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Local alpaca farmer started in fur, now restaurants want alpaca on their menu
by Gregory R. Norfleet · News · July 20, 2017


A West Branch alpaca farmer struck a deal with a Kalona restaurant, and now the 98-percent lean meat will appear regularly on their menu for the first time.


Tracey Frerichs started with one alpaca in 2014 with the intent of shearing it for its three different qualities-- off the neck, belly and back — of wool.

Learning on the go and growing the herd to 30, Frerichs and partner Lisa Bickford figured out that alpaca fur will, in time, no longer grow into that lush texture demanded by textile companies for yarns, sweaters, blankets and such.

What next? Petting zoos and petting farms were out — alpacas, despite enjoying the company of other animals, do not care for humans, Frerichs said; for the same reason, these relatives of camels and llamas do not make good pets, either, no matter how cute they may appear.

“I’ve been around hundreds,” he said. “They’re standoffish, skittish.”

Iowa City restaurants like the Motley Cow Cafe and One Twenty Six featured Frerich’s Alpaca Farm on its menu initially, and then, he got a call from Tuscan Moon Grill on Fifth in Kalona. Owners Warren and Paula Miller said they wanted to make alpaca meat a regular offering to their customers.

The deal “evolved quite quickly,” and on July 13 Frerich drove the first butchered meat — from a certified locker in Winthrop — to the restaurant.

Tuscan Moon owners Warren and Paula Miller offer fine dining and draw customers from a 60-mile radius, and Warren said they “always want to try something different.”

“And we like to support people in the state,” he said.

They liked the taste of the meat, then tried cooking it in various ways and settled on a variety of menu options. Their first time offering alpacas was July 14, and news reports prior to then landed them three or four reservations alone on the opening night.

He first tried alpaca meat years ago and “it takes you back” — the red meat tastes like someone added a sweetener, like sugar.

“It’s quite good,” he said.

Because of the meat’s lean qualities, restaurants cannot cook it like beef on a grill. Instead, it has to be cooked at lower temperatures for more time, Norm Bickford, who helped Frerichs get established, said.

The meat produces steaks, loins and rosettes, tenderloins and more.

Miller said the restaurant also received some phone calls from alpaca farmers in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, complaining that, in their opinion, alpacas should only be used for the fur. However, his research shows that alpaca meat is popular, especially in gourmet restaurants.

“The customer decides if it sells or not,” Miller said.



Getting started

Nearly a decade ago, Frerichs and Bickford traveled to LaMotte for the Irish Meadows Alpaca Farm Day, which got Frerichs interested in raising alpaca livestock. But after years of talking about it, he had not taken action, until Bickford convinced him to take that first step three years ago.

Bickford’s parents, Norm and Pat, raise horses, and had some knowledge with which to help.

“Norm and Pat have been wonderful,” Frerichs said. “They’ve been very supportive, too. You couldn’t ask for better people.”

He said he did “very little research” before buying his first alpaca, but dug in after bringing home “Allie” and placing her in a pen. The entire pen encloses about 10 acres, of which the alpacas use about seven.

He and Lisa discovered that not only are alpaca herd animals, but if they are not with other animals, they can grow depressed and could possibly die from that. They put Deacon, a horse, in the pen with her, and they became “fast buddies.”

The herd grew in part by purchasing more alpacas, including a stud, which helped expand the herd naturally, Frerichs said. Baby alpacas are called “cria.”

The cattle now provide income through annual fur sales, meat sales and selling the services of the stud, he said.

Frerichs and Bickford travel to numerous shows and take great pride in entering their alpacas into contests, he said. This also stems from the Irish Meadows visit years before and led to their increased knowledge and interest in providing medical care and grooming for their herd. This, Frerichs said, leads to better quality meat, too.

The alpacas get sheared in April and the fur is sent to America’s Natural Fiber Works in Ohio, he said. That gives the alpacas enough time to grow their fur back out for fall shows.

Norm Bickford said he was surprised how different alpaca care differs from horses, as the livestock attracts different parasites and responds to different medicines than horses. They also have three-chambered stomachs.

Frerichs said he spends an hour or two per week caring for the alpacas. They primarily eat the grass in the pen, and his herd is too small to keep up with how fast the grass grows. The best grass for alpacas is shorter, tender, sweet and nutritious grass, he said — too long and the grass grows dry and rough — so mowing is necessary.

In the winter, the alpacas move indoors, and that means more work to keep them properly fed, he said.