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Transcript/ScriptCONNECT Alpaca Farming (TV)
HEADLINE: Alpaca Farming: The World's Cutest Camels
TEASER: From the Pentagon to the pasture, retired Army officer trades strategic planning for alpaca farming
PUBLISHED AT: 11/20/2023
BYLINE: Maia Kay
DATELINE: Upper Marlboro, Maryland
VIDEOGRAPHER: Maia Kay
PRODUCER: Maia Kay, Zdenko Novacki
COURTESIES:
SCRIPT EDITORS: AK, MJ
VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV _X_ RADIO __
TRT: 2:43
VID APPROVED BY: AK, MJ
TYPE: VPKGF
EDITOR NOTES: ))
((Eds: This is a self-narrated feature.))
((INTRO))
[[Sue Kolb loved owning alpacas so much that she created an alpaca farm in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, where visitors can interact and learn about these adorable animals. Kolb, a retired U.S. Army Colonel and former Pentagon employee, now enjoys her dream retirement on her scenic farm. Maia Kay has the story.]]
((NATS))
((Sue Kolb, Owner and CEO, Alpaca Lane Criations)) I’ve learned about alpacas about two years before I was going to retire. So, I spent up to 34 years and nine months in the military overall.
((NATS: Alpacas))
((Sue Kolb, Owner and CEO, Alpaca Lane Criations)) So I started this business about ten years ago, but really it started out as a hobby. I really enjoyed being around the alpacas. I had four of them that I started with.
((NATS: Sue Kolb)) Come on, here we go. Here we go. Come on girls.
((Sue Kolb, Owner and CEO, Alpaca Lane Criations)) But then I purchased some more, and I also bred, and more alpacas were born here on the farm. So now I have 37 alpacas. I don't think there's anything more adorable than a baby alpaca. It's called a cria.
((NATS: Door opens and closes))
((Sue Kolb, Owner and CEO, Alpaca Lane Criations)) They love to be, you know, they have to be next to their mom because they're still nursing, but they love to frolic and run around and race. They go so fast, they'll run down the pasture and run back, and they want other crias to chase after them, and they play just like little kids. It's adorable.
((NATS: Tractor moving))
((Sue Kolb, Owner and CEO, Alpaca Lane Criations)) For a number of years, it was not profitable, unless you can really find an outlet for your alpaca fleece. But I found that giving the tours has really been nice. I enjoy it. I enjoy sharing my alpacas with other people.
((Sue Kolb, Owner and CEO, Alpaca Lane Criations)) I opened a shop. I opened my alpaca shop here on the farm, and then after the tour, I take people in there. Everything in there is made out of alpaca and people really love the items in here. Well, I wanted to raise some animals that I didn't need to slaughter in order to make some additional money after I retired. So, you know, I didn't want cows or pigs or something like that. So alpacas, you just shear them once a year, and it doesn't hurt them. They actually like it. And it's important to do that because of their health too, because they cannot get overheated with their fleece. So, before the summer comes, they're sheared, and so they run around. They really like it after they are sheared.
((Sue Kolb, Owner and CEO, Alpaca Lane Criations)) If I had to choose all over again, you know, going back ten years ago, I definitely would do the same thing I did. I would definitely get alpacas. I love them so much. They are so cute, and they provide so much peace to me.
((NATS))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Location (dateline)
Upper Marlboro, Maryland
Embargo DateNovember 20, 2023 17:57 EST
Byline
Maia Kay, VOA News
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
