New Zealand Alpaca Winter 2012 by Robyn Anderson

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WINTER 2012

ALPACA EXPO Christchurch

2012

September 21/22/23

New Zealand’s premier alpaca event National Alpaca Breed Show National Alpaca Fleece Show President’s BBQ & Expo Dinner www.alpaca.org.nz/Expo2012/NationalShow

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WINTER 2012

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Inside this issueâ&#x20AC;Ś

Message from the President

National Alpaca Day - How did it go?

How to Design Your Advertisement

Kit Johnson

Jenny Durno Cover photo: courtesy of Hermione Richards

AANZ Marketing and Promotions Sub-Committee

Talking to the Media

Inaugural North Island Colourbration

Showing Our Best Side

Setting up a New Alpaca Section at an A&P Show

Banks Peninsula A&P Show at Little River

The British Alpaca Society

World Alpaca Conference

The Role of the Alpaca at the Creative Fibre Festival - Seeing ourselves as others see us

Fair Air Fire Mask

Fieldays - Alpaca Presence

I'm Sold on Suri - How About You

Conference & AGM 2012

How Many Alpaca are there in New Zealand

Barber's Pole Worm in Alpacas

The 3 Amigos - Phosphorus, Calcium & Vitamin D

Breeder Profile: Jenny & Martyn Ellwood-Wade

New Member Profile: Daryl & Elizabeth MacAskill

Jenny Durno REWARD Do you have a top quality photo suitable for the cover of the Summer 2012 Alpaca magazine? Please submit your appropriately labelled, top quality photos (over 3MB is best) to editor@alpaca.org.nz The owner of the photo selected for the front cover will win a free 1/4 page advertisement in that magazine.

Jenny Durno

Show Sub-Committee Anne Godfrey

Anya Walkington Shaun Daniel Linda Blake

Jenny Durno Jenny Durno Jenny Durno

Maree Churchill Jenny Durno

Registry Working Group Jane Vaughan

Dr Jamie McNeil Jenny Durno Jenny Durno

New Zealand Alpaca is printed on paper derived from resources which are managed to ensure their renewability for generations to come.

Editor magazine@alpaca.org.nz

Website www.alpaca.org.nz

Advertising AANZ Office advertising@alpaca.org.nz Phone (03) 341 5242

AANZ – All Enquiries Toni Soppet – AANZ Office Manager PO Box 6348, Upper Riccarton, Christchurch Phone (03) 341 5242. Mobile 021 368 994 tonisoppet@alpaca.org.nz or aanz@clear.net.nz

Media Liaison Officer Jenny Durno Design & Print Taieri Print Limited 9 Chadwick Street, Fairfield, Dunedin 9018 Phone (03) 488 4770

AANZ Council Kit Johnson – President 68 Moodys Road RD 2, Kaiapoi 7692 Phone (03) 327 3020 president@alpaca.org.nz

Deadlines New Zealand Alpaca is produced three times per year. Deadlines for all advertising & articles for the next issue is 2nd November, 2012.

Advert Sizes When producing artwork for advertising please use the measurements below. Business Card ¼ Page ½ Page Portrait ½ Page Landscape Full Page Double Page Spread

Christine Sutherland – Secretary secretary@alpaca.org.nz

88mm × 55mm 88mm × 130mm 90mm × 264mm 180mm × 130mm 210mm × 297mm 420mm × 297mm

Wayne Allison – Treasurer treasurer@alpaca.org.nz Robyn Anderson – Southern Region Rep. southernrep@alpaca.org.nz Ros Scott – Central Region Rep. centralrep@alpaca.org.nz

Advertising Rates All prices GST exclusive. All adverts full colour.

Mary-Ann Pruden – Northern Region Rep. northernrep1@alpaca.org.nz

Press Ready Artwork Supplied Business Card ¼ Page ½ Page Full Page Double Page Spread Special Positions Right Hand* Back Cover (full page) Inside Cover (full page) Inside Back Cover (full page) Specific Position* * Subject to availability

Willem Alblas – Northern Region Rep. northernrep2@alpaca.org.nz

$55 $110 $220 $400 $700 +10% +25% +20% +15% +10%

Graphic Design Advert design service available @ $60 per hour, 95% of adverts will take an hour or less to complete. We will contact you with an estimate prior to commencing work if composing your advert will take longer than an hour. Please direct any design enquiries to jason@taieriprint.co.nz Discounts A discount is available for advertising in three consecutive issues. The full rate is paid for the first two adverts and a 30% discount is given on the third advert. This is equivalent to 10% per issue. Please don’t send payment with advertising material – an account will be sent on receipt of your advertisement.

Alan Skilling – Vice President 12 Maratoto Road RD 4, Paeroa 3674 Phone (07) 862 4646 vicepresident@alpaca.org.nz

Liability Whilst all efforts have been made to ensure accuracy of information this Association accepts no responsibility for any errors contained in advertisements or text. Views expressed by advertisements and contributors are not necessarily endorsed by this association. Copyright All material appearing in NZ Alpaca is copyright. Reproduction in whole or part is not permitted without the written permission of AANZ.

Contributing Writers Anne Godfrey Anya Walkington Dr Jamie McNeil Jane Vaughan Jenny Durno Linda Blake Maree Churchill Shaun Daniel

“New Zealand will be on the world stage and I urge everyone to attend next years World Conference and Show in Hamilton. You will never get such a wonderful opportunity again.”

Message from the President With the AGM and National Conference now behind us, it is a reminder to me that twelve months is not much time in order to try and achieve one’s goals. The organizing committee for the 2012 National Conference are to be congratulated for putting on such an upbeat and successful conference. I think I can honestly say it was one of the best conferences I have attended – there was something for everyone irrespective of their experience in the industry. A big thank you must also go to the members who made the effort to attend the conference – I have heard nothing but positives from everyone I spoke to. A big thank you also to the members who put up their stud males for the auction and to the bidders who ensured the success of the auction. Without your support, we would be unable to run a successful conference.

Just so it is not lost sight of, Sue took on the challenge of assisting with the organization of this year’s conference and to her credit, has taken on the challenge of putting together next year’s World Alpaca Conference and National Show. I recently attended the World Alpaca Conference in Oxford in the UK and what an event. In my world presidents speech I drew attention to New Zealand’s turn to host the event in 2013 and laminated signs were placed everywhere to ensure everyone was aware that it was New Zealand’s turn for 2013. I am delighted to advise that there was a very positive response and already I have received advice that a good number of European breeders will be attending. New Zealand will be on the world stage and I urge everyone to attend next years World Conference and Show in Hamilton. You will never get such a wonderful opportunity again.

The National Alpaca Expo working group has been beavering away quietly behind the scenes to ensure that this year’s event will be equally successful. Sponsorship has been selling with increasing momentum and we do hope that the members will get in and support this year’s event.

In conclusion I urge everyone to work together, think positively and get out there and sell yourselves and your farming operation. Despite the critics, there are actually a good number of breeders out there who are quietly achieving their goals and making a success of their alpaca operation.

I have been concerned to hear that some members are holding off until next years World Alpaca Conference and National Show. I have to remind you that this is your national show and you should be marketing your stud at every opportunity. We have a world-class judge in Jude Anderson and I would be disappointed if the membership did not get in behind and support her and the working group who will be putting on a fantastic event.

Come on we can all do so much more if we put our minds to it.

Kit Johnson President, AANZ

I wish to pass on my thanks and appreciation to Sue Richards who has completed her term on National Council. Sue has been a hard working member on National Council and was always prepared to take on new tasks to ensure that National Council did not lose momentum. Thank you Sue for your efforts. 3

Index of advertisers Advertiser

Page

Business Cards Alastair Needes & Alison Ralph/Golden Mile Alpacas

Sue Rodrigues/Olde Oaks Alpacas

Don Carter

Grant & Sue Kaan/Misty Ridge Alpacas

Valerie Bushell/Silverhill Alpacas

Ritchie & Maree Churchill/El dos Cadena Alpacas

Richard Williams/Epsilon Computers

1/8 Page Ann & Delwyn Bannan/Cherry Lane Alpacas

Sue Vanner/Halters Plus

David & Katherine Harding/Teri Dyes

Quarter Page Cilla Taylor/Wild Palette Suri

P & T McKay/Mesa Natural Fibre Mill

Vicky Tribe/GearGirl

Alpaca Seller

Richard Beere/Wool Technologies

Trade Point

Martyn & Jenny Ellwood-Wade/Cuesta Weave

Linley Yeoman/Cresta Viento

Silver Package Liz Barnes & Cheryl Hughson/The Alpaca Place

Half Page John Carr/Pacific Alpacas

Martin Blampied/Dunstan Nutrition Ltd

Full Page AAA National Show

Gold Package Ian & Angela Preuss/Surilana

Frank & Anya Walkington/Shamarra Alpacas

Paul Garland & Lynda Sides-Garland, Alan & Lyn Skilling/Waratah Flats & Qtaz Alpacas

Hermione, Sue & Brooke Richards/Surico Alpaca

Kit & Sheryl Johnson/Silverstream Alpaca Stud

PLATINUM Outside Back Cover Stephanie, Molly & Phillipa Gardner/Thistledown

OBC

Surilana Setting the Suri Standard

www.surilana.com.au Ian and Angela Preuss Strathbogie, Victoria, Australia Phone: +61 3 57905394 Email: suris@surilana.com.au 5

National

Alpaca Day How did it go?

by Jenny Durno

You’ve done all you can to be ready. The alpacas are standing in the pens looking at you, a bit puzzled about why you are not approaching them with toenail clippers, and the advertising material is flapping in the cold breeze. Nothing. What if no one comes at all, that would be… wait! A car! Ready, um, stand there, no, over here… ...then, according to the feedback we received from around the country, National Alpaca Day was ON! Most people were gratifyingly flat out, no time to count the cars or press people into signing the book. For most people in NZ the beginning of May was cold but clear, and while the half-glass-empty people said this meant people didn’t want to hang around, the optimists said, well, it didn’t rain. The AANZ got a bit more scientific about it so that we could share the lessons nationwide. A questionnaire was sent to a number who participated in the advertising subsidy. Going through all the feedback from around the country it seems that we ARE a nationwide industry and we belong to an effective Association. Isn’t that cool, just coming out of a recession?

Did you feel it was worth participating in National Alpaca Day? 100% of respondents said a resounding yes. It was fun and it was worth the effort to get people looking at alpaca and alpaca product.

What would you do differently next year? Many people said they would advertise earlier, in more than one publication, and spread the word in different ways, including having a Facebook page. Others said they would have more help on the day and have more product for sale and display. 6

How many visitors do you estimate visited you on National Alpaca Day? The survey indicated there was a wide range in the number of visitors per farm. Although location mattered, the average number of visitors was just under 50, normally arriving in family groups or couples. Within that average were participants with about 20 and some with over 100 people through their property. A farm in Southland had over 300 visitors.

