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Alvina Maynard

Owner, poop-scooper, hay-hauler, sales manager, packing & shipping dept, marketing dept, tour guide, webmaster, social media manager… Two questions usually come up when folks learn my background: How did you find yourself in Kentucky? And how the heck did you end up with alpacas?! There are 3 times I’ve felt God telling me to do something: to go to the Air Force Academy, to marry my husband, & to become an alpaca rancher. He hasn’t steered me wrong yet!

Alvina MaynardI am originally from the end of a 2-mile dirt road where the school bus dropped us off at the beginning next to the row of 20 mailboxes. Living in the country is part of my soul. However, it was definitely nice to still live within an hour from downtown San Diego, California. I enjoyed being able to visit all that the city had to offer, but then retreat to our haven away from it all.

I have always felt a strong need to give, and we never had money so that always meant service. I left at 17 to go to the Air Force Academy where I jumped out of a plane a couple times, flew in an F-15, taught backpacking at Philmont Boy Scout Ranch, learned some pretty awesome life skills, and built life-long friendships. The Air Force sent me all over the place, and blessed me with some amazing experiences including meeting my husband (I hope he’s reading this…).

Once my husband and I were finally able to live in the same city, I decided I wanted more stability for our family. We spent much of our hikes together trying to decide what I wanted to be when I grew up. I had a Masters Degree in Organizational Leadership, so I could do just about anything, but all the “normal” jobs just didn’t seem appealing to me. Then one night while watching TV on yet another work trip, I saw a commercial for National Alpaca Farm Day. I had been to Peru, but never thought they lived here in the U.S. I took some classes and was hooked. Thankfully, my hubby was excited that I had finally found my answer, but just had to ask, “What the heck is an alpaca?”

Our daughter Aidyn arrived in 2010, and with her the decision to become an Air Force Reservist. For a number of reasons, we decided to make my husband’s home-state the place for our ranch and new home. We are so blessed to be able to sit on our front porch nestled among these green, rolling hills and watch these funny critters interact in the pasture. I love having my daughter by my side and watching her interact with them as well. It makes me smile to know she’ll grow up knowing the hard work and simple pleasures of farm life. If you visit and follow us on Facebook, you’re sure to get a chuckle out of the “help” my little farm hand provides! Did I mention that front porch is also a perfect spot to drink wine?

More Info

Military Branch: U.S. Air Force

Product: Alpacas

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