SSAUK SA AUK UK R RAPIDS AP PIID DS HERALD HEERALD H RALLD RA D | SATURDAY, SATTU SA URD RDAY AY, N NO NOVEMBER OVE VEM MB BER ER 3 3,, 20 2018 018 8PAGE | Page Page Pa ge1B 1 1B B
BENTON AG Plus
Serving rural Benton County, Morrison, Mille Lacs & Kanabec Counties.
Sauk Rapids Herald
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2018
Meet the herd
PHOTO BY JAKE DOETKOTT
Lynnea (left) and Shannon Henry stand an alpaca pen with one of their youngest alpacas Oct. 31 in Becker. The couple raises eight alpacas in their backyard.
Crimson Sunrise Farm Alpacas BY JAKE DOETKOTT STAFF WRITER
have a total of eight animals. The family’s six Huacayas are known for their short and dense fibers. The Suris have long, loose dreadlocked fleece. The Henrys love them for the variety. “Many farmers raise single breeds or colors, but we wanted a kaleidoscope of colors and breeds for educational purposes,” Lynnea said.
Alpacas page 2B
PHOTO BY NATASHA BARBER
Jason Alderink stands at Silt Sock, Inc. in Foley Oct. 9. Alderink co-owns the erosion control manufactuering facility.
Saving the soil one silt sock at a time Erosion control company calls Foley home BY NATASHA BARBER STAFF WRITER
FOLEY — Wheat is not as popular a crop as corn and soybeans in central Minnesota, but for one Foley business it makes the world go ‘round. “We go through about 5,000 acres of wheat straw each year,” said Jason Alderink. “We use a semiload of straw a day, roughly 210 truckloads per year.” Alderink and his business partner, Peter Tonn, are the owners of Silt Sock, Inc., a company which produces and wholesales erosion
control products. They manufacture silt socks for construction perimeter control, coir logs for shoreline restoration, straw blankets for seeding and wooden stakes used to pin and place the products. Silt Sock has its roots in Foley. The erosion control company was born from a collaborative partnership between two childhood friends. Alderink and Tonn were both born in the Foley area. Tonn moved to Wisconsin when he was 8 years old, but the two remained connected. Alderink described Tonn as the friend he went years without speaking to but when the two picked up the Silt sock page 3B
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BECKER — Husband and wife Shannon and Lynnea Henry grew up in Waseca and went hand-in-hand to South Dakota to pursue teaching degrees. Little did they know their future was headed toward raising alpacas. The couple moved to the outskirts of Becker in 2017 and began raising alpacas in their backyard
under the name Crimson Sunrise Farm Alpacas. “Ten years back, we were visiting family in Missouri, and we went to an alpaca farm,” Lynnea said. “The serenity of the animals was such an attractive quality. That memory sat in the back of our minds for years before we finally acted on it.” The Henrys raise both breeds of alpacas – Huacaya and Suri. They
Alpacas and llamas are often mistaken; the easiest way to differentiate them is their size and weight. Alpacas are typically 150 pounds and significantly shorter than llamas. Llamas can easily double an alpaca’s weight. “The next question everyone asks about alpacas is if they spit,” Lynnea said. “They do if they feel threatened or irritated, but they seldom spit at people.” Alpacas tend to be quiet animals that bleat or hum. They bugle as a way to alarm the herd. Due to their height and bugling, alpacas are useful as guard animals for sheep flocks. Though their laid back nature may lead one to assume they are uncooperative, alpacas can be trained. Their mild temperament is not the only factor that makes them excellent animals for beginning farmers. According to the Henrys, they are adaptable to schedule shifts and their daily routine is simpler than most livestock. “Alpacas are fairly easy keepers,” Lynnea
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