What proportion of visitors were interested in owning alpacas, or just on a Sunday outing? It appears that many of the people who held Open Days were philosophical about the (un)likelihood of selling alpacas on the day. There were a lot of Sunday drivers and a few people interested in buying yarn or produce. Future fellow breeders and pet owners, they were making all the right noises about buying, however follow up will be important to turn this interest into sales.

What did the visitors already know about alpacas?

Must dos: •

Decide early – 3 months out – that you are going to participate so that you can be fully involved on the Association web site and included in any group advertising.

•

Turn up to your local NAD group meetings, or communicate by email or telephone at the planning stage. Don’t get too busy and leave it all to someone else.

•

If you talk to the press try to keep talking about ‘Our Group’ rather than, ‘Here on Home Farm we…’ The press are difficult, but not impossible to handle. (See ‘Talking to the Media’)

•

The same goes for photos – provide generic photos from more than one property in your group or you might be accused of going off with the limelight.

•

Consider a longer term relationship with your neighbours and have turns to host for your area each year. If there is the problem is that some farms are more accessible than others, to the detriment of the people at the end of the ‘trail,’ be supportive by congregating there some years – someone suggested an ‘Alpaca Village.’ It’s a great message of unity for potential new members and enables you all to put on one hell of a show. Givers get.

More people are turning up to the Open Day with some knowledge of alpaca beyond, ‘They spit, don’t they?’ Many members were gratified to be able to educate people about the realities of owning alpacas, whether as pets or to set up a breeding operation. One respondent was delighted to put a know-it-all sheep breeder right on a few things.

Did you hand out the ‘Focus on Alpaca’ brochure to your visitors and was it well received? There was nothing but praise for the brochure initiative. All participants were proud to make them available and most reported good feedback, although some admitted that it was so busy that they couldn’t know their visitors’ view of the publication.

Would you make a greater effort next time? There was an even split between those who sat back at the end of the day and said, ‘didn’t we do well?’ and those who, on reflection, would do more advertising in a wider variety of publications, as well as having more varied product available. An on-site spinner was a great draw-card for those who had one available and a must-have for some people next year. (Ask your local Creative Fibre Group to participate – they would love to be involved and you might even get them on to spinning alpaca). Friendly animals for petting and leading were considered an essential ingredient.

Would you encourage other breeders to participate next time? BIG question, apparently! The main message was that cooperating with other breeders was desirable but fraught with frustrations if the group found itself with either passengers or those who were aggressive about benefiting more from the advertising. 7

Did the subsidy encourage you to participate or were you already planning to participate in National Alpaca Day? While most of our participants were already planning to hold an Open Day, they were glad of the extra financial help in advertising.

Was the subsidy a good idea? So, yes, the subsidy was a good idea and considered a good use of AANZ funds being used to promote alpaca and the Association. A common refrain was to be allowed to apply the extra funding to more than one publication next time please. Different groups had different ideas on what worked best for them, usually based on years of experience, and they would have appreciated the freedom to apply that knowledge for the good of their particular group.

Do you think all members understand the concept of the subsidy? Interesting to feel the need to ask that question and judging by the responses it was valid to do so. There was some confusion which could be cleared up in the future.

Do you think the weather had an impact? Good or bad? Well, thanks for the question; it is gratifying that the AANZ is planning to do something about the weather next year as apparently it does make a difference. May can be cold, soup is a great idea…

A new Focus on Alpaca booklet has been published by AANZ and is available to all members to help promote alpaca in New Zealand. This booklet was designed to give general information on alpaca in New Zealand without being specific to a time or location so it won’t go out of date. It is aimed at the general public and lifestylers who have little or no knowledge of alpaca. People wanting more in depth information should be encouraged to join the AANZ and then receive the more comprehensive “Black folder” of information. It is free of advertising but includes a space on the back cover where you can use a sticker or stamp to list your details. Copies of the Focus on Alpaca can be sourced from the AANZ office for the cost of postage.

Conclusion It was apparent that there was a lot of fun on The Day, with camaraderie and cooperation among people normally in competition for the pet and produce markets. The support from AANZ with the brochure and the subsidy was warmly welcomed with constructive feedback on how to improve that too. Even old hands came away with ideas on how to get more visitors, enhance their experience and get more sales on the day. It turns out that the more you put into National Alpaca Day the more you get out of it. Well fancy that. Thanks to all the people who responded to the questionnaire.

Approximate costs are: 5 - 20 Copies $2.50 50 Copies $6.70 100 Copies $9.70 1000 Copies – contact the AANZ office for postage costs. YOUR

FREE GUIDE

We want to help promote alpaca as much as possible so you can order as many copies as you think you need. There is also the opportunity to do a print run for individuals who would like to include their own branding on the cover. Contact the AANZ office if you are interested in finding out more about this opportunity.

How to Design your

by AANZ Marketing and Promotions Sub-committee

All Advertisements have a common goal - to sell a product, service, or brand. Before starting to design your advertisement make sure you know exactly what you want to achieve. It could be a number of things from brand recognition, to selling an alpaca, to promoting an open farm. Write down your objective so you can review your final advertisement to see if it works. Basically advertisements have the same four components: • Headline • Graphic • Body • Contact details

HEADLINE The job of the headline is to get the readers attention. A good headline makes you want to find out more by reading the rest of the advertisement. Techniques used to do this are: • Create curiosity • Promise answers to a question or solutions to a problem • Include a key benefit Remember keep it short, and make it relevant to the objective of the advertisement.

GRAPHIC With alpaca advertisements this is most likely to be a photo of an alpaca or group of alpacas. You need to make sure the photo is high enough quality1, and fits the objective of the advertisement. You’ll also need to consider the orientation of the photo and whether it fits the orientation of the advertisement (e.g. landscape or portrait). If you don’t have a quality image of alpaca or the right camera or skills; • Find someone among your group of friends who does and ask them round for lunch and a photo session with your alpacas. • The 2010 conference had a session on taking the right photo, so get hold of a copy of the proceedings. You can purchase the proceedings on the AANZ online shop. • You can purchase photos online from stock photo websites, just google “buy stock photos” then browse their catalogues for a photo that might suit you. 1

Magazines usually require 300ppi (pixels per inch).

BODY This is the main text of the advertisement. Some advertisements may take a minimalist approach, a line or two or a single paragraph. Others may be quite text-heavy with paragraphs of information. Visual elements such as bullet points, indentation, and quotes, can help to organize and highlight the message. Whichever format you go for remember you only have 6 seconds to grab the readers attention and get them to continue reading so; • Use clear simple language, but don’t talk down to the reader. • Use familiar words and phrasing • Get some brainstorming help from your friends • Be unique

SIGNATURE The contact details or signature of an advertisement usually appears at the bottom but there are no rules and can appear anywhere. You’ll need to include the appropriate details that will allow readers to get hold of you: • Your logo • Your business name • Contact person • Address

• Phone number • Email address • Website address

LAYOUT You then need to take the four components and arrange them in an effective eye-catching way. The most common layout has the headline at the top followed by the graphic, then body, and signature at the bottom.

HOME OR PROFESSIONAL DESIGN? This will be up to you and how much money you want to spend. It may also depend how skilled you are on the computer. If you are creating at home you will need at least basic design software, many quality cameras come with sufficient software. A professional will most likely charge by the hour and the quality of what is produced will depend on the information you provide. Even if you decide to use a professional, the quality of your advertisement will be increased if you put some thought into your design – you know your customers 9

better than the graphic designer so you’ll need to give them direction when making up your advertisement. Taieri Print who produce this magazine can help design and construct your advertisement, you can contact Jason to discuss options and pricing, Phone: 03 478 8354 or Email: jpeg@taieriprint.co.nz.

FINALLY Remember to review the final draft of your advertisement back to you original objective. Does it say what you want it to? Also keep in mind that one advertisement does not make an advertising campaign. It is commonly said that you need seven points of contact before making a sale. So consider

Talking by Jenny Durno

to the

M&P plan to have more articles in upcoming magazine that will help you to develop your marketing and promotion activities.

About the Authors The AANZ Marketing and Promotions Sub-committee have recently reformed to bring the AANZ membership advice and tools designed to help them promote alpaca and the alpaca industry. Along with this they will oversee the production of several publications including this magazine, the Herdsire and Membership directories, and the Focus on Alpaca. You can give them feedback at MandP@alpaca.org.nz.

MEDIA

Getting a piece in the paper about alpacas, especially about your alpacas and your event, can be more valuable than paying for advertising. But there are hooks.

Speaking to members about their experiences with National Open Day in May, there was some concern about recent coverage in the newspapers about alpacas, especially about their current market value. Most felt that articles claiming that the current average price was over $10,000 and that stud males fetched up to $100,000 ‘in a recent auction’ was not helpful in trying to attract new owners to the industry in this economic climate. (Some simply wanted to know how they could participate in such a successful auction.) Members from all walks of life will know from experience that you can’t predict what the press will print. If you talk to them you risk being misquoted. Let’s be frank about this, the top reporters in each publication are not going to be collating information about alpacas and that means we have the trainees, who are going to make mistakes. This is a bit generalist but it is safer to assume the worst. You are NOT going to get them to agree to send you the copy – journalistic integrity and all that - but you can be better prepared. Have an agenda ready. If you get a call from someone and you are not ready, tell them you will call them back and get ready first. If you are having an Open Day it is possible, desirable, for a reporter to turn up. Part of your preparation for the day should be thinking about what you are going to say and having a handout for them. Ask the reporter what they know about alpacas and address each point, correct or not, so that they are better informed. Offer to follow it up with an email. They are more likely to cut and paste your statements (and therefore get it right.) Anticipate what they are going to ask and reconcile that to what you want them to cover. For example if you are trying to get coverage for your group for Open Day and the reporter starts asking you about YOUR farm, steer them back on to 10

your advertisement as an important part of a campaign that could also include; shows, trade stands, newsletters, social media, websites, mail outs, flyers, brochures and handouts.

‘Our group is mainly comprised local farms with less than 50 animals. We cooperate on many things…’ If they ask, ‘What made you get into alpacas?’ in the context of getting a piece to support the whole group you would say, ‘we come from all walks of life. I do (‘this’) but my neighbour does (‘that.’)

Have a list of valid places for them to source for backup information such as AANZ website, websites of respected breeders with up to date information. Email it to them if you can. Consider what their audience would be interested in. Be ready with answers to the clichés- ‘do they spit?’ – ‘how do you shear them’ – ‘how many offspring can you get in a year?’ If you provide a wealth of accurate information they are not going to have space to fill it up with wrong stuff. Be honest about the reality of owning an alpaca. Yes, they are easy to handle once they are trained, no, you can’t have one in your back yard like a dog, yes, you can trim their toes yourself, yes, there is a cost involved in getting them shorn. Yes, they can get staggers or eczema; this is what you do about it. If they start taking photos of you, your farm and your alpacas, make sure you send them some photos from your group buddies as well or ask them to make it clear this is only ONE of the farms holding an Open Day in your area. Reporters are human, so work with human nature*. They want to look good and to do that they want to provide something interesting that their editor will print. They will take a chance to get the article done without too much hard work. So make it easy for them to look good by providing something interesting and you will retain control of what gets printed. (*We don’t want to give the impression that all reporters are lazy, negligent and self-serving! Many are consummate professionals. This advice is for those who have had bad experiences with getting published and are in danger of avoiding the experience again.)

