Portsmouth farm a breed apart from the rest

Posted 9/25/14

PORTSMOUTH — Ann Fiore says her transformation from being the sole owner of a successful business to a full-time farmer came about 12 years ago as she waded through a big pile of dung.

At the time Ms. Fiore owned New England Architectural …

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Portsmouth farm a breed apart from the rest

Posted

PORTSMOUTH — Ann Fiore says her transformation from being the sole owner of a successful business to a full-time farmer came about 12 years ago as she waded through a big pile of dung.

At the time Ms. Fiore owned New England Architectural Center, a restoration and reclamation company she started in 1995, but she was also splitting some of her time running Glen Ridge Farm with her husband, Kevin Tarsagian.

One day when she was at the farm, she said, her secretary called and said she needed to come in to meet with a client. Ms. Fiore said she couldn’t. She was busy.

“She asked me, ‘What are you doing right now?’ And I said I was raking manure,” recalled Ms. Fiore. “And she said, ‘Think about what you just said.’ And I knew it was done. I wanted to be here. I sold the business and dedicated more time with the farm.”

Glen Ridge is not like many other farms. This historic tract — previously farmed by the Taylor family and believed to be on maps from the 1700s — contains about nine acres sloping down to the Sakonnet River.

Glen Ridge doesn’t care for cattle, however, but rather an elite herd of colored hucaya alpacas, which resemble llamas but are about a third the size. (Besides the 40 or so alpacas, the farm also has chickens a prized Fell pony.)

“Kevin purchased the property about 15 years ago and fell in love with the land of course, and spent a lot of hard work rejuvenating the pastures and the fields,” said Ms. Fiore. “If you stood six feet from the water, you couldn’t see the water. There were vines and prickers everywhere. Once that was removed and every good tree was kept, all of a sudden it looked like it would have 100 years ago, 50 years ago — underneath that layer of neglect.”

The owners have photographs from the turn of the century that show sheep once grazed here, which Ms. Fiore said is interesting since a different fiber-bearing animal has since taken their place.

Although alpaca fiber is part of the business at Glen Ridge — Ms. Fiore sells scarves, hats and socks — its primary income comes from selling offspring and seed stock to other farms around the country that continue to breed. Breeding stock can take in more than $10,000 — considerably more for “studs.”

“We’ve had hundreds of cria (babies) here,” said Ms. Fiore, adding that they aren’t sold until they’re thoroughly weened from their mothers — usually no younger than 6 to 8 months old.

“We’ve been blessed to have a very high-end herd,” said Ms. Fiore, who estimates the farm has sold “a couple of hundred” alpacas through the years. “I don’t care how great the baby is, you want to make it better. We’re always breeding for the next, the next … There’s no end to it; it’s unattainable. There’s a competitive side to the industry that sort of drives things.”

Self-educated on alpacas

Like most of the dozen or so other alpaca breeders in Rhode Island, Ms. Fiore and Mr. Tarsagian came from other jobs and had to learn the unique business on their own. (Mr. Tarsagian is also a mechanic and owned a real estate management company.)

“We’re self-educated when it comes to alpacas. When we first started, there was a lot of heartache. There was really no veterinary care and the knowledge just to care for them was sparse at best,” said Ms. Fiore, adding that they’ve worked with Tufts University and other organizations to learn how to best care for the herd.

And yes, Ms. Fiore and Mr. Tarsagian “absolutely” get attached to their furry friends, all of which have nicknames.

“The day the alpacas go to their new home is bittersweet,” she said, adding they have rejected sales to farms that didn’t meet their standards of dedication. “There are many times that — I don’t care how great the sale is or how great the new home is — when those trailers leave, trust me, there are tears. But it’s business.”

Her typical day on the farm may surprise you. First of all, it doesn’t begin all that early because there’s no milking to be done.

“I’m not a morning person; you won’t see me up at 5,” said Ms. Fiore, adding that the alpacas adapt well to the owners’ schedule. “They don’t have a clue that every other farmer gets up at 5 and I come out here at 8. We’ve made them accustomed to the way it works for us. If I’m going somewhere and I have to get up at 5 and start early, they’re all like, ‘What are you doing?’”

But her day is still long as she last checks the alpacas around 1 a.m. (Sometimes the couple is up even later, such as the night a mink got into the chicken coop and caused a ruckus at 2 a.m.)

Ms. Fiore works long hours tending to the business end of farming that many people forget about. “I do paperwork sometimes from 11 to 1 in the morning,” said Ms. Fiore, who has a degree in financial management.

Their 3-year-old daughter, Taylor, has her own misconceptions about farming. “She thinks everybody lives like this,” said Ms. Fiore. “She’s getting ready to go to school and she said, ‘I think I have to bring a chicken in to school. What if all the other kids bring their chickens?’”

Tourist destination?

Part of the business at Glen Ridge is also hosting hands-on tours — $50 for an hour — that attract well-educated professionals from New York, Boston and elsewhere.

“One family came from New York. The woman was a plastic surgeon and the man was a banker,” said Ms. Fiore, noting that the close proximity to Newport is also a draw. “People have asked if they could do what I do for a day. If I marketed it, I could probably make a really good living off it. They want that day on the farm.”

She doesn’t, however, make them shovel manure.

Alpacas vs. llanass

Many people confuse the alpacas raised at Glen Ridge Farm with llamas, so we asked Ms. Fiore to explain the difference.

First of all, alpacas are about a third of the size of llamas, she said. They also have zero self-defense.

“They can’t protect themselves at all, whereas a llama is used as a guard animal,” said Ms. Fiore, noting that keeping the alpacas from harm is one of the biggest issues the farm faces. “You have to always remember that whether it’s a domestic dog or a coyote, they’re predators.”

At night, when coyotes cross the farm property, the alpacas come into a penned-in area and have access to all the barns. Glen Ridge has yet to lose an alpaca to a coyote, said Ms. Fiore.

“It’s not going to happen on this farm,” she said. “They’re domesticated, so they need intervention. It’s not like you can just let them go, whereas llamas are quite hardy.”

While alpacas are intelligent animals, they’re also very docile, she said. “They have more fear, while llamas tend to be bolder.”

So bold that llamas spit at humans, while alpacas spit at each other. “A pregnant female, when exposed to a male, will spit at him and put him in his place,” she said.

As for their fiber, llamas are two-coated — “You have to de-hair them,” said Ms. Fiore — while alpacas are a bit softer.

“The higher-end alpacas feel similar to cashmere,” she said.

Alpaca fiber — which comes in a rainbow of hues — is also flame-resistant, she said.

“They’re fire-retardant and stain-resistant,” said Ms. Fiore. “They’re warmer than wool. I wouldn’t say they’re waterproof, but when it rains they’re not wet underneath. That’s mainly because the fiber is dense and so compact. It comes off the top and doesn’t saturate like it does with other animals.”

For more information about Glen Ridge Farm, visit http://glenridgefarm.com or search for its Facebook page.

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