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Besides watching what turned out to be a good game last night, those of us who raise alpacas on our small farms took note of 3 commercials from the game. Alpacas were seen (if you didn't blink) in two of those commercials. The Lincoln ad featured a glimpse of alpacas lined up along a fence and the Kia commercial shows an alpaca watching a space launch on monitors at mission control. This was great publicity

Grandma Sheets was born 103 years ago on January 13,1909. It's astounding to think of all the changes in the world that have taken place in her lifetime. The first airplane flight at Kitty Hawk was only 6 years before her birth. The Model T was only one year old when she was born. She grew up in a strict home where girls worked hard and weren't given the same opportunity as boys. Her father made her quit school after 8th grade so she could work more on the farm. She survived th

I recently came across this book on Google Books. Looks like a great visual resource on natural fibers. Check out the section on alpacas starting on page 360.Buy this book on

Take a look at our farm logo at the top left of this page. We chose a rendition of a log cabin to convey our identity. But it is not just any cabin. The Lovelace Cabin at Heritage Farm represents a valued part of our heritage. It reminds us every day of our agricultural roots, solid values and the importance of faith and family.Here’s the story: In 1987, Beth’s parents, Bob and Nelda Lovelace owned what is now Heritage Farm. Beth and Tim live in Indianapolis at that time and w

A clear, crisp January morning provided the perfect opportunity to capture the near-full moon setting in the west. One of the joys of living on the farm is being able to witness scenes like this. Hope you enjoy the pictures.

During the first two weeks of November, Beth and I had the awesome experience of participating with the Quechua Benefit Medical Team on a campaign to provide medial services to the people of Peru. I coordinated pharmacy activities on one of the medical teams and Beth helped with the wheelchair team. There were over 40 volunteers on this trip making it the largest Quechua Benefit mission trip to date. Based in the town of Chivay, the teams traveled daily to villages in the Colca V

Heritage Cornerstones is a selection of thought provoking quotes centered around a theme appropriate for the season. This post focuses on... ~ HOME ~ "A man's homeland is wherever he prospers."ARISTOPHANES "Human beings are the only creatures that allow their children to come back home."BILL COSBY "And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbors, saying unto them

While hiking around a small lake the other day, I came upon a stand of large cottonwood trees. The leaves of the trees made a stirring, rustling sound as they danced in the warm breeze. It is a very unique sound - not easily forgotten - and my thoughts were instantly transported back years earlier when I heard that sound almost every day. Growing up on the farm, we had three large cottonwood trees in the yard and during those hot summer nights, with windows open, the gentle rustling

Welcome to a new feature of our blog we call Heritage Cornerstones. This section includes several thought provoking quotes centered around a theme appropriate for the season. This issue focuses on...BEAUTY"The ideas that have lighted my way and, time after time, have given me new courage to face life cheerfully have been kindness, beauty and truth." ALBERT EINSTEIN"And beauty is a form of genius -- is higher, indeed, than genius, as it need

During these long hot days of summer we often do amost anything to keep ourselves cool. I grew up on a farm in northern Indiana during a decade when air conditioning was not even an option. As kids, we often cooled off in the lawn sprinkler or sat in front of a fan. But my favorite place to cool off was down by the creek where a field tile poured out cold, refreshing water several feet above the stream. There, I would sit under that delightful shower until I was shivering cold and then go dry of

The month of July means 4-H fairs to many midwest families. Tensions rise as kids hustle to finish 4-H projects they should have completed months ago! But once the projects are checked in and the fair begins, 4-H kids always seem to have a great time. The Sheets family has been involved in 4-H for many years. Beth was a 10-year 4-H member and 4-H princess at the Howard County Fair a few years ago (I won't say how many!). More recently, she has served as a 4-H leader. Both our kids,

Last week was the last and biggest show of the spring season. The AOBA National Show was held in Denver and the Great Western Livestock center, one of the most famous livestock expo centers in the world. We took our three best show animals - Gaby, Palomar and Talisman. We have had some success with these 3, namely Palomar who we co-own with Ron & Sandy Hendricks and Kristina Flegel. Palomar had already won three championships this year and he didn't disappoint us at Nationals, winning yet an

Our annual shearing day was Saturday, April 30th this year. We opened the day to visitors and had 40-50 interested guests attend throughout the day. We had two shearing stations open and for the first time, our son and friend Darrin helped shear along with professional Kathy Kowal. Below is a slide show highlight of the day:

