Comments on: National Alpaca Farm Day: Farm visit

By: redesert rose

redesert rose — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 19:22:00 +0000

Farms have crops…. Ranches have animals.

By: fleurfisher

fleurfisher — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 13:29:31 +0000

We have llamas here, in the far south west of England. But we don’t have ranches – I’ve always known them as a purely American concept – so they definitely live on a farm!

By: zenasurialpacas

zenasurialpacas — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 22:30:17 +0000

The difference between a ranch and a farm: Ranches have fields for grazing; farmers break the ground for crops. Because of the dry climate in much of the West, tilling the soil is inadvisable. That is why more ranches are found in the West.

By: Elizabeth Mahlou

Elizabeth Mahlou — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 23:02:19 +0000

I think the formal distinction and everyday usage is quite different. I grew up on a farm, and we had both crops and animals. (What would you formally call that? A rarm or a fanch?)

By: MonikaRose

MonikaRose — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 11:09:17 +0000

G’day, cute alpaca. Enjoy your day

By: Leslie

Leslie — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 17:49:27 +0000

Around here we call everything a farm, whether it has animals, crops, or whatever. No ranches in this part of Virginia. I think the use of the word “farm” comes from the fact that the first settlers here were subsistence farmers, with a family cow, pig, maybe some beef cattle or sheep to sell for meat, and the crops and garden to sustain it all. Large holding of land were practically non-existent by the turn of the 19th century so we didn’t use the word “plantation” either.

By: wordlily

wordlily — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 17:22:23 +0000

Of course people who raise alpacas choose their own names. I’m pretty sure the density ratio (animals:acre) isn’t a set number, though. It varies from place to place (amount of rain being one factor), as well as the type of animals. Nevertheless, I’m well aware alpacas don’t require as much land as cows.

As I stated in an earlier comment here, I can understand wanting to name your land/farm/operation/business whatever you want. That’s fine by me.

I certainly didn’t intend to raise anyone’s hackles here; it was just a question.

By: pcNielsen

pcNielsen — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 17:22:18 +0000

Ranch = animals
Farm = plowed fields
Framch = a combination of the two above

At least that’s how it is in the midwest

By: AlpacaFarmgirl

AlpacaFarmgirl — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 17:12:15 +0000

That’s wonderful that you visited an alpaca farm!

Alpaca Breeders choose their own names. Some do choose ranch, particularly the ones out West.

When I think ranch I think cattle or horses. Ranches are also usually on vast amounts of land. Alpacas can be raised (and usually are) on small acreage. You can put 7 alpacas per acre, whereas the stocking density for cows and horses is 2 acres per animal.

Ranches also make me think of cowboys. Alpacas are so small you don’t need to be a 25-yr.old cowboy to handle them.

I think farm has a more broad useage so I see why people use it. Many alpaca farms are right next to subdivisions. Hard to picture a ranch up against a subdivision.

The main thing to remember is alpaca breeders do their own thing. They think outside the box, so they will call their operation whatever suits them. Ours is simply called Fairhope Alpacas.

By: Eva

Eva — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 16:08:06 +0000

Awww! So cute!

There’s a yarn store here that has their own llamas.

And I lived in central Texas for 5 years, then went to school in the middle-of-nowhere Illinois. So I definitely know the difference between a ranch and a farm! lol