A meet-and-greet with Washburn’s alpaca herd
There’s no happier alpaca than one munching on newly green grass in a pasture he hasn’t seen since the fall.
The Suri Fina alpaca herd calls Washburn, Wis., home. They’re getting into their summer routine of field trips and meet-and-greets.
“There are two breeds of alpacas,” Abigail Klema said. “There’s Suri and there’s Huacaya. Suri have a more long, drapy fleece, and Huacayas are very fuzzy and floofy.”
The family is going into their 18th year on the farm.
“If you don’t like work, don’t do this,” she said. “But it’s certainly an interesting way to spend a life.”


Her 22 alpacas will soon be sheared and have their toenails and teeth trimmed if need be. Their fleece will be cleaned and sent to the New England Alpaca Fiber Pool.
The Klemas sell things made with alpaca wool at a self-serve store at the Suri Fina Alpaca Farm. They also grow microgreens and sell the eggs their chickens produce. Produce grown on their Washburn farm can be found at the Bayfield Foods Cooperative.
Suri Fina’s alpaca meet-and-greet experiences can be booked online. The greenhouse will also open Saturday with plants and flowers for sale.