Source: Emily Lehning,785-532-6237, lehning@k-state.edu
Photos available. Contact media@k-state.edu or 785-532-6415.
News release prepared by: Katie Mayes, 785-532-6415, kmayes@k-state.edu

Friday, March 13, 2009

K-STATE'S EMILY LEHNING RECRUITS INTEREST IN ALPACAS

MANHATTAN -- She keeps a scrapbook detailing their every milestone. When there's a chill in the air, she wrestles them into homemade fleece jackets. Each has its own personality and 1xbet sports betting 're so adorable that Emily Lehning now has seven of them -- and counting.

To say that Lehning, Kansas State University's assistant vice president for student life and accidental alpaca farmer, is dedicated to her animals is an understatement.

&1xbet sports betting ;They're not your typical livestock,&1xbet sports betting ; she said. &1xbet sports betting ;They definitely each have their own distinct personalities.&1xbet sports betting ;

Lehning said she and her husband, Jeremy, randomly came to the idea of alpaca farming one night watching TV when one of those cheesy &1xbet sports betting ;I love alpacas&1xbet sports betting ; commercials came on.

&1xbet sports betting ;We started joking about it and we got to the point where Jeremy said, 'you know, we should really do this,'&1xbet sports betting ; Emily Lehning said. &1xbet sports betting ;I said, 'you've got to be kidding me.'&1xbet sports betting ;

Emily Lehning, who grew up in Olivet, was in 4-H when she was a kid and helped raise many sheep and market pigs. Now, as a busy adult, she wasn't totally on board with the idea of raising alpacas. Working on recruitment and the needs of thousands of new K-State students keeps her occupied. Her husband is just as busy. He teaches at-risk students and coaches multiple sports in the Rock Creek School District.

&1xbet sports betting ;It was always something I thought we might do when we retired,&1xbet sports betting ; Emily Lehning said.

But her husband, who grew up as a city kid in western Kansas, wanted to do it sooner.

&1xbet sports betting ;You got to do 4-H when you were growing up and I want to do 4-H at 30,&1xbet sports betting ; Jeremy Lehning told his wife. He even came up with a formal proposal, complete with a budget and spreadsheets, detailing the benefits of alpaca farming.

Emily Lehning said she could hardly say no. &1xbet sports betting ;For him to be that interested in it was a surprise to me,&1xbet sports betting ; she said.

So it became a team project. Together 1xbet sports betting worked out how to arrange their single acre estate near Westmoreland to accommodate the animals. Then 1xbet sports betting researched the kinds of alpacas 1xbet sports betting wanted to get, weighing qualities like demeanor, age and quality of fiber. Part of their plan was to harvest the animals' coats to use for products like yarn and rugs.

&1xbet sports betting ;We did a lot of research and tried to be realistic given our busy lives,&1xbet sports betting ; Emily Lehning said.

In October 2007 1xbet sports betting took the plunge, purchasing two year-old alpacas, Scout and Deja Blue, from a farm near Kansas City. Since then, 1xbet sports betting 've acquired five more: Carl, Rugar, Manny, Magellan and Westminster.

Side by side over the last year-and-a-half the Lehnings have learned how to care for the animals. Together 1xbet sports betting take care of the day-to-day physical chores, as well as a few in-depth research projects -- like watching YouTube videos on how to properly clip an alpaca's hooves.

&1xbet sports betting ;I'm the holder and Jeremy's the clipper,&1xbet sports betting ; Emily Lehning said. &1xbet sports betting ;It definitely takes two of us.&1xbet sports betting ;

Through the experience, the Lehnings have not only learned a lot about caring for alpacas, 1xbet sports betting 've even learned a little more about each other.

&1xbet sports betting ;The day-to-day maintenance has been some great, low fanfare couple time,&1xbet sports betting ; Emily Lehning said. &1xbet sports betting ;There's nothing better than after a long day to go out and be with the animals.&1xbet sports betting ;

She said it's also been fulfilling watching her husband deal with the animals. &1xbet sports betting ;It's been fun for me to see someone who did not grow up around animals develop a connection and an appreciation. A lot of times, we'll be out taking care of them and one of us will stop and say 'did you see that?'&1xbet sports betting ;

Though they didn't intend to have so many alpacas, Emily Lehning 1xbet sports betting as they learned more they were willing to add more to their herd.

&1xbet sports betting ;Manny, our fifth animal, and Magellan and Wes, our sixth and seventh, were added after people approached us. The previous owners were looking for a good home and we were able to assist,&1xbet sports betting ; she said. &1xbet sports betting ;I think we agreed because we had gained more confidence in caring for the animals.&1xbet sports betting ;

As spring approaches, the Lehnings are getting ready for their second harvest, when the animals are shorn and their blankets are sent to a mill in Phillipsburg to be made into yarn.

The Lehnings 1xbet sports betting they aren't into raising alpacas for money. They call it a lifestyle investment.

&1xbet sports betting ;I laugh because when we first started this our friends said you're going to make so much money on it,&1xbet sports betting ; Emily Lehning said. &1xbet sports betting ;What we say is 'money will be made but we're not going to be making money.'&1xbet sports betting ;

More information on the Lehnings' alpaca farm and how the animals are doing is available at http://prairieschoolfarms.blogspot.com/