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Alpacas get cool for summer with annual shearing

Posted at 1:00 PM, Jun 05, 2019
and last updated 2019-06-05 13:45:55-04

BOZEMAN – Alpacas of Montana had its annual shearing day Tuesday and the alpacas are ready to stay cool this summer.

The animals only get sheared once a year, which supplies the company for the entire year for its local-made socks, hats, and other clothing.

The farm, located in Bozeman, is the largest alpaca clothing company in the country. Once sheared, the fleece gets sent to a mill to get turned into yarn to make clothing.

“Here’s Pete. When he’s finally completely shorn—and remember, in one year it’s going to grow eight to nine inches—it looks a lot different and he’s a lot happier,” Alpacas of Montana Owner James Budd said.

Many remember Snowman, the alpaca who was born in two feet of snow this past winter; he was sheared for the first time on Tuesday.

-Emma Hamilton reporting for MTN News