FARM PROFILE Crescendo Acres • Surry, NH

Fields of Christmas trees grow along both sides of Carpenter Road, the dirt lane that ends at Crescendo Acres Farm in Surry, New Hampshire. Additional fresh-cut trees are sold across from their little shop, where they sell Alpaca socks, mittens, hats and more. Beyond the shop, four alpacas are in a fenced area; one is nose-to-nose with one of the new barn kittens. The soft, wooly animals approach when offered leftover evergreen branches as a treat to munch on. &emsp;Russ and Diana Fiore's Crescendo Acres Farm has had Alpacas since 2005. They shear them each year in early May, both to gain soft, warm wool for the products they make and to protect the Alpacas from the danger of overheating with their heavy winter coats during the summer. &emsp;"We're what's called a fiber farm," says Russ Fiore. &emsp;He says the special grain and good quality hay they feed them contribute to the softness of the fiber they produce. &emsp;That soft yarn goes into making some of their shop's socks, while other socks come from Peru to help them keep up with the demand. &emsp;"We sell over 500 pairs of socks in a year. They're the most popular item we sell," Fiore notes. &emsp;He adds that 70-80% of those sales are to repeat customers, explaining, "You get addicted to Alpaca socks." &emsp;A look around their cozy shop reveals many other goods for sale, including sweaters, vests, ornaments, local specialty foods, and soft wool stuffed animal toys such as alpacas, bears, penguins, horses and lions that come from Peru. Some toys now come in bright colors, which are becoming popular, Fiore says. The sweaters and barn vests, also made in Peru, come through a distributor in Maine. &emsp;Diana Fiore does so much other work that it would be challenging to keep up with making all these products. She dyes yarn, knits several very soft socks, mittens, and hats, making small, felted catnip balls and snowmen, Christmas ornaments, and more, and decorations for all the outdoor wreaths they sell. &emsp;Other New Hampshire products, many locally made, line the shop's rear wall, tempting customers to take home and taste various treats or buy them as gifts. Among these are their own maple syrup, the well-known Polly's Pancake Mix from Polly's Pancake Parlor in Sugar Hill, Butternut Farm mustards, jellies from Side Hill Farm in Brattleboro, maple candies and cream, and Ben's Sugar Shack maple coffee. &emsp;November and December are their busiest months for sales, and during that time, the farm is open seven days a week, selling Christmas trees and goods from the shop. The couple's maple sugaring business is their focus following the holidays, as they work to do necessary repairs before too much snow falls. &emsp;Come spring, attention turns again to the alpacas. The animals have grown heavy winter coats that must be shorn in May. Malcolm Cooper, a shearer from Jaffrey, New Hampshire, comes for this task. &emsp;"He's really good, and he's fast," Fiore explains. &emsp;The process involves four people, including those who help hold the alpaca in place and keep each animal's fiber separate. Nails are clipped, teeth are taken care of, and shots are given during this time. &emsp;"We call it spa day," Fiore jokes. &emsp;The sheared coats undergo a series of cleaning processes, beginning with the initial one in which Diana Fiore picks out sticks, leaves, and other debris that accumulate when the alpacas roll in the dirt to cool themselves. After this, the fiber goes to the mill, where additional cleaning steps are done before making it into roving and yarn. &emsp;Fiore explains that the Crescendo Acres business grew out of the couple's farm hobbies. They first got the alpacas to keep the pastures down but discovered that, instead, they were eating the Christmas trees that grew in that field (thus, discovering their fondness for evergreen boughs.) So, they moved the alpacas, which at one point numbered 15, to another pasture. Four alpacas remain. &emsp;Alpacas can live to be 20-25 years old. When these animals age, their wool can become rough and result in course yarn. At this point, the farm sells them to individuals or families and to "friendly farms" where families and children visit to have personal, up-close experiences with the animals. &emsp;"They're great as pets," Fiore says. =============== BOX: Crescendo Acres Farm 21 Carpenter Road Surry, NH 03431 603-352-9380 crescendoacres.com ===============