Bridget Stoner gets a kiss from Grace Acres Ranch alpaca Raven at Northwest Missouri Industries Wednesday, February 25, 2026.

Derrick and Sunshine Letsinger, owners of Grace Acres Ranch, have contracted with NWMI to provide alpaca wool to fill bird nesting boxes NWMI plans on selling soon.

Northwest Missouri Industries (NWMI) clients and staff in Rock Port, Missouri, have taken on a new, exciting, and unique venture. The local sheltered workshop will be using discarded alpaca wool to create bird nesting boxes to sell. The wool is being donated from Grace Acres Ranch out of Hiawatha, Kansas.

Grace Acres Ranch is owned and operated by Derrick and Sunshine Letsinger. The Letsingers are a retired couple from California who bought a farm in Kansas in 2021 that had formerly been an alpaca ranch and decided to reopen it as one. Starting with four alpacas, the ranch has grown to 13, which are used as show livestock, breeders, and producers of wool used in a number of products. Alpaca wool is a hollow, hypoallergenic fiber that is known for its softness, warmth, lightweight, and water-repellent properties. Free from lanolin, it is ideal for sensitive skin and used in high-performance garments, including sweaters, scarves, and coats. The wool used to create these products are sheared from the top of the animal. However, the wool sheared from the neck, belly, and legs is usually discarded as it is not as soft. This wool (the discarded) will be the wool that NWMI will receive.

The wool, which comes in many colors, will be placed in birdfeed cages that people will hang in their yards. The birds then fly to the cages and pull the wool out strand by strand and use it to build their nests. It’s a great way to utilize the fiber that was once thought to have no purpose once sheared. It also keeps the birds happy and is environmentally friendly.

It’s also a great new job to keep the clients busy and to bring more money into the workshop, which employs developmentally disabled individuals. There are currently 15 clients working at NWMI, which is under new management of Jim Downing (manager) and Jessica Walker (office coordinator). Each client will be given the task of sorting through the alpaca fibers, taking it apart, and stuffing it into the bird nesting boxes. Although the project is still in the beginning stages, NWMI plans to sell the boxes at local farmers markets as well as in house and are looking into selling to retailers such as Earl May. Employees are also looking into creating an Etsy store to sell the nesting boxes online. Stay tuned for more information on where to buy these bird nesting boxes and for what price.

On Wednesday, February 25, 2026, Derrick and Sunshine brought two of their alpacas, Heaven and Raven, as well as the first donation of wool to NWMI  for the clients to learn how to separate the wool, fill the boxes, and to see and pet some of the animals that it came from. These alpacas have obviously got used to receiving attention and one, Raven, enjoyed giving several of the clients kisses.