About Us

Yellow Rose Of Virginia Alpaca Farm is owned and operated by the Beatty family. We are doing exactly what we love to do. We love working with the alpacas, learning their personalities, caring for them, watching them frollick in the fields, working as a family, and watching the miracle of birth (to see photos go to "why buy from us" and scroll down)

Our home is basically in the middle of our alpaca pastures. We can see every inch of our pastures from the windows of our home. When we first wake up, we love to go to the window and look at the alpacas as they graze, play in the snow, or play a game of chase with each other. I do not know many families who can literally be surrounded by their work and still adore it.

We love the fact that it is an opportunity to spend time together in a relaxed atmosphere. Anyone who owns alpacas can tell you that they are very relaxing creatures. No matter how bad your day was before you entered the barn, that "paca kiss" with a little sniff and snort always brings a smile to your face. The way the alpacas come to you for their food and will eat out of your hand, just brings a feeling of joy .

So how did we decide to go into this business---

One day while talking to a friend, we mentioned how nice it would be to have a family business. As a mother, I wanted to be able to stay home with my children. Jim, who has experienced my personality change (Dr. Jeckyl and Mrs. Hyde) when I was working in the "real world" and had seen how difficult it was to have a nurturing family life when we both worked, wanted something that would be uplifting yet would bring in a little bit of an income. Our friend, had recently looked into alpacas and suggested we do some research. My immediate response was not at all positive. Actually, I was not even totally sure what an alpaca was.

After about a week of browsing the web and learning more, Jim and I thought this might be worth looking into. So we scheduled our first farm visit to Dorrell Creek Alpacas. We were impressed the warm welcome we recieved, how informative they were, but most of all how cute and friendly alpacas are. As we drove out the long driveway, my daughter and Jim looked at each other and decided we were going to have an alpaca farm.

The decision was easy, but then came the work. We did have enough land---a nice wooded lot. Our first job was to clear the land. The workers cleared the lot, twice encountering nests of copperheads.

After ther land was smoothed out, we began to work on the barn and the fences. We were fortunate to have much support from family and friends. We owe special thanks to Preston and Jo Fowlkes, Jon Boyd, Tony Barnette, and Sonny. Preston drew the plans, Jon helped dig the holes to the poles and installed lights, Tony and Preston helped with the actual building, and Sonny helped auger holes for fencing.

The land was fertilized and planted (and replanted). But we now have a terrific pasture of orchard grass.

Finally in December of 2005, Hannah, Pepper Ann, Sugar Blossom, Outlaw, and Fable were delivered from The Alpaca Garden. It was such a wonderful day. In one moment, you knew that all the hard work was worth it. In that same moment we knew that there would be much more work to do----and that it would all be worth it.

The best part about being an Alpaca Owner----

A difficult thing to answer, but it is a question we are often asked: What is your favorite part of being an alpaca owner? I love to go out into the barn every morning, just me and my preschooler. We have such a good time working together. Both of us love to have the animals come up to us to give a kiss, snitch some food, or wait for us to give them a neck rub. This is a very special time for us. However, the most amazing thing is to witness a birth. It is a wonderful thing to be able to catch that cria.

As with any business, there are parts that I do not like.

I hate to admit it, but even after 100s of shots, I still do not like to give the shots. I know they are a very important part of being an alpaca farmer, so the monthly shots are always given. I still get nervous. The great thing is that the alpacas do not seem to mind it as much as I do. I did find that the video by Tom and Kate Perez gave great advice on shots and also showed why they are important.

I have heard others say that they do not like to scoop the poop. Now, the funny thing is: my son and I like that part. We have a game that we play when we scoop the poop. We try to see who can make the biggest pile (corny, yes. How often do you get to watch an adult and a preschooler trying to beat the other in raking a pile of poop? It is quite comical). So, we both really enjoy that job and our trees enjoy the fertilizer.