Cal Poly Professor Peter Livingston, head of the BioResource and Agricultural Engineering Department, has a very special side job. He and his wife raise a herd of 15 alpacas, which they shear annually to make fleece, yarn, socks, rugs and other products to be sold locally at farmers markets across the Central Coast. Livingston has even brought his alpaca expertise into the classroom, involving the animals in research and lecturing on alpaca care to pre-veterinary and veterinary tech students. We asked Livingston to merge his two gigs and bring Tommy, one of the herd’s youngest members, for a tour of his day job.

Read more about Peter Livingston and his other research in our feature “Feast and Famine.”