Melanie and Ryan Hicks have an alpaca farm in Moncton.

A Moncton farmer hopes to help consumers understand more about where the items they buy come from during an event on Sunday.

Three dozen farms across New Brunswick will open their gates to welcome visitors as part of Open Farm Day celebrations, put on by the Agricultural Alliance of New Brunswick.

Dan Hicks, a horticulturist and certified arborist, and his wife Melanie, a veterinarian and fourth generation farmer, always wanted a farm.

However, cows and horses needed more space than they had, so they decided on alpacas.

The animals are native to South America and known for their wool.

Hicks calls it the 100-mile garment and hopes lots of children come out and have a chance to learn from where some of their necessities come.

"You know clothes come from a box from China and the milk ends up in a carton on a shelf and the association between the younger generation and where all of these products come from the gap seems to be getting wider and wider every year."

"It's great to have an opportunity to show people that yes, you can make wonderful products right here in New Brunswick."

Hicks said they've found a niche in New Brunswick.

"We send the fleece to a mini mill in Sussex who will then spin it into yarn and then we have various things we do with the yarn," said Hicks. "We have a lady who will weave us some wonderful scarves and we have another knitter in McKees Mills who does some very wonderful work."

The couple's 15 alpacas will be seen at Sunday's Open Farm Day — including three babies, or "crias" who were born this spring.