By Skye Rohde
Croghan, NY – Alpacas are common in the high plains of Peru, Chile and Bolivia, where people have created clothing out of their fleece and used their dung as fuel for centuries. Alpacas, cousins of llamas, haven't even been in the U.S. 20 years. But these docile, fuzzy ET-lookalikes -- five feet from head to toe -- are an increasingly popular choice of livestock for both established and brand-new small-scale farmers.