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07/08/2020 09:00 AMAn alpaca farm in Chester is offering visitors a new experience on Sundays during its open farm weekends: morning yoga.
Goat yoga, it is not.
“The alpacas might walk over, but they are not going to jump on you; they are not getting in your way,” said Lana Bluege of Fierce Spirit Yoga, who leads yoga at the farm. “It’s interesting to have the animals around and have their energy around you.”
Bluege, who has taught yoga for the past five years, expressed an interest in volunteering at the farm, Chakana Sky Alpacas, to co-owner William “Bill” Bernhart before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in Connecticut.
“I wanted to work with animals, so we got to talking, and I teach yoga” said Bluege. “He asked if I wanted to do it, all of the proceeds go to alpacas, so I was happy to volunteer.”
Bernhart, who owns the farm with his wife Janet, hosted the first open farm weekend for the year on the last weekend in June. The farm has a schedule of open farm weekends, planned for the last weekend of the month until November.
Situated on about 11 acres and set back from the road by a 1,200-foot driveway, the farm offers visitors an opportunity to relax in a tranquil setting.
“For people who might not have ever done yoga, or have concerns with COVID, I would definitely say that the serene environment of being on a farm and including yoga could be really helpful for folks,” said Bluege. “It’s a chance to try to bring community together again…There is this space for them to breathe and release some of this tension that is kind of building right now.”
On open farm days, the Bernharts require the use of masks and regulate the number of visitors allowed in their on-site store, which offers a variety of items made from alpaca fiber. Visiting groups are also appropriately distanced, per state guidelines.
“We’re so isolated and it’s a pretty safe environment, there is not a lot of people traffic here,” said Bernhart.
Visitors can interact with the alpacas by feeding them through the fence and take a farm tour, learning facts about alpacas, which is a species of the South American camelid family.
“The alpacas are used to feeding through the fence. They just nibble it out of your hands,” said Bernhart. “We’ve had two-year-olds feeding the alpacas with no problems.”
Often confused for llamas, alpacas are unique in that they are bred for their fiber.
“It’s accurate to compare it to cashmere,” said Bernhart. “It’s much more economical and environmentally viable than cashmere, which comes from goats.”
The shearing of the 14 alpacas at Chakana Sky Alpacas is done once a year, with the fiber either being turned into yarn locally, or sent to the New England Alpaca Fiber Pool (NEAFP) in Fall River, Massachusetts.
The NEAFP takes small amounts of fiber from alpaca farms across the United States, processes them and turns them into finished products such as socks, hats, and scarves that it then sells to the farmers.
“We get these products back, which they only sell to the farmers, wholesale,” said Bernhart. “If you contribute fiber, then you can buy things at a fiber price, which is less than wholesale, so that is one way of getting value out of your fiber.”
In addition to selling products made from alpaca fiber on-site at the farm, Bernhart typically participates in local farmer’s markets during the fall and winter.
“In terms of my season, the COVID pandemic hasn’t really affected me that much,” said Bernhart. “Most of my sales are in September through December. In the summer, people aren’t looking to buy [items made from] wool. They don’t really want to try on wool gloves when they are sweating. I found that out my first year.”
The Bernharts have owned their farm property since 2004, gradually restoring the land for farming.
“It was pretty rugged,” said Bernhart. “A lot of trees were down, a lot of erosion, things like that. It took a while to get it back in the shape of the farm.”
In 2014, Bernhart retired from his 38-year position in Pratt & Whitney’s IT department. By 2015, the alpacas came on-site, three males and three females.
Today, there are a total of 14 alpacas at the farm, with one baby, or cria, “Amber,” born in 2018.
They are all from the Huacaya breed, which is known for producing fiber that is “more useful for knitting garments where you want a little bit of stretch in it,” said Bernhart.
Of the 14 alpacas now under Bernhart’s care, several have come from farms that were closing or needed to downsize after a death in the family.
He says “re-homing” these animals has been fulfilling. Another part of that feeling of accomplishment is successfully breeding the animals.
“I think what I get the most joy from is having the babies,” said Bernhart. “We’ve had one successfully and Amber has been a perfect little alpaca, she’s been a big attraction.”
Another cria is expected on the farm during the month of July.
“We look forward to that,” said Bernhart.
Visitors are welcome to make an appointment to visit the farm or come during an open-farm day. Although there is no charge, the farm accepts donations.
These funds go toward the farm itself, or The Nuñoa Project, which provides education and support to alpaca farmers, students and veterinarians in the United States and Peru.