The Family

We are the Aulds. We have owned our own llamas since 2006 but have been around llamas since 1987 when Steve's uncle, Charles "Buzz" Kraft, started his herd in LaPorte, Minnesota.

Steve and Sandy have been married since May of 1987 and have two wonderful children. Our son Talon was born in 1993 and Aspen in 1996. Both children are active in the operation of the farm. Talon loves working with the llamas, but does not care for the spotlight of the show ring. He has become our farm sitter when we go to shows and that keeps our mind at ease when we are away. Aspen not only works with the llamas but has her own FFA herd of llamas. You will find the link to her web site to the right of this page in the "Other Links" section. Aspen is also working her way to become a large animal veterinarian but has yet to decide if she wants to specialize in camelids (the llama family) or equines (horses).

We hope you enjoy your visit to our farm, and if you’re in the llama business, we can't wait to make your acquaintance and swap some stories.

Our Home

We are a small operation of 10 acres near Van Horne, Iowa. It is here we have found our version of heaven after 20 years of searching. Our wonderful old farm home was built in 1890 on an Amana stone foundation. It is so solid, you can really tell how bad a storm is by whether or not you can actually hear it. Even though Iowa is a state of rather rolling terrain, our farm sits on one of the most flat sections in the area. On a clear day, you can literally see for miles and miles.

What's in a Name?

Our farm, Aulds' Lluminous Llamas, is named for the wonderful sunsets and celestial lightshows we get to witness on most nights.  Even our children in their teens know when a sunset warrants a "sunset alert" where everyone stops what they're doing to watch.  Add to that the countless stars, frequent shooting stars and meteor showers, millions of lightning bugs and the occasional northern lights show; we knew the word luminous had to be part of who we are.

Therefore, all llamas born at the farm will either carry the name of a "lluminous" celestial body OR begin with the prefix moniker of "ALL."

How We Started

Our first llamas came home to Aulds' Lluminous Llamas on August 12th, 2006, only 5 months after moving into our new country home.  We had planned on waiting a full year after moving in to bring home our first llama, but after 8 years of being away from them and finally having the space to handle them, we just couldn't wait when the right opportunity came along.

Around the first of August we heard about an ad in the local classifieds selling llamas for a VERY good price.  We called the number and made arrangements to go meet the llamas.  Near the conclusion of our 3 hour meeting, the previous owner, so enamored by our llama knowledge and passion about the animals begged us to take all the llamas she was selling as she knew they would be going to a great home.  After politely explaining we were just not equipped to take on that large of a herd to start, she relented and instead made us such a good deal, she practically gave them away.  Long story short, or maybe not, 2 weeks later we brought home "our first herd".

We have since made several sales and acquisitions to build a herd to match our personalities.  Come on inside and meet them.

Over 25 years of llama experience.

While we may have only owned our own llamas since August of 2006, we were first introduced to the "world of llamas" in 1987 by Steve's uncle, Charles "Buzz" Kraft. It was while spending many weekends with Buzz at his farm near LaPorte, Minnesota, that we were bitten by the llama bug and began our llama journey. We learned a lot from Buzz and his experiences and carry many of those nuggets of knowledge, along with all the ones we have gained since, with us in everything we do.

National Recognition

We have been recognized as a breeder and for the llamas we own and have produced on a national level. In 2011 we were named the Small Breeder Award Winner at the Celebration World Futurity; one of our foundation females, a 10 year old classic wooled female named Evy, was awarded the Grand Champion: Classic Female at the 1st Annual ILR-SD Gathering of Friends and Champions; our girl Lulu, who is now retired from the show ring and has joined our foundation herd as an expectant mother, was awarded the Grand Champion: Medium Wool Female at the 14th Annual ALSA Grand National Show of Champions. We also have several other national top 10 animals including 6 who were TOP 3 at the 2011 ALSA Grand National Show of Champions. This includes our very own "cria-tion" A. Lluminous Cassiopeia, who was awarded Reserve Grand Class Champion: Medium Wool Juvenile Female her very first time in a show ring.

A Foundation of Champions and Champion Producers

Over the last 6 years we have worked hard to put together a herd of llamas with genetics from all over the country. We have brought in llamas from coast to coast to mix-up the Iowa gene pool and add spice to some of the fantastic bloodlines found here. Many of our herd acquisitions are former regional and national grand champions, several with their ROMs and "finished" halter status. We anticipate this foundation of excellence will produce progeny of excellence. But as with anything in life, DNA is a tricky thing.

Service After the Sale

We are not just in the business of llamas to sell llamas. We are in the business of llamas to introduce, mentor and assist current, new and future llama owners to the wonderful world of llamas. We have sold many llamas to first-time llama owners as well as small hobby farms. Most of these farms have become good friends who contact us throughout the year with questions, concerns and requests for assistance with shearing, shots and routine maintanance. We do not want to just "dump" an unwanted animal on a new owner. We want new owners to become passionate llama enthusiasts just like we are. So whether your new llama is for the show ring or to just keep the pasture grass at bay, we want our new llama friends to know how to care for their llamas.