About us and our farm.

We are Kathy and William (Skipper) Gholston and we'd like to share with you a little about ourselves and our vision for Garland Farm Alpacas.

William (Skipper) has been raising and caring for animals his entire life. Growing up on a farm outside Montgomery, Alabama provided the backdrop for his career as a veterinarian and an animal lover. After graduating from Auburn University School of Veterinary Medicine, Skipper relocated to Atlanta, Georgia where along with his wife, Kathy, built a busy and successful small animal practice. After practicing small animal medicine for twenty years, Skipper decided to sell his practice and devote his time to teaching high school biology and raising three sons. Kathy, also an animal lover, graduated from Auburn University and with a degree in accounting has lent her business expertise first to the small animal veterinary practice, raising a family and now to the growing business of alpaca farm management.

As a family we have been involved in the animal industry for over 30 years. Along with our three now grown sons, we owned and bred nationally recognized Simmental cattle. We also owned and operated one of the first cattle embryo transfer facilities in the Southeast. Over the years we have owned and cared for a vast assortment of animals first on our farm in North Atlanta and now in the mountains of Dahlonega, Georgia.

In October 2002 we were introduced to alpacas and by January 2003 we purchased our first alpacas. We decided to make our home on 130 acres of mountain property we had purchased in 1994. Construction of our barn and fences was completed in the summer of 2003 and we moved there along with seven alpacas and two Great Pyrenees puppies. The move from Atlanta to Dahlonega was part of a decision to recapture the rural lifestyle that we had enjoyed for so many years in Atlanta before being crowded out by burgeoning subdivisions and traffic. The rolling hills and mountain streams of north Georgia provide a pastoral landscape for Garland Farm Alpacas and we think it is just about the prettiest farm in all of Georgia. Our herd has now grown to twenty alpacas. While we are focusing primarily on suri alpacas, we breed and maintain a few select huacaya females. Careful selection has gone into the purchase of our foundation herd. We have sought out the finest genetics from farms across the country based on fiber quality, color and overall conformation. From this foundation, we are striving to offer a premier herd of alpacas for breeders not only in the Southeast but all across the country. We are dedicating considerable time and effort into showing our alpacas at AOBA sanctioned shows so that we are able to evaluate our alpacas and continue to add excellence to our herd. Our goal is to always maintain the highest standards for our farm and our alpacas. We are dedicated to the same excellence in animal care and breeding that has been our hallmark for so many years.

What you can expect from us.

We are committed to helping you. If you are a first time buyer, we will provide the support and advice that will make your purchase a successful and enjoyable experience. We are available to consult with you at any time and are always open to questions. You will have many!!! For all of our customers, we offer free agistment (alpaca boarding) for 60 days after your purchase. We will also be glad to agist your alpacas for a nominal daily fee after the free period. All Garland Farm breeding females and herdsires come with a breeding warranty. We are available to help you with herd health management and selection of breeding herdsires. Most of all we want your association with Garland Farm Alpacas to be satisfying. We want you to love owning and raising alpacas as much as we do!