Patagonia Celtic Rising Sun ET FINE FAWN GENETICS

Photos courtesy of Robert Gane-Canchones

At 6yrs of age, Rising Sun has it all:

Show Successes:

• Fineness (<20µ) • Comfort Factor (98.3%) • Density (69.8 follicles per mm2) • Staple length (120mm)

• Supreme Fawn - Victoria Colourbration 2009 & 2010 • Champion Senior Male - Sydney Royal 2009 • Champion Adult Male - Melbourne Royal 2008 • Reserve Champion Intermediate Male - Progeny AAA 2011

www.shamarra-alpacas.co.nz Frank & Anya Walkington | 03 304 5141 | info@shamarra-alpacas.co.nz

Inaugural North Island

by Jenny Durno

Colourbration The first thing that occurred to visitors of the Alpaca Section of the Waikato Show, Claudelands in May 2012 was how attractive this area was. When you walked in from the ‘show’ side, fresh from the Antique Halls and the sideshows, you were treated to an attractive array of displayed fleeces on one side, all arranged in colour order and festooned with ribbons. The sought after broad sashes gaily proclaimed the best, the Supremes and Champions of the show, but even the place ribbons added to the overall impression that someone cared and was proud of this part of the show. You only had to pause for a moment

to see people from the public attracted to the baskets of ‘feel me’ fleeces, Huacaya and Suri and then look up and around to appreciate the wealth of beautiful colours in front of them. On the other side were the equally well set out trade stands, with every imaginable use of alpaca celebrated and displayed to great advantage. Gorgeous clothes, stylish hats and shawls, funny or funky ornaments and jewellery; the creative people in the alpaca industry proved that they can provide a wide range of viable products in a sophisticated and business-like retail environment. Smack in the middle as you came in was a busy looking ring with intriguing items ranged around – the obstacle course. Obstacle course! Cool! When do we see the alpacas do this? Soon – do you want to lead an alpaca around yourself? Wow! And babies! The name-the-cria competition attracted a crowd

The sought after broad sashes gaily proclaimed the best, the Supremes and Champions of the show, but even the place ribbons added to the overall impression that someone cared and was proud of this part of the show.

several people deep and some excited participants had to be reminded that this little creature was only a few days old. Please donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t rattle the cage! If visitors could get past the appeal of the Mums and crias they could sit for a while and watch the more serious business of judging. With Huacaya in one ring and Suri in the other, the differences were very clear to anyone and many members found themselves hosting impromptu lessons on the attributes of one type of alpaca over another. We were very proud of our judges and their comprehensive explanations of why they were placing one animal over another; great for us as breeders as always, but very informative for the general public who had just learned that they were not looking at llamas. But we were only half way around the hall. The pens themselves were an attraction at this show â&#x20AC;&#x201C; bright branding,

high branches of greenery, more ribbons proclaiming the success of the cool customers nestled in their clean straw. With plenty of clean pathway between the rows of pens we saw whole families with pushchairs becoming well acquainted with mature or young, white or coloured Huacaya and Suri. Comparing big brown eyes to fleece covered faces, cute little ones nosing in the chaff together or big imperious males haughtily checking the bigger picture, people of all walks of life were smilingly choosing their favourites. This was an attractive show all right. Well conceived, well put together and well attended by the very people it was designed for. It was a credit to its organizers, the participants and the Alpaca Association. It deserves its place on the busy show calendar. Results can be viewed at www.alpaca.org.nz

The show subcommittee wants to make sure that all exhibitors make the most of attendance at shows and do our industry proud when viewed by prospective alpaca owners – the public! So we have put together a few pointers for being a good exhibitor.

Behaviour Good sportsmanship is key to good exhibitor behaviour. “Strive to be humble in victory and gracious in defeat” (Boots Williams WWII). Sometimes you will not get the results you expect, remember to smile and congratulate the winner. By entering a show you are choosing to put your alpaca before a judge, you need to respect their opinion. Treat the stewards and other show officials with respect. They have given up their time to help run the show for you to enjoy. When talking to fellow exhibitors and the public remember the old saying “If you can’t think of something nice to say don’t say anything at all”. It only makes you look bad if you start running down another breeder or their animals. A positive attitude and a kind word can go a long way to how others in the industry view you.

Dress code It is not just how you behave that will be noticed but also how you look. Exhibitors need to make sure they are tidily and appropriately dressed no matter what the dress code of the show states, this goes for stewards and convenors as well. Have a look at how well the judges are presented. It is not necessary for exhibitors to dress as formally as the judge, but think about the how the judges always take their position seriously and dress appropriately for their position. We can be proud of how our judges represent our industry amongst the other breed judges – can we say the same about our exhibitors? We are not suggesting that all shows should have a black and white dress code, simply that dress should be appropriate to the type of show. Large more formal indoor shows require you to dress formally, perhaps in black trousers or skirt and a white shirt. Smaller country outdoor events have a more relaxed atmosphere, thus the style of dress required. Remember casual does not mean untidy! by Show Sub-committee

Alpaca shows are really important to our industry, they bring us all together to share our common love of alpaca and provide us with arguably the best promotional opportunity in the industry. 14

As a quick guide… • Gumboots, jandals, track pants, stubbie shorts are never ok to wear as an exhibitor or steward. • Pack a spare shirt in case you get green. • Change into your “show gear” after you have penned, fed etc your alpaca so you keep clean – or wear overalls. • Invest in a good clothes brush to get rid of the fleece that will insist on sticking to your clothing.

Promote the industry and yourself Many owners first saw alpaca at a show, and it may have been years before they purchased any. For this reason (even if you have nothing for sale at the moment) you need to make the most of this promotional opportunity, and for the price of a show entry fee it will be the cheapest you get.

Make your pen area promote you and your farm along with alpaca in general. Attach brochures and business cards to the pen for people to take. If you don’t have your own brochure you can get copies of the Alpaca Focus from the AANZ office. Put up banners on the pen, have a look at the next show what others are doing – there are some really great ideas out there. Many city folk don’t have any understanding of looking after livestock but we want them to go away with a feeling that alpaca are well looked after and loved by their owners. So keep your pens tidy, bring along a bucket and pooper scooper to clean up any mess. Keep water buckets fresh and clean. Make sure the alpaca have feed available, it may not be good to feed rich foods throughout the show so hay, branches of willow, tagasaste (tree lucerne), or other forage tree make good show feed. Remember to treat every member of the public as a potential alpaca owner, take the time to talk to people as they wander through the pens and keep positive about alpaca and the industry.

Its more than just ribbons The benefits of showing are more than just going home with a float load of ribbons and trophies but it is up to you to make the most of the opportunities presented. The show ring can give you an unbiased assessment of your alpaca and by visiting other breeders’ pens you can compare and contrast your alpacas with others. Take the time to talk with other breeders about what they are breeding for and how they are going about it, ask to look at their alpaca – especially the ones who beat you in the ring – use this opportunity to learn more and form your own opinions. You may not always agree with the judge or the breeder of the animal but always be polite and find something positive to say. You won’t find yourself very welcome in other people’s pens (or on their farms) if you constantly put other peoples alpaca down or only want to talk about how great your animals are.

Getting involved Showing your alpaca can be very rewarding and make you feel a lot more involved in the industry. If you don’t think you have alpaca to show you can get involved in lots of other ways – shows are always looking for more stewards and helpers, or exhibitors with large teams need extra handlers – so get along to at least one show this season, get involved and most importantly have fun!

About the Authors The Show Subcommittee is a group of volunteer AANZ members who are involved in all aspects of showing alpaca. Some are stewards, some are qualified judges, some are show convenors and all are exhibitors. The SSC is all dedicated to ensuring that the alpaca shows in New Zealand continue to grow and thrive. You can contact us with ideas at show@alpaca.org.nz 15

by Anne Godfrey - Fairhaven Alpacas Temuka & Geraldine A&P Association were keen to have an alpaca section at their show, and as we are only about 10 minutes from the showgrounds I was approached to see if I would consider convening a show. My first thought is unprintable, but after much thought I agreed to give it a go.

Neil and I started to build our herd of Suri in October 2010, after the National Expo, and so 2011 saw Fairhaven Alpacas complete their first year of competing in shows. We really enjoyed the shows especially the camaraderie that is evident between breeders, but how a show comes together was a mystery – it just seemed to happen. Well that mystery was soon to be solved!

Then the details of the show began to dawn on us. The show was on the first Saturday in March 2012. My heart sort of sank at this point – early March, most breeders would have only just shorn their animals, so who would want to attend so early in the season even with it being a short fleece breed show for huacayas (for some of us it was going to be a short fleece show for our suri too!!). Would breeders be prepared to come from as far as Christchurch or further South than Timaru? I spoke with Anya Walkington, our SICL (South Island Convenor Liaison) and she made me feel a little more comfortable about the possible success of holding an alpaca section so early in the year with her experience of shows in the North Island several of those are short fleece shows. So with that in mind Anya confirmed with the Temuka & Geraldine A&P that the show committee were supporting me to convene the section. After appointing stewards early in the piece, I found them to be wonderful sounding boards over the next few months offering lots of useful information and making clever suggestions. Penning facilities, show schedules, ribbons and funding issues (like who pays for what) were all next on our agenda. Once these details were sorted, I began to feel that we actually could get a basic show off the ground. I now needed to keep a firm grip on all those little details. I won’t burden you with all the details, but suffice to say it wasn’t completely smooth sailing. I had to appoint judges, work out timing issues, revisit the ribbon schedules several times, find sponsors, trophies bought and engraved, and advise the membership of the new show. Now what? Oh yes, entry forms etc up on the AANZ website and then wait and hope for some entries to start arriving at Julie’s desk at the A&P Association. For quite a while there were no entries, I had had several emails and phone calls from breeders expressing that their animals didn’t have enough fleece, so I really wasn’t sure who would enter!

