 pounds of wool — that’s what Alpacas of Montana saw Monday on their annual shearing day.
The farm uses a shearing company based in Ohio that visits the farm for one day every year to shear the animals from sunup until sundown.
One of the most daunting shears of the day was a rescued llama Holly, who Alpacas of Montana Owner James Budd estimates had not been sheared in more than 10 years.
And just as shedding all of that wool feels good for the animals, it feels good for the owners as well.
"We get really excited about it, mostly because after last winter was just horrendous on all of us, so it’s a sign summer is finally here,” Budd said.
While Alpacas of Montana will get close to eight pounds of wool per animal, they use close to 300,000 pounds a year for their textile production.
