Many farmers in the area have been struggling over the past year. However, one local farm is finding success... with some unusual livestock.

Sherri and Wayne Bearce are no strangers to raising animals on their farm in West Barnet. But not long ago they bought animals that you don't normally see in Vermont, Alpacas: "we started a year and a half ago with four males. Shortly thereafter we purchased three females. We've had three babies on the farm for a year and a half".

The switch from raising cows to alpacas was a calculated risk. The Bearce's said, "we started raising dairy cows about 20 at a time but it was a lot of work and expense for not much profit. Sherri found an ad in the paper for Alpacas, which we had talked about raising before. So we bought our first males".

Alpacas can cost anywhere from 5 to 10-thousand dollars each, but breeding and yarn selling can be very profitable. "It's been great, when we went into it we didn't expect to make any money probably for the first five years so it's a lot of fun right now."