Small ranchers are usually owners who simply enjoy raising and being around alpacas.
It's used as a life style change or to supplement a retirement income. They would rather
dedicate less time to working and more time to being around the alpaca. The ranchers
choosing this route will most likely purchase 2 to 3 medium quality females and take the
time to breed up in quality. You most likely will not have an expensive stud and do some
outside breedings.
There are small ranchers who also enjoy entering their alpaca in various shows and
traveling to these different shows. Usually their income is not based solely upon the alpaca,
but you can still enjoy the tax breaks (that can be significant) that come with raising alpaca.
If you are not inclined to get into shows and the cost of advertising, then you might want to
broker your animals.
The small and medium size ranchers will often pool their resources. This could include
feed, purchasing high dollar studs or helping during shearing time.