CALGARY – An Ontario farmer who got into llamas as a hobby, bid $60,000 to own the top selling male at the June Legacy Llama Classic VIII.
The sale, considered the premiere llama event, drew more than 1,000 people from across Canada to view and buy llamas. Total sales on 64 animal lots were $1.178 million to average $18,406.
Hans Spies of Dryden, Ont., who owns about 70 llamas, made his first trip to the Red Deer sale looking for a good herd sire. He bought the sale topper named Springfield’s Hidalgo from Karen Stewart of Cochrane, Alta.
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This sale, with its classy image of wine and hors d’ouvres and tuxedoed staff, regularly draws top notch breeders and beginning llama ranchers. Prices ranged from $6,000 to $60,000. First time buyers Rick and Sue Clausen of Quesnel, B.C., were also the volume buyers of the day taking home five females.
The top selling female was a young bred animal from Ed and Lavona Fercho of Okotoks, Alta. She fetched $49,000 and will be moving to Lewis and Roxanne Lewchuk’s Classic Llamas at Mayerthorpe, Alta.
The big spenders of the day came from Saskatoon. Boyd and Pat Bell spent $104,000 to own four new females. Three of them are pregnant.
Besides breeding stock, some owners are starting to look at the lucrative fibre industry where llama wool is made into high priced garments, blankets and felt.