Heritage Cornerstones is a selection of powerful quotes centered around a theme appropriate for the season. This issue focuses on... ~ OUR SOLDIERS ~ "Freedom isn't free."UNKNOWN "The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave."PATRICK HENRY "Some people live an entire lifetime and wonder if they have every made a difference in the world, but the Marines don't

Winter always presents special challenges to life on the farm. Whether it's navigating icy roads on the way back from the Co-op with a load of feed (thankful for the extra weight in back!) or overcoming the shell-shock from a more- than-doubled electric bill (due to bucket and cria heaters being on nonstop), challenges are as common and unique as the snowflakes that fall this time of year. Challenges make this venture rewarding and are a natural part of navigating this lifestyle cha

Flora IN, Saturday October 30 - Over 175 people visited Heritage Farm on a blustery autumn afternoon for our annual "Fall 4 Alpacas" open house. Families and kids of all ages enjoyed the following:Farm tours Fiber spinning and weaving demonstrations Alpaca obstacle course Alpaca Q & A Kettle Corn & Apple Cider Music Hay Rides Pumpkins Fiber crafts for the kidsBe sure to check out th

Wow! What a weekend. We got considerably more done than I was hoping for. Our barn crew of 12 family members and friends started to arrived at 8:00 a.m. Son Michael, daughter Jennifer and Son-in-law Taylor (along with grandaughter Kylie) came from Indy and Flora. My dad and his brother-in-law, John along with my two brothers Todd and Trent and my sister Tammy came from Nappanee. Friend and fellow suri owners Brianne and Darin Haupert along with Darrin’s dad Noel came from Rossville and Wab

Heritage Cornerstones is a selection of noteworthy quotes centered around a theme appropriate for the season. This post focuses on... ~ Barns ~ "Just as no worthy building can be erected on a weak foundation, so not lasting reputation worthy of respect can be built on a weak character."R.C. SAMSEL "Vermont's a place where barns come painted / Red as a strong man's heart / Where stout car

Spring is in the air! If you are anything like us, you areready for it. It seems like this time of year, it just can'tget here fast enough. In January, we were teased byextraordinarily weather. That got us to thinking thatmaybe winter would be kind to us this year. Well,January was followed by a cold and cloudy February andMarch treated us to a late season snow storm. So muchfor an early spring! But now, as we are into April, thereare signs that sp

As I write this, the temperature outside is pushing into the mid50's, the alpacas are suning themselves and looking for tender shoots of emerging grass and the remnant patchwork of snow cover is rapidly fading into memories of a long winter. Spring is definitely in the air! Spring brings a fury of activity to Heritage Farm. Birthing season is fast approaching and show season starts for us in a matter of days. Thoughts of fixing fences and repairing barns take a higher priority aft

Our son came home from college during the three day Easter recess. I hadn't really planned on tackling any of the many projects on the farm to-do list over the weekend because I didn't want him to think I always put him to work when he comes home. But, he volunteered to come down to the barn Friday morning to help with chores. After chores were done, we got to talking about some of the projects that needed to be done, and before we knew it, we were tearing down an old board fence tha

The older I get, the more intensely I see and feel the seasons. Maybe it's because I realize I have a finite time left, and the good things around me are to be savored and valued. Spring is one of those good things! As a kid, I always looked forward to April and the elation associated with finally being able to spend hours playing outside. Those positive feelings were accompanied by greening grass, moderating temperatures, more light to enjoy the day -- and thunderstorms. "God's

Many of us live in houses that have a story. We think our 2 story federal style brick home has a special story because of family connections. It's gone through some changes over its 150 years, but it still maintains the strength and character the original builder planned for.When Beth's parents bought the farm 50 years ago, the old brick house was the last structure Bob inspected. He was much more interested in the condition of the barn for housing his prized Hereford cattle than th

One of the topics at the Suri Network Summer Symposium was marketing Suri Alpacas to the traditional livestock industry. A dynamic and very well qualified speaker by the name of Bret Kaysen presented a very interesting and provocative talk. Bret is a hog farmer, livestock judge and Colorado State University extension educator that has been immersed in all aspects of livestock since childhood. One point Bret made was that the alpaca industry needs to do a better job influencing vari

A couple weekends ago we hosted an open farm day as a part of the National Alpaca Farm Day celebration. The weather wasperfect and we were fortunate enough to have nearly 300 people tour the farm and see our alpacas. We were extremely pleased to be reminded that public interest in country living and raising a wonderful, eco-friendly animal like the alpaca is still extremely high. But getting the curious to the farm is only the first step toward creating customers. Identifying and