HERMISTON —  A slice of fluffy heaven shines on a quaint alpaca farm in rural Hermiston. 

Jennifer Cicero and Eric Petring own the JenEric Alpaca Ranch. They strolled through their farm July 8 with a bucket of horse grain to feed their herd of alpacas. They did not have to walk far before the tall woolly pack closed in and cornered the two farmers.

Beneath the alpacas was a litter of baby pigs, squealing to get in on the feast. 

Cicero dug into the bucket and pulled out a handful of grain. Alpacas leaned their long necks in and ate from her hand. Petring spilled some of the feed on the ground for the pigs.  

“They don’t bite with their teeth, they gently scrape the food from my hand,” Cicero said, as she fed and petted the alpacas.

Although farm life keeps them busy, they each work full time jobs. Cicero is an administrator for the Guardian Angels Home Assisted Living in Hermiston, and Petring is a bus driver for Mid-Columbia Bus Co.

The couple got into raising the fleecy livestock in the summer of 2019, when they purchased their homestead. The previous owners of the farm had nurtured alpacas. Cicero was unfamiliar with raising the animals but became intrigued. After doing some thorough research she decided she wanted to raise some of her own herd, so she and her husband purchased their first three Huacaya alpacas. 

“I basically found out through research online that they’re just really easy to keep,” Cicero said. “They don’t damage the pasture. They don’t have hooves. They’re easy on your land. They don’t eat a lot. They eat about 2% of their body weight. And you can share them and process their fiber, for sometimes, good money.”  

Cicero also said sometime after purchasing the ranch they got a herd of alpacas through a friend of friend who was moving to Arizona. Overnight they went from three to nine alpacas, Huacaya and Suri breeds.

Cicero and Petring then purchased two llamas to protect the group from any predators.

Together they own 14 alpacas and have named each. Then there are the two llamas plus 14 pigs, 45 chickens, 10 ducks, three geese, five dogs and one turkey.  

“This is very stress relieving taking care of them,” Cicero said. “It gets me out and about. The older I get the easier it is to sit on the couch. So I think it’s nice to be able to have something that needs you. So I have to stay active to keep them going. I love that people really enjoy them and little kids love them.”  

In front of the ranch is a large hutch with a small refrigerator that offers egg cartons filled with farm fresh chicken and duck eggs for community members to purchase based on donations. For sale, on top of the fridge, is a basket of alpaca garden tea — a rich compost nutrient to reach to the root of a plant.

JenEric Alpaca Ranch offers an alpaca package to visitors on its website and through Hipcamp, which is an online booking site for people who want to host their property to campers. Through each website, for $15 each person, visitors are able to purchase an “alpaca experience,” which includes petting, hugging and taking pictures with the alpacas for 15 minutes.

“Supporting your local farmers is really important,” Cicero said. “I work a full time job to pay the bills, this isn’t just all we do. So supporting farmers, shopping local first is always good. And if people want to get into it you can always call us.” 

The couple recently began to work with Choice Alpaca Products, which turns alpaca fibers into sweaters, socks and more. Cicero and Petring are also working to unveil their mobile store at the ranch and plan to host events in their area by the end of the year.