I kept in close contact with Julie from the A & P association and she let me know when entries started to trickle in. Soon we were up to 50 animals entered a few days before the closing date. In total there were 82 entries, a fantastic level of support. Needless to say the A&P association were delighted with our effort. Neil went to the UK for two weeks, just before the closing date, so I was left with getting my head round the website show system. After a couple of false starts I was able to load all the entries onto the system, it’s a longwinded process setting up the schedule for the first time but I expect that next year it will be much less time consuming. The system is very helpful as input of the IAR number brings up details of the animal which are then entered automatically into the

Show day – our hearts sank again. It was the weekend of the March weather bomb. We had a couple of apologies the day before - some couldn’t attend due to the weather. Neil and I went to set up early in the morning and weren’t sure anyone else would turn up as the driving rain at that time was horrendous. However all braved the elements. The steward’s tent looked like it would take off in the wind several times but it held up. Neil had to transport our animals in two groups so the first group arrived and had to cope with wind and rain whilst Neil collected the second. Other animals started to arrive and they sensibly stayed in their floats until judging time. Malcolm Duncan came to the rescue with a tarp to attach to the front of the Steward’s tent which enabled us to keep the rain and some of the wind off our recording stewards Maddy and Nic

“Neil and I went to set up early in the morning and weren’t sure anyone else would turn up as the driving rain at that time was horrendous. However all braved the elements”. classes as per the schedule. It also creates the arm band numbers and pen names so it’s a really useful system and worth the time taken to input the data. Thanks to some help from Anya, the catalogue was then ready for the printers. All the basics were done – the A&P had secured a section sponsor who provided the stewards tent, Jacob Van Neuren loaned us the stakes and rope for the ring. So all I had to do was organise a few finishing touches. The weekend before the show Neil and I went to the showgrounds to see how the working bee was progressing with the pen modifications. We stayed for a few hours to help, it was Saturday morning and the younger team were at sports so the 80+ year olds were doing all the work! A small flock of sheep had been employed to ‘mow’ the grass in the pens – after they had gone, on the day before show day, we changed our allegiances from alpaca poo to sheep poo collecting!

Bishop. Shirley came, even though she had a really poorly foot, and still did a great job of performing assembly steward duties to ensure we had a really relaxed but efficiently run day. The rain stopped in time for Diane to do a fantastic job judging the animals, but it was a cold windy day. By the afternoon it was sunny and we were one of the few sections in the parade, the A&P Committee were very appreciative of the show provided by our beautiful alpaca. I must take this opportunity to thank all those that braved the elements that day and helped to make the Winchester show an enjoyable day. Hope we will see you again next year, same weekend. Thanks to all those that provided help and advice: Anya Walkington, Shirley Grant and Ineke Van Neuren to name a few. Not forgetting of course our thanks to Diane Marks for judging under such difficult conditions. 17

Banks Peninsula A&P Show

Little River

by Anya Walkington Thanks to all exhibitors and sponsors who supported the first

Alpaca Fleece Show at Little River which was a resounding success - over 120 fleeces were entered. We look forward to another successful show in 2013, to be judged by Sarah Busby and fleece testing will be done by Don Morrison. January 23rd was a big day on the Peninsula as the area celebrated the 150th Banks Peninsula A&P Show at Little River, forty five minutes east of Christchurch. A beautiful sundrenched day greeted thousands of visitors to this picturesque rural settlement, with close to record gate entries. Visitors, for the first time had an Alpaca Fleece Show to add to their selection of exhibits to view. Convenors, Molly Gardner and Anya Walkington, with the help of Shirley Grant displayed over 120 fleeces in a large, well ventilated and well lit shed, which usually houses a modern fire appliance. Fleeces were judged by Kate Mander and apprentice, Simon Kneebone, ahead of the show, allowing the convenors and stewards plenty of time to present the stunning array of Suri and Huacaya fleeces to the public. The highlight of the show was a casual get together of Canterbury breeders in the early afternoon, where everyone

enjoyed wine and cheese and a fabulous assortment of tasty delights. Unique hand carved totara perpetual trophies in the form of hanks of yarn (by well known Peninsula wood artist Simon Rogers) were presented to Martin and Debbie of Oakridge Alpacas for winning Supreme Huacaya Fleece (Oakridge Oliver) and Hermione, Sue and Brooke Richards for winning Supreme Suri Fleece (Surico Lochnivar). Most successful Huacaya Exhibitor Award went to Kees & Catherine Rietveld (Styx River Farm) and to Hermione, Sue and Brooke Richards for the most successful Suri Exhibitor. Next year’s show takes place January 19th, 2013 and Sarah Busby has kindly agreed to judge. Fleece testing will be performed by Don Morrison of PML, which is an exciting addition to the show. White and Light Fawn colours will also be in separate classes. We look forward to entries from all over New Zealand for the one and only stand alone fleece show.

New Zealand’s Alpaca Fibre Pool Fibre collection, sorting, scouring and sales of all microns, colors and quantities of Huacaya fibre. We consolidate all growers together and get economies of scale for sorting, testing, scouring and sale in bale quantity, for end use in various industries.

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We can provide discounted fibre testing rates. You are paid as the fibre is sold, less the direct costs. We have processed 14,000 kg of fibre as of June 2012. We can arrange pickup or you can ship to our Cromwell location. Contact Sam Gonzalez at (029) 770 0005 or (03) 445 1609 or email sam@belex.co.nz For more information visit:

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Fleece Statistics

Forestglen Seth

1st Fleece: 15.6 m, 2.9 sd, 19.1 cv, 100% cf

is an outstanding dark fawn huacaya male, with an exceptional fleece.

2nd Fleece: 16.8 m, 2.9 sd, 17.2 cv, 100% cf

He is widely regarded as the best fawn male ever

3rd Fleece: 17.07 m, 3.1 sd, 18.2 cv, 99.7% cf

seen in New Zealand. As

4th Fleece: 18.18 m, 3.36 sd, 18.5 cv, 99.8% cf

the Supreme Champion

a reflection of his fleece quality, he was awarded Huacaya Fleece at the first International Fleece

5th Fleece: 19.6 m, 3.6 sd, 17.9 cv, 97% cf

Show, held in Sydney, Australia, in March 2008.

SIRE OF CHAMPIONS

Forestglen Seth is now producing stunning offspring, many of which have already gone on to be show champions. We are now able to offer a limited selection of offspring for sale - call us for details.

The

by Shaun Daniel - Chair BAS Board

Dear Colleagues, I have been asked to write to you by Kit Johnson to give you an insight into the British Alpaca Society. This will be a short historical synopsis, a broad overview of where we are now, followed by our thoughts for the future. Introductions first as most of you may be wondering about my credentials. I am the current Chairman of the Board of Directors for the British Alpaca Society. A position that I have held for the past two years and was recently voted in for a third term. I own a small alpaca farm in Yorkshire nestled in the slopes of the Pennine Hills between Halifax and Hebden Bridge. I began with alpacas in 2005 by working with a large herd of around 1500 animals near the English South Coast. The herd was then known as Atlantic and was subsequently taken over by EP Cambridge. This experience has stood me in good stead ever since. With that number of animals to work with I had the opportunity to witness most things camelids can drop in your lap, both good and bad. Within a year with my wife, Julie, we formed the Yorkshire Alpaca Group with 6 members. This has now grown to over 70 members. My work on the Yorkshire Alpaca Group and my contacts within the UK alpaca community resulted in me being invited to join the BAS Board in 2009. This year has been really special for me as I have had the privilege of being the Honorary Chair of the World Alpaca Conference at Keble College, Oxford, England. This is where I met Kit for the first time and has resulted in this letter to you. He is very persuasive. To give a full history of the BAS would take the entire letter, there is such a lot to tell. There are some real characters that where there in the beginning. I guess there had to be, as it would not be viewed as a “run of the mill” thing to do. Firstly to travel to South America then come back with plane loads of strange camels and make a living out it. It took personality and strength of character. I’m glad to say I have met the

original importers and they are still active in the industry and real pleasure to be around. They hold some fascinating stories. One lady spent 6 months living in wood hut on the high Altiplano with Dr Julio Sumar working with him whilst studying the alpacas. You can only imagine how surreal this must have been, though I’m quite sure, knowing the lady, it was quite normal at the time. I have had to dig into the records to find some facts and figures. Unfortunately the original data and records are still on paper files and stored away. At this time I can only access the computer records which go back to 1996. From anecdotal stories I can tell you that the original BAS was very much a coffee shop type meeting. There were obviously very few members and it was all a bit like a small club. The membership records show that when the paper files were transferred to computer there were only 28 people shown on the database with membership that pre-dates 01/01/1997. Of these there are 15 still active. The records also show that there were 1804 animals with dates of birth that are prior to this date. Obviously this is a high number for the Foundation herd as some most will have probably been born in South America. The Society began as two distinct groups; there was the British Alpaca Society and the Camelid Association. After some protracted work by the Boards the two Societies were merged in 2007. There also exists the British llama Society which is separate from the British Alpaca Society with its own database. In 2007 there were 436 subscriptions due to the Society which then dramatically increased in 2008 due to the merger to 834. The increases, year on year, have been steady with no sign of the increasing numbers slowing down. Since 2008 we have grown at approximately 100 new members each year and the membership now stands at 1212. The current known live population is 29313 alpacas. The registry holds records for 37857 alpacas which includes those transferred overseas and the dead stock. Of those there are 986 DNA tested. We also believe there are anywhere between 5000 and 100000 unregistered animals around the 21

UK. Therein lie’s one of the challenges for the Society. One of the tasks for the future is trying to bring those unregistered animals under the BAS umbrella. One of the issues for us in the UK is the amount of land available. The alpaca herds tend to be located in the heart of well-established agricultural areas. Many are contiguous to existing cattle herds. With the alpaca numbers increasing and the chance of interaction with other livestock breeds, we are seeing the other livestock breeders asking why we are not subject to the same level of scrutiny and legislation that applies to them. The short answer of course is that camelids have never been catered for in UK legislation. There is no requirement to keep movement records. There is no mandatory ear-tagging or animal passport system in place. Obviously from a disease control perspective this is viewed as a potential problem for other livestock breeders. The BAS has been acutely aware of these issues since the last foot and mouth outbreak in 2001 when the increasing alpaca population was halted in its tracks. Over 10 million sheep and cattle were killed in a successful operation to halt the disease. Each and every member is now issued with a movement record book. The Society issues bio-security guidelines and publishes that information on the website. All the animals on the registry have to be micro chipped and hold ear tag numbers. Bovine TB has also been an issue for alpaca owners and again, due to legislation, the UK Government is looking closely at the Camelid industry. The BAS is very active with The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) which is the government department responsible for environmental protection, food production and standards, agriculture, fisheries and rural communities in the UK. In conjunction with Regional Animal Health Departments and DEFRA we are working towards a solution that is acceptable to both the BAS membership and DEFRA with regards to the registration and movement of alpacas around the UK. At present it seems that the Authorities are looking at a method of maintaining the correct level of recording information through a collaborative approach with the Society. Effectively we run the Registry as it is now but with a few add-ons that satisfies Defra. The most important thing to all alpaca owners is the welfare of the animal itself and being able to do the best for those in your fields and paddocks. This is not lost on the UK owners. At our last National show the show ring Judges all commented that the standard of alpacas in the UK had improved to such a level they easily competed with the rest of the world. I reported at the time that the alpaca owning community in the UK had taken a quantum leap forward. The education we provide the membership appears to be having an effect. We are seeing informed choices being made when selecting breeding stock. Breeders are making the right choices and this is showing through in animal quality. As for the future, well it appears to be bright and destined for increasing herd numbers. We have an established and developing fibre industry. We are seeing a great deal of local and National initiatives with the fibre. This works through the National Committees, I’ll explain, the BAS is now structured in such a way that the membership has a greater say in the 22

