Cindy Harris, Doug Fieg Featured on CNBC

By: Greg Fieg and Judy Kestner

Keying in on a government investment promotion, the international financial news network CNBC on Feb. 2 featured a television broadcast from the Alpacas at Windy Hill ranch at Somis, Calif., where owner Cindy Harris gave broadcasters a guided tour. 

The three-hour interview, pared down to two minutes for airing, was taped on Jan. 27.  The producer's tour of the farm held a surprise for all:  the birth of a male cria! 

Cindy, a former teacher and musician, runs the operation with her partner and husband, retired electrical engineer Doug Fieg, formerly of Ste. Genevieve, MO. 

In an e-mail, Doug said, "We finally made it [the live portion] after being delayed…not because of the 20 mile-an-hour winds that we had at the originally planned time, but because of the happenings in Egypt. The live portion was done today [Feb. 2] at about 1:50 PM local....  It looks like it turned out to be pretty good!" He included the following link to the story: http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=1777352649&play=1 (Check out Cindy's dimples!)

Cindy and Doug at Windy Hill

Cindy explained to TV reporter Jane Wells that she initially went into the alpaca business to find a tax deferment for acreage she was using as horse pasture. Now the business provides their prime source of income, as the ranch is home to about 400 alpacas, half belonging to Cindy and Doug and the rest to various ranchers and other investors.

Their 25-acre spread is an ideal setting for alpacas because of its largely level turf, lush green foliage, dry climate, plentiful, year 'round, warm Southern California sunshine and refreshing breezes coming off the nearby Pacific Ocean. It is the largest such operation in the Golden State.

The llama-like creatures are native to South America, and a single, young, mature male can be valued as high as $25,000. To maintain the integrity of the herd, only about one percent of males are acceptable as breeders, Doug said.

Cindy and Doug have become attached to some of their animals over the years, such as Torbio, their star import from Peru, who has sired some 200 offspring. Doug admires him for his productivity, yes, but there's something more.

"It's also affection," Doug explained. "He's just the nicest guy to handle. He's cool. I work with him every day. He's 20 years old, which is pretty old, like 100 years old in human years." 

(X-rated video at http://www.alpacalink.com/Torbiovideo.html.)

Torbio "Al" Paca

Windy Hill also has four herding dogs:  three Anatolian shepherds and a large half-Anatolian/half-Great Pyrenees, a sizable and especially effective defender when muscle is required to fend off predators such as coyotes. The dogs are bred to be protective of the herd, but are friendly to the humans.

As pointed out by the CNBC report, the government wants to promote development of alpaca wool for domestic and export use, and thus allows investors to deduct their entire investment. Investors can participate at Windy Hill with as little as 20 percent down, with competitive terms.

Cindy and Doug, doing their part to reduce the nation's trade imbalance, provide stock, veterinary consultation, sales promotion and breeding and boarding services for ranchers throughout the country, in addition to other investors. (Animals rejected as breeders occasionally be can be purchased inexpensively, or can be had for free as novelty pets and automated, environmentally friendly lawn mowers!)

More than 15 ranchers currently have stock at Windy Hill, according to a recent count, where introductory seminars and workshops conducted with participation by Windy Hill's live-in veterinarian are also offered. The classes are offered for both novices and journeymen.  The whole story is laid out on their website:  http://www.alpacalink.com/mainpage.html.