work of the Board. This has been achieved by devolving a lot of the work to National Committees. These are staffed voluntarily from the Regional Groups. We have committees for welfare, shows, education, fibre etc. These meet regularly then submit reports to the Board for consideration or approval. It works slowly, as with all committees, but it works well. Last year we saw 24 tonnes of fibre sent to large mill for processing after a large number of the membership came together to create the consignment. The Regional Groups also hold cooperatives in some areas for smaller loads. There is a growing and very active “cottage industry” where the individual members are processing their own fleece and selling it online or at local shows. It’s about getting the message out to the general public and it appears to be working. Demand for alpaca yarn is increasing. We also have our sights on many other areas for the future, one being a rule change to allow greater flexibility in Europe. The Society is held together by its Rules, Memorandums and Articles. At the heart of this lies the Registry. The Registry handling is outsourced to a private company called Grassroots which provide an excellent service to the BAS as well as many other breed registries across the livestock industry. The Rules currently only allow operation within the UK and the membership is now actively working, buying and selling in Europe. The Society is supposed to be there to represent the members and their activities and we need to change out Rules to allow the membership to operate easily in these opening markets. It takes time and effort to change the Rules as every member has a right to vote on the changes. I hope that the next AGM in March will see those changes occur. As we grow and the Societies financial turnover increases I can only hope that we can afford more staff to develop the industry. The current Board is all voluntary but highly committed, and only able to claim expenses. We have just taken one full time paid Breed Secretary who is new to the industry but we have high hopes for her and her work to bring improvements over the coming years. I promised Kit a lengthy report on the UK industry and this appears to be just that, However the longer I sit here typing the more I think of to tell you. I must draw my letter to a close. I hope you found it interesting and if you want to know more please visit our website at www.BAS-UK.com. Also watch out for a new and more intuitive site at the same address which should be in place by July. I also hope to see you at the New Zealand World Alpaca Conference in September 2013.

Kind Regards Shaun Daniel Chair BAS Board

Silverstream Alpaca Stud

SILVERSTREAM GODSEND ET Available for Stud Duties in the North Island NOW!

BIOGRAPHY: A son of Pucara Juliana whose progeny have won 21 Supreme Champion Huacaya titles including two National Titles (Faberge 2008 & Déjà vu 2009). Silverstream Czar another son of Pucara Juliana won 10 Supreme Champion titles until he was sold to the UK. Jolimont Attitude, the sire is a son of the highly respected Jolimont Sculptor. Both sire and dam are now based in Europe making these genetics impossible to reproduce. Silverstream Godsend ET has an impeccable show record in his own right including five Supreme Champion titles and nine age group championships. This male has it all... pedigree, show results, density, fineness and a show presence to die for.

Sire: Jolimont Attitude Dam: Pucara Juliana IAR No: 126706 DOB: 26/11/2007 Fleece Results: December 2011 - 4th fleece 20.9u, 3.8sd, 18.2cv, 50.8curve, 98cf SRS Results: January 2010 Secondary follicle to primary follicle ratio – 12.9 Follicle density – 60.8 SILVERSTREAM GODSEND ET will be agisted at: Ivor and Brenda Gainsford Brenor Alpacas Rotorua

For inquiries, please contact: Kit & Sheryl Johnson | Silverstream Alpaca Stud | Ph: (03) 327 3020 | Email: info@alpaca-stud.co.nz

World Alpaca Conference by Linda Blake - Southern Alpacas Stud

The World Alpaca Conference 2012 was held in Oxford UK in April, run by the British Alpaca Society (BAS). New Zealand had a presence through delegates, trade displays, fleeces and NZ genetics.

Trade Displays

There were almost 200 delegates registered for the entire event as well as day visitors additional to that. Registrants represented 18 countries, with over half being from the UK.

International Fleeces

Kit and Sheryl Johnson from Silverstream Alpaca Stud were delegates and Kit gave a talk about the NZ industry. He, and other New Zealanders there, also promoted the World Conference 2013 which is being held in NZ.

Educational Events The education programme had one day on each of the topics of health, fibre and genetics. There were world class speakers – well known names like Cameron Holt from Australia, Jim Watts from SRS system, Eric Hoffman from USA, Dr Julio Sumar from Peru, and other vets from USA and UK.

There were 24 trade displays, covering most things alpaca - dung machines, nutrition and animal health products, insurance, fencing, fleece testing, and services to use and process fibre, as well as people with alpaca fibre products. Many alpaca breeders had displays, including Southern Alpacas Stud, and a joint stand by Waikara Park Alpacas and Oakridge Alpacas; all of whom were promoting animals from NZ for export to world markets. Southern Alpacas also had their range of fine yarns for sale, which were much admired. This was adjacent to the Conference gold sponsor, Penrose Products, who had their range of pillows, duvets and bedding. The two stands combined showed how all of an alpaca’s fleece can be used.

The International Golden Fleece Show was held in conjunction with the World Conference. There were 189 fleeces from 7 countries. Over 100 of the fleeces came from the UK, with 30 fleeces from Australia, 25 fleeces from one large USA breeder, and 8 NZ fleeces from Silverstream Alpaca Stud and Southern Alpacas Stud. The Golden Fleece champion huacaya fleece was won by Snowmass Elite Legend’s Crystal, a 3 year old female, entered

students had created their own fabric, including a striking fulllength evening dress made of plaited alpaca with sequins.

in the 2-4 years beige class, equivalent to a light fawn. This fleece gained a stunning 95 marks from a possible 100. The Golden Fleece Champion Suri was a solid white first fleece from a female, Pinkney Angelica with 90.5 points. The highest placed NZ-shorn fleece was from Southern Alpacas stud Aquaviva Titus, son of the famous ILR Alpine Fiber’s Brutus. Titus fleece took 2nd in the fawn senior class for alpacas aged 4 years and over, with his 7th fleece. The winner was only 4 years old, so Titus did very well for an older animal in this class.

Designs incorporated the natural variety of colours in knitwear for males and females, in full-length coats, and a striped kimono jacket. Black alpaca showcased in a ballerina frock made from rovings, a felted trouser suit with a peplum, and in dresses. An alpaca fabric produced by a breeder was well-tailored into a man’s suit. The winning design was inspired by Peruvian ponchos and its base shape and colours echoed that, modernised by incorporating words and colour from graffiti. For all of the students there were learning lessons in using alpaca, a luxury fibre which was new to them all, but universally admired by them. BAS believes this heralds a bright future for alpaca in fashion.

Southern also got a third in the black class and Silverstream took two thirds and a fourth place in white, beige and fawn classes. Kit says “Competition was very high, as indicated by a white fleece of ours from Silverstream Incandescent getting a score of 85.5, yet being placed 7th in the intermediate white class, the largest class, of 26 fleeces.” For both Silverstream and Southern it was rewarding to see their NZ genetics in many of the prize-winning fleeces, mainly from Brutus in animals exported from NZ, and from progeny of his many successful sons now at stud in UK and Europe. It was also surprising and gratifying to see many of the breeders who had trade displays mentioning “Fiber’s Brutus” in their PR material.

Best of British Fashion Show BAS offered a competition for use of alpaca, and final year design students from four universities produced “look books” showing their original and contemporary designs. The result was fourteen selected students who were matched with a “sponsor herd” who provided alpaca fibre, yarn and fabric for the students to take their designs through to finished garments. As the model exhibited the garment on the catwalk, the designer spoke about their garment, including the influences on their inspiration and the construction of the garment. Several

World

Alpaca Conference

World Alpaca Conference 2013 So we look forward to the World Alpaca Conference in NZ in 2013. It is planned to have the World Alpaca Conference immediately after the National Alpaca Show and Expo, providing an animal show as well as lectures for alpaca breeders to learn from and enjoy. The venue is Claudelands in Hamilton, and the dates are 23rd and 24th September 2013, immediately after the National Show 20th – 22nd September.

Claudelands Event Centre HAMILTON, NEW ZEALAND 23rd and 24th September 2013 25

The role of Alpaca at the

CREATIVE FIBRE

FESTIVAL

Seeing ourselves as others see us

by Jenny Durno

As alpaca breeders we are besotted with our animals and most of us have a keen interest in the quality of the fibre. Do a straw poll, or look around any conference, and you will see many people knitting, happy to show off the softness and lustre of their own alpaca yarn. We would be forgiven for thinking that alpaca has a high profile and that the yarn holds its own in the fibre world. It is true that more people now understand alpaca as a product and there are fewer spinners declaring that you have to mix it with something else to make it work. However the emphasis changes when you go to an event like the Creative Fibre Festival.

It is good to be open-minded and we can all succumb to the siren call of mohair, brightly coloured wool and acrylics our daughters can put through the washing machine. But as knitters who are also alpaca breeders, don’t you go into wool shops and immediately look for the alpaca yarn, only to find the dubious mixes from South America or Italy? Wouldn’t it be thrilling to see a half empty shelf of New Zealand-made alpaca yarn which the shop proprietor tells us is romping out the door?

Joyce Martin (Martina Alpacas, Bombay) attended this year’s event for the first time. The first thing she noticed was the hats. This year the festival had a Hats for Hope challenge, asking members to donate their creations to patients suffering from cancer. All the organizing committee had made hats to wear throughout the weekend as well so you knew exactly who to contact if you needed help. The hats were fun, funky, traditional, futuristic and functional hats and apparently there were so many donated there wasn’t space for them all.

How is this going to come about? Undoubtedly one of the issues is supply. We can get our fleeces processed in New Zealand and that is happening; breeders set up their own websites and sell online, where presumably new customers are looking for what they want by googling ‘alpaca yarn + New Zealand.’

So, as an alpaca breeder, Joyce made a beeline for the alpaca specialist area, right? Wrong. There was so just too much going on with international speakers covering a range of topics. Examples were Kim Thittichai from England, a textiles teacher (‘an understatement – more an inspirer!!’) and Karen Selk from Canada talking about silk. Apparently Karen used to take tours to see the silk trade in Asia but doesn’t do this any more, to the audible disappointment of the audience. Joyce was agog with the options of lectures. ‘Viking knitting, exhibiting for ‘WOW,’ something called ‘Hot Textiles,’ demonstrating detail, photographing your textiles…’ The trade stands were also popular with most shoppers coming away with large bags of fibre and irresistible bits and baubles to enhance their projects. What about yarns? ‘Oh yes, we had ‘The Merino Story…’ Yes, but… alpaca? Alpaca was there, right there with the other ‘Minority Fibres’ like woven flax and wire. Right. Joyce is an alpaca breeder who spends much of her time with husband Bob talking about improving the quality of their fleece for the fibre market. It is likely that their success in this venture is important to their decision to continue in the alpaca industry. Joyce is also a creative person who likes to work with the fibre herself, which is ideal as she has an insight into what excites the end users about the product. Yet at her first visit to the Creative Fibre Festival Joyce was blown away by the variety other fibres and eager to learn how to use them. 26

But to increase the profile of alpaca in a market crowded with the other lovelies of the fibre industry, we need new customers asking for it. Once there is a demand, we will find a way to solve the supply problem: the experienced wool processors will help us to pool the appropriate product to make commercial runs because it will be worth their while to do so. The Creative Fibre Festival is a perfect example of where to start generating demand. Let’s get ourselves out of the ‘minority fibres’ section and become a part of the mainstream. Let’s keep having trade stands, speakers and examples of the end product at these events, and let’s continue to provide prizes to raise our profile. Our own Jenny EllwoodWade spoke at this Festival and that her talk was well received. Apparently the majority of her audience were familiar with alpaca. The point is not about the quality of the alpaca offerings available but the perception that alpaca is an oddity to be considered trying, like knitting with wire!) Let’s start attending this Festival, which Joyce reports was a wonderful experience with friendly, chatty, laughing people. She will be going again next year and next time she is going to book earlier so that she doesn’t miss out on the social events in the evenings. Let’s join the Creative Fibre groups, not just to enhance our own technical skills but to get a discussion going at grass roots level about this wonderful product we are contributing. Let’s get out of our myopia and start seeing ourselves as others see us. Let’s talk to our customers. Photo: "Purple Passion" which was taken by the official photographer for the national exhibition - Caroline Crick.

Fair Air by Jenny Durno

As our domestic pets will confirm, there is nothing quite as comforting as lying in front of the fire with a face-full of (washed) alpaca fleece. It is so soft, yielding and yet it doesn’t make you feel you are suffocating.

I wondered if lying face-down in an alpaca fleece in front of the fireplace is what inspired Australian Mike Taylor to use alpaca fleece in his fire-fighter’s face mask, but that turned out to be a bit fanciful. He started with the problem – finding a product to prevent smoke from getting into your lungs when fighting fires, without the risk of having the product melt all over your face or leak smoke around the edges. He wanted something that: • Has only natural material in contact with skin • Effectively seals on all face types • Comfortable to wear for long periods • Is easy to breathe through • One size fits all • Maintain awareness of radiant heat • Reusable In his search for a suitable material he happened to wander into an alpaca show and discovered felted inner soles on a trade stand . He bought some, tested the material and went to another alpaca show to find the source of felt. An enterprising alpaca trade stand holder got talking to Mike and between them they came up with the perfect material – needled alpaca material which is used as the outer layers of his composite filter. When CSIRO ran filters through their tests they discovered that not only did they stop 100% of particles 5 micron and above, and an exceptional 98.6% of minute 0.3 micron, but it was the first and only respirator to pass two International Standards for fire resistance. Mike took the product to the Bendigo Inventor’s Awards last September and came away with the title ‘Innovator of the Year’ and $A10,000 to get things going.

The publicity hasn’t hurt. Word of the mask is certainly getting around. The AAA recently bought one for presentation to their board. The Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment (responsible for bushfire fighting on public land) had an official trial and the result was extremely positive. If all goes well they will be ordering about 5000. Others have bought them for protection gainst woodturning dust and allergens. One person even used it for peeling onions with no tears! “The RAAF ‘firies’ in the Middle East, supporting our troops in Afghanistan, have tried the mask and are now pushing for Dept of Defence to buy them,” Mike told AANZ’s Robyn Anderson. “The publicity helps that cause!” The final product is undergoing final tweaking. In feedback from trials most users commented that the masks were great in thick smoke but a few found loose alpaca fibres were a bit ticklish. Although this improved after washing using a different more controllable needling machine now solves the issue from the beginning. Mike has done recent work with the CSIRO to develop a new mainly natural filter material to replace an imported synthetic one used inside the filters. Says Mike, ‘I now have a completely new electrostatic filter material which uses alpaca. I have called it 'Pacastat'. By itself it removes 99.9% of 5 micron particulates and over 85 % of 0.3 micron. Fantastic texture too.’ We can see why Mike’s inspiration could not have come from relaxing in front of the fire. He has been much too busy researching, testing, promoting and now, all being well, producing his innovative ‘Fair Air Fire Mask.’ We wish him all the best in creating a product which will look after fire fighters all over the world. We are also delighted that it will involve the fleece from quite a few alpacas.

You may contact Mike by email at: danetaylortech@bigpond.com 27

Fieldays Alpaca Presence by Jenny Durno

What a stunning Fieldays (at Mystery Creek in Waikato) this year. The weather was perfect, even down to one cold shower in four days of bright sunshine to help the wet weather people sell a few more jackets and boots.

A quick survey of the steady stream of people coming the other way showed that nine out of ten children had a balloon, a handful of food or both. The ingredients of an ideal event. Enterprising alpaca breeders occupying various corners of the event helped make alpaca a natural part of Fieldays. North Island breeders Brenor, Double M, Q-Taz and Surico shared a large space and brought a dozen animals with some examples of processed fleece. They ran out of ‘Focus on Alpaca’ brochures and had to dispatch their members to other exhibitors several times to cadge more copies while their supply was ‘in the post.’ Apart from the young farmers filling in the enquiry sheet with the perennial requests for more information on ‘stud services,’ what did the public think of alpaca this year? ‘They are more educated now,’ says Alan Skilling of Q-Taz. ‘They know the difference between alpacas and llamas; they know they are bred for fleece. The farmers ask better

questions about the commercial viability of farming them.’ Oh go on, what are some of the better questions? Have we moved on from: do they spit? Sue Richards, Surico contributes: ‘Do you have to put mouth guards (halters) on them to stop them biting? Can you ride them? Why don’t you cut their hair so they can see? Do they lay eggs? And yes, ‘They spit, don’t they?’ Hermione volunteers, ‘I just tell them these ones don’t spit, anyway. They think we are breeding special non-spitting alpacas.’ Has anyone arrived with a cheque book? ‘No, that’s not what we expected,’ says Double M’s Mark Pruden. By the time we (he and wife Mary Ann) got involved in Alpacas we had been to at least two Fieldays as well as other events. We don’t expect a sale on the day.’ Ivor Gainsford, Brenor, adds, ‘From our own experience we know people need support before they buy any animals and from then on. Why are they buying, what are they looking for, how do they achieve that? We want to be the face behind the name for people getting into alpacas.’

There were more alpacas attracting attention down at The Alpaca Centre with kids literally climbing all over some of the tamest alpacas I have seen. Popping into the marquee at the end of Road F revealed a wide variety of the best of alpaca produce; sweaters, socks, fashion garments and woven alpaca blankets. Business was brisk, with Lynda Mathews (Awaawaroa) and Marilyn Smethurst (Mareca) and their changing team of helpers answering technical questions and wrapping garments at the same time. High point of the week was having John Key happen past. He had the lead of a young alpaca pressed into his hands for a photo opportunity. Bruce Matthews said, ‘Well that’s doubled his value!’ ‘Whose value, the alpaca’s or John Key’s?’ came the quick response.

So was Fieldays worth the effort for the individuals who attended?

Julie and Grant Mansell’s Inca Secrets shop was a popular Aladdin’s Cave of goodies, with coloured fleece and Riverdale spun yarn attracting the knitters and felters. ‘And doll makers… a lot of doll makers this year… muses Julie’s hard working Mum, Dorothy. Dorothy’s gorgeous felt hats attracted a lot of attention, with ladies of a certain age realizing that there comes a time when a beanie is not the most elegant way to keep warm. Felted and knitted scarves, sweaters and luxurious baskets full of beanies and gloves kept the shoppers rummaging.

So now, the packing up. The sun has remained, helping soothe the tempers of tired stand-holders as they vie for parking spaces in the crowded lanes. Over the coming days there will be discussion about how to do it better next year, but for now, it is home and a hot bath.

“It is an expensive undertaking,” admits Sue Richards. “We have done it for some years now and yes, it does pay off eventually. People are learning all the time, they get more interested, and then they know where to come.” “Man it’s an effort all right!” says Lynda Mathews, losing her voice after four days. “But yes, good fun, good sales.” “Next year we will be outside with some alpacas again,” says Julie Mansell. “People understand what alpaca is now and they appreciate the fibre. We had people who hunted high and low for us to find the yarn which is good, but we don’t want to make it hard work for them!”

Predictably The Waikato Times ran several items over the week about Fieldays and we were delighted to spot a photograph of an alpaca to support an article about AgResearch’s electronic diagnostic aid. It was good to see alpaca regarded as a ubiquitous farm animal chosen over a sheep or a cow, especially in dairy-friendly Waikato.

I'm

Sold Suri on

by Maree Churchill El dos Cadena Alpacas

Flying up to Rotorua last year to attend a Suri workshop hosted by VentureSuri at Surico, I returned home full of renewed enthusiasm for Suri, an increase knowledge about Suri fibre and traits, full of ideas and with more purpose in my own particular aims and direction for my own Suri herd. It was really rewarding to be amongst other Suri breeders keen to learn and discuss all things Suri, compare aims, ideas and network.

With the 2nd Sold on Suri workshop to be held this year in the South Island, at Akaroa, Banks Peninsula, I booked in early to attend. Akaroa is a quaint French inspired township, a beautiful scenic short drive from Christchurch, and about 2 hours drive from our property in North Canterbury. For those of you who have never been to Akaroa or Banks Peninsula it is a must on your bucket list of places to see in New Zealand. The hosts, VentureSuri held this 2nd workshop in the historic Boatshed, overlooking Akaroa Harbour. After arriving Friday night, the workshop started bright and early Saturday, with a casual meet and greet. Whilst attendance was down this year, it was great to meet up with other suri breeders especially from North Island, and local South Island breeders in another setting beside the show ring. It was encouraging to see some Judges and Huacaya breeders also attend to increase their knowledge about Suri. Some new faces, just starting out or looking at purchasing. The workshop started with Belinda Appleton, a genetic research scientist, based at University of Melbourne. 30

How about you?

Belinda is currently working on pinpointing the Suri genome on alpaca DNA, plus adding to and broadening world knowledge and research on alpaca DNA. She briefly gave us, a 101 basic course in genetics, to give us all a bit of an idea what she does and what she is working on. For a time I was transported back to Biology at High School. She advised that very close to identifying the Suri genome, and from her independent research, it does indicate that there is only one gene involved. We learnt about Homozygote and Heterozygote genes, their influence on all alpaca traits, from fleece to conformation, not just the suri gene, and everything in between. Alpacas have 37 chromosome pairs compared to 23 in humans, and Belinda stressed that each alpaca is made up of DNA from 50% sire and 50% dam. How the chromosomes are joined together, recessive or dominant genes, homozygote or heterozygote genes, at the time of conception, determines what the final outcome ie what the cria becomes. She advised that a common misconception is that ET programmes produce â&#x20AC;&#x153;clonesâ&#x20AC;?, but that this is genetically impossible, and explained to us why. Interesting for alpaca breeders, she is currently developing a alpaca SNP chip, which will hopefully in the future give DNA data on your animal, and from there the ability to control by DNA selection certain herd and individual alpaca traits. Merino and Beef breeders already are trailing SNP chips in their breeding programmes right now. Research already well underway to map the entire alpaca DNA sequence, and she is the only geneticist in the world that she is aware of that is still continuing with this work. Someone asked the question to her, how much money is needed to finalise this work, we all were expecting her to advise $2-3 million plus, and many of us were very surprised around $200,000, for the next two years work to complete the sequencing. This then lead at morning tea to an interesting discussion about raising funds to support this research such as levies, private investment etc, and association input etc. Following morning tea by a short but valuable talk from Molly Gardner (Thistledown) and Hermione Richards (Surico), about suri fleece traits and what is desirable and why. Then it was a

chance to travel up to Thistledown at Le Bons Bay, a short hill climb up and over from Akaroa, to have lunch and a practical hands on alpacas with a difference. The session was to look at breeding decisions and outcomes of a breeding aim. Everyone was separated into small groups, and each group alternatively visited penned alpacas to discuss if the breeding aim was achieved and pros and cons of the various outcomes. One pen housed a family from a first cross suri to back crosses, and you could see the improvement over generations. Other pens, held families/groups bred to produce one particular colour, or bred to increase lustre, another one for fineness, uniformity/density. It was interesting that some outcomes whilst successful had slightly lessened other desirable fleece traits and some outcomes like improving density also improved uniformity. It was nice to get amongst the alpacas and get real hands touch and feel with plenty of time to discuss various traits of each alpaca. Saturday closed with us all meeting up again, at Ma Maison restaurant. Beautiful food and surroundings with lots of debate and talk about the day and what we had learnt. Sunday started with a good old Canterbury shake, may have rattled North Island nerves a bit. The workshop started with a slide show and talk by Helen (Sacred Coast) about the history of alpaca fibre. It never ceases to amaze me that mummified remains of alpaca and cloths from eons ago, show micron as low as 11-12, and SD of 1.0. Molly commented that genetically our animals still carry this ability and we just have to breed it back. And look how far we have come since alpacas were first imported into NZ. Belinda then talked about colour genetics, that there are over 150 different genes involved. She has been concentrating her research into Blue-Eyed Whites whilst another researcher in Australia is involved in mapping the colour genetics and together they hope to produce much more knowledge about colour genetics. She has so far found that contrary to previous research, it appears that there may be more than two genes involved in BEW, possibly three. She showed study material showing the BEW genes can be carried by not only greys and whites but all other colours including the fawn/brown range. She

has found two markers for BEW on the DNA sequence. Importantly her research shows that BEW do not always have the classic bright blue eyes, the blue colour can vary to bright sky blue to blue/grey and even blue pigmentation in a darker eye, and that they are not always deaf. She then had a short talk about colour genetics in general, about colour skin pigmentation, how it appears that this should be a factor in decisions made on breeding for colour, and it was talked about perhaps this should be included in alpaca registration details as this could be a of use and interest to coloured breeders. Our final session was all about suri fleece traits, again split into small groups, each with small sample of various suri fleeces. We had to see if we could tell what was the better fleece for a particular trait. Fineness, density, uniformity, lustre. Some fleece samples were easy to “pick the winner”, however others harder to tell apart. Quite hard to see and spot primary fibres, but once shown, they became clearer to see. Trying to find colour contamination was tricky, but white/ black cardboard helped. The fineness sometimes was so similar; it was difficult to see any. It really brought to home, how hard it must be in the show ring as a judge, and why sometimes you get asked to turn this way and that, as the sun or shade of a fleece can give different outcome. We then had the chance to get out our own fleeces and practise on them, as well as look at other attendees suri fleeces. Overall, a well organised and good balance of talks and discussions, a great workshop. Interesting and thought provoking. If “Sold on Suri 1” helped me to fine tune my breeding aims and goals, “Sold on Suri 2” I think helped to know what to look for in individual suri fleece, and what traits to concentrate on as well as continue with my education about all things alpaca. I would highly recommend suri breeders in NZ attend the Sold on Suri 3 workshop. I thank VentureSuri for again hosting and organising this workshop on our behalf as suri Breeders. “Working together to achieve similar goals produces outcomes quicker, than an individual trying to achieve the same goals by themselves.”

Conference&AGM 2012:ROTORUA by Jenny Durno

To learn, to have a bit of a break and see friends, to hear what the Association is doing for the industry. All of these motives were addressed in Rotorua over the weekend of 29 June to 1 July 2012.

We came out of lectures and workshops clutching our notes and nodding thoughtfully. We laughed and cajoled, ate and drank, laughed some more. We heard what the National Council had in mind for the coming years; we spoke to people who had heard from other people who were sure - about all sorts of gossip. And we got our points across in everwidening groups of fellow members, some of whom were nodding thoughtfully… So by these criteria the Conference was (another) resounding success. Simply noting how many faces we knew relative to the newbies, it was apparent that there was a small majority of people who already knew the basics. In terms of education they needed to hear something a bit new, something inspiring which was beyond how to feed zinc pellets and trim toes. The newbies were also fairly well informed, presumably because they had the wisdom or fortune to buy their first alpacas from supportive members. So the high level of the presentations did a great job of getting us to drill down into each important aspect of alpaca husbandry, fleece management and business marketing, coming away with to-do lists in each of these areas. We had a number of Australians in the room, including valued presenters Robert Gane (Canchones) and Paul Vallely (Australian Alpaca Fibre Testing) as well as ex-Australians now farming in New Zealand. Their presence added plenty of opportunity for cross-ditch torments, but there was a positive feeling that the Australian experience added depth and another interesting perspective to the proceedings. Robert Gane, ever the Aussie joker, entertained us to soften his clear message on how to run a successful niche business. If we hadn’t put his previous suggestions into place from the Mt Wellington conference in 2008 we only had ourselves to blame, as he and partner Peter Kennedy have gone from strength to strength with their rehearsed sales pitches, economic downturn or not. Paul Vallely was charmingly self-deprecating, claiming to be the know-nothing show pony at the expense of the clever people back at the lab, but we will be going home to have another look at those histograms. His no-nonsense explanation of what all the squiggles meant was succinct and finally, made sense. Fleece might only be the inconvenient by-product for some breeders focusing on the pet market, but it turned out that a 32

Why do we go to the AANZ Conference?

few of us were interested in what to do with it. We had Paul Vallely’s analysis of the scientific makeup of each fleece, Jenny Ellwood Wade (Cuesta Alpacas and Alpaca Box) and Caroline Newcombe (The Alpaca Company) with their exhortations to look after the harvest of the fibre and turn it into something of beauty and value. Jenny and Caroline had brought some classic examples of their work and along with sponsor Bay Carding, provide tangible reminders of what we are achieving with alpaca. A perspective from Jane Shand (Jane Henry Merino) seemed to be designed to weed out the unworthy from the undaunted. With no less than four different spinning mills closing down on her, Jane has persevered with her mission to produce natural coloured, very fine knitted and woven scarves and shawls using 12 – 16 micron coloured merino. We came away from that session saddened by the reality that New Zealand currently hasn’t got the critical mass to support commercial production for smaller manufacturers. We remained positive however with the example in front of us of the stoic kiwi pushing on up the Everest of Issues. ‘Walk in my footprints, stand on my shoulders, do it together,’ Jane was generously saying.

The good news came from Kit Johnson (Silverstream) and Chris Leach (New Zealand Alpacas) who told us about the sustained demand for our alpacas in Europe and Asia respectively. Even better, we are not, as some were concerned, only selling the very best of the New Zealand herd thereby losing our edge in genetics and leaving the thrill of export to ‘the big guys.’ While these markets are huge compared to New Zealand, the profile is similar, with some breeding at the elite end to take the quality forwards, some concentrating on the show scene (UK and Europe) and some more interested in ‘interesting and varied’ alpacas to amuse visitors (mainly Taiwan, Japan and Hong Kong, described as the inevitable gateway to China.) The room was humming with optimism from the breeders who found themselves with paddocks full of ‘interesting and varied’ animals which were holding up the breeding programme by the simple expedient of standing on the grass and eating it. Now that we had the prospect of making space for the next generation of better cria, we were especially interested in Molly Gardner’s workshop on setting and checking and resetting and re-checking our breeding goals. While none of those in our class produced the donkey with the rooster’s

tail we were threatened with in the introductory session, we did get a variation of results with the limited pool of talent we were given for the exercise. So it is not all about big cheque books after all – knowledge and imagination with a bit of an appetite for risk also pays dividends. A healthy female is more likely to produce a healthy cria and Mark Anderson (Helensville Vets) vowed to focus only on how to keep an animal healthy. No gory photos, he promised. Well. We now know what a liver affected by FE looks like. We know what the rear end of a cow served too much sugar looks like. And you know the adage about a person with a hammer seeing all problems as nails? Mark admitted he ‘loved parasites’ (yes, he said that) and we got a very excited presentation about all the awful things his little beasties can do to our alpacas. Thanks Mark! Paul Garland, how much do we love you? Let us count the ways. The hours of judging all year; then at this conference, the lessons on assessing fleeces, the clues and tips on what is going through the mind of a busy judge in the ring and an insight into his way of running an alpaca business. And then, without missing a well-booted step, we had a treatise on the trials of the Te Araroa Track. After dinner on Saturday night Paul took us through the pain, cold and discomfort of trekking from North Cape to Nelson, then with a kick on timing from MC Hermione Richards (Surico) sprouted wings and veritably flew down the “Lord of the Rings’ South Island country. The BAFINZ awards were made at the dinner and marked the undeniable progress that some breeders had achieved in consistently presenting top fleeces (see results overleaf). So thanks to the Conference Team (Hermione and Sue Richards, Alan and Lyn Skilling, Brenda and Ivor Gainsford and of course Toni Soppet from the office.) We do appreciate the work you put in to make the Conference as entertaining and successful as this year’s event was. Of course by the time Hermione was introducing the Conference and telling us where the toilets were, the hard work was already done. As she told us:’ If you have any problems during the weekend don’t ask me – at this stage I just don’t care!’ She was lying. Hermione and her team continued to glide around the conference like elegant swans, with their frantically paddling feet well out of sight below the water. Next time we get together nationally will be at the National show in Christchurch 21 – 23 September 2012 -THIS YEAR. Special incentives are on offer to entice North Islanders and for all of us to bring our seniors. If it is all too much, send fleeces – benchmarking ourselves against the best in the country is an important part of our business planning. But next year the Conference is part of the Alpaca Expo and World Alpaca Conference 20 – 24 September 2013 and will be held at Claudelands in Hamilton, Waikato. Mark the diary now and this time, bring the whole team; it will be quite something.

World

Alpaca Conference

Claudelands Event Centre HAMILTON, NEW ZEALAND 23rd and 24th September 2013 33

BAFINZ2012 BEST ALPACA FLEECES IN NEW ZEALAND COMPETITION

Presentation of trophies for the inaugural BAFINZ competition were made at the Conference Gala Dinner in Rotorua on June 30th. Thanks to all the exhibitors that participated in this year’s event.

Results:

Best Colour Fleeces

Best Fleece Producers

(Total score of one fleece entered in 3 shows)

Best White/Light Fawn Suri Fleece Surico Calais H, S & B Richards

(Total score of six individual fleeces entered during the show season)

245 pts

Best White/Light Fawn Huacaya Fleece Hillside Gardens Adobe ET 246.5pts S&P Busby & M Burgess Best Mid/Dark Fawn Suri Fleece Hadstock NZ Silken Fushia A & N Godfrey

235.5pts

Best Mid/Dark Fawn Huacaya Fleece Echodale Dimitri W & D Alblas

233 pts*

Best Grey Huacaya Fleece Hadstock NZ Little Star D Tobin Alexander

218 pts

Best Black Huacaya Fleece Sunsetestate Shine W & D Alblas

195.5pts

FOR SALE

PERSONALISED PLATES

ALPAKA Classic Style $3000 ono Ph: 07 549 5442 Email: donjude@eol.co.nz

Huacaya Fleece Producer 1st Gilt Edge Alpacas S & P Busby 2nd

Riverdale Alpacas GK & J Mansell

3rd

Stoneleigh Alpaca Stud C & L Strack

Suri Fleece Producer 1st Surico H, S & B Richards 2nd

Gotland Suri Alpacas H & L Olsson

3rd

Sonric Suri Stud R & R Newson

477.5pts 463.5pts 455 pts

497 pts 463.5pts 436 pts

OLDE OAKS ALPACAS Breeders of Coloured Alpacas For Sales & Stud Services Contact Sue Rodrigues

Ph: 03 327 8625 Email oldeoaks@snap.net.nz

www.oldeoaksalpacas.com

2A Kaikanui St, Kaiapoi 7630, North Canterbury, New Zealand

The Australian Alpaca Association Presents the

19th National Show and Sale Adelaide, South Australia, 25th - 28th October 2012

We look forward to welcoming you to one of the world’s premier alpaca events. This illustrious event is to be held in Adelaide this year and plans are underway to assure you a wonderful time. Over three days, you will see the cream of the Australian alpaca industry compete to be known as the “best of the best”. The culmination of the National Show is our world renowned elite auction. Selected by a top Australian Judge, this auction includes a strictly limited number of animals, representing the pinnacle of alpaca breeding in Australia. Surrounded by parklands, Adelaide, the city of churches, the festival city, with its amazing array of restaurants, nightlife and shops offers the international visitor so many reasons to stay on beyond the show and sale. The 16 wine regions, the magnificent Flinders Ranges and Outback, Kangaroo Island (recently voted most unspoilt wilderness in the Asia Pacific region by National Geographic) and the miles of sandy beaches together with the proximity of some of the largest and most successful breeders in the country all make South Australia the ideal location to extend your stay. Turn your next international alpaca experience into a well-deserved holiday, or your next holiday into an international alpaca experience.

For more information visit www.nationalshow.com.au or email convenors@nationalshow.com.au 35

How Many Alpaca are there in by the Registry Working Group

In 2008 the Registry Group wrote an article in the New Zealand Alpaca Magazine about how many alpaca were in New Zealand at that time. This was followed by an article about the distribution of alpaca across New Zealand. Since then there has been no reporting on numbers so we thought it was about time we gave an update on how the New Zealand alpaca herd has grown.

These numbers are based on a copy of the IAR (International Alpaca Registry) in June 2012.

So what’s the answer?

We estimate about 23,000. In 2008 the answer was about 15,000. So the increase in number is only 8,000 over 4 years, proving that the alpaca industry is a slow growing one. The exponential growth many would have predicted in the alpaca population has simply never happened, this is good for the long term stability of the industry as we are able to grow our infrastructure slowly to keep pace and are unlikely to see the boom bust that other emerging industries have gone through. 20000 18000 16000 14000 12000

 July 2008  June 2012

10000 8000

simple assumption that progeny gender is 50% male 50% female. Therefore the number of males should roughly equal the number of females in the country. What about unregistered females? This is a very tricky question to answer. We make the assumption that the number of unregistered females is much lower than the number of males and is balanced out by the number of females registered who are not longer active. We know that at any point in time the IAR is only as accurate as the data in it – there will be a number of alpaca that have been born but not registered yet, and to counter balance this there will be a number who have died and have not been updated. So for the purposes of reporting numbers we have to make the assumption that these numbers balance out and report numbers as estimates to the nearest thousand, hence our estimate of 23,000 alpaca in New Zealand.

6000 4000

Where are all the alpaca?

2000

Now that we have an estimated number of alpaca in New Zealand we can investigate a bit further to see where they are distributed around the country.

0 Registered Females

Registered Males

Registered Wethers

Total Registered

Figure 1. Registered alpaca in New Zealand 2008 v's 2012.

Figure 2 shows the proportion of alpaca in each of the AANZ regions. This is further broken down into zones in table 2.

Huacaya

Suri

Total

Registered Females

9,891

1,660

11,551

Registered Males

4,659

872

5,531

452

489

15,002

2,569

17,571

4,780

751

5,531

19,782

3,320

23,102

Registered Wethers Total Registered Estimated Unregistered Males Total Estimate

42%

43%

 Northern Region  Central Region  Southern Region

Table 1. Estimated alpaca numbers in New Zealand.

By querying the IAR we can get the numbers of registered alpacas. But what about those that aren’t registered? To determine this number we created estimates based on the 36

15%

Figure 2. Registered alpaca numbers by region.

Zone

Registered Alpaca

Northland

664

Total Registered Alpaca

July 2008

June 2012

11,423

17,571

605

919

North Auckland

2029

South Auckland

641

Average of Herd Size

Median of Herd Size

Mode of Herd Size

Coromandel Waikato

1678

Bay of Plenty

1308

East Coast

160

Hawkes Bay

739

Central Plateau

192

Taranaki

302

Manawatu/Wanganui

Total No. Herds Registered

Table 3. Herd size statistics.

Colour Reporting by primary alpaca colour is potentially the biggest benefit of the IAR data. This information could be used to model the fibre production from New Zealand. A simple overview of the colour of registered huacaya and suri is shown in the following figures. Light fawn has been separated from white and the other fawns as it is a significant group on its own.

1455

Wairarapa

350

Wellington

491

Nelson/Marlborough

784

Canterbury

4924

Otago

1104

Southland

249

Fiordland

114

West Coast Other

14% 30%

 White  Light Fawn  Fawn  Brown  Grey  Black

266

Table 2. Registered alpaca by zone.

20%

Registered Births The number of births registered on the IAR is showing a slight decline from the peak in 2008 to 2010, then a drop to 2011. The 2011 & 2012 figures are not really meaningful as AANZ members have up to 1 year to register births before penalty fees apply.

14% 17% Figure 4. Registered Huacaya by colour group.

The decline in registrations may be for several difference reasons. Members may not be breeding as many females each year or may not be registering all births. More investigation into the reason would need to be made before any assumptions are made.

11% 3% 37% 17%

2500

 White  Light Fawn  Fawn  Brown  Grey  Black

2000

17% 15%

1500  Suri  Huacaya

1000

500

1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Figure 4. Registered Suri by colour group.

Investigating this data could be of use to you in your business or of casual interest either way we hope you enjoyed this brief look at the statistics behind the IAR. We hope to bring you more report soon.

Figure 3. Number of alpaca births in New Zealand by year.

Keeping the data current!

Herd Size

You can help us report accurate information by keeping your herd details up to date.

The IAR database is also able to give us numbers of registered alpaca by the ownership herd code. This paints an interesting picture of the makeup of the alpaca industry ownership. The average herd size has not changed since 2008 staying at just 19 alpaca. There are still a high number of small herds registered, however these only make up a very small proportion of the total registered alpaca. Herds of less than 5 alpaca make up only 6% of the total numbers. As in 2008 the largest 20% of herds have just over 65% of the total alpaca.

(1) Update the status of your alpacas. Ensure any that are inactive, dead, sold, or exported are recorded on the registry. Fill in the A6 form, found online, or request a hard copy from the AANZ office. Status updates are free of charge! (2) Register your cria as soon as possible, including males. Registrations are now very quick to complete using the online registration system… and it saves you money! (3) Periodically check your herd listing online. Make sure all the data is correct and up to date. 37

Barber's Pole

Alpacas

by Jane Vaughan BVSc, PhD, MACVSc, MRCVS

The gastrointestinal parasite Haemonchus spp. is better known as the barber’s pole worm (BPW) because the adult female worm has a white tubular uterus that winds around the blood-filled tubular gut, giving the look of a barber’s pole (Figure 1). Yes, this parasite is a blood sucker of domestic livestock, causing anaemia and illthrift and can kill alpacas (and sheep, cattle and goats) quickly and in high numbers.

the first larval stage, L1, to the second, L2. Larvae develop to the infective stage (L3) over 7 days under ideal condition (but may take up to 5 weeks) and migrate out of the faecal pellets after heavy dew or rain. Infective larvae move up leaf blades in films of moisture in warm weather and are ingested during grazing. The larvae continue development as they pass through the first two compartments of the stomach, and arrive at C3 as an immature worm. They attach to the lining of C3, and suck blood. When they reach sexual maturity they mate and begin laying eggs. It takes 21-28 days from the time an alpaca eats infective larvae until those BPW begin laying eggs

Figure 1. Adult female barber's pole worms (photo: CSIRO Australia).

BPW is usually associated with prolonged warm, moist conditions so is rarely seen in winter unless it is mild and is traditionally seen in wet summers. Bear in mind that BPW is widespread across farms, and waits for ideal conditions to rear its ugly head. Just because you have never had it diagnosed on your farm before, do not assume it does not exist on your farm. Alpacas are bought and sold and agisted all over the countryside and take their parasites with them too.

Lifecycle Adult BPW are located in the third stomach compartment of the alpaca. They attach to the lining of the stomach and suck blood. Female BPW lay massive numbers of eggs every day (up to 10,000), which pass out in the alpaca’s faeces (Figure 2). In mild-warm, moist conditions, the eggs hatch out in the faeces and live on bacteria in the faeces as they moult from 38

Figure 2. Lifecycle of barber's pole worm is similar in alpacas, cattle, sheep and goats.

Clinical signs Because BPW are such prolific egg layers, livestock can ingest massive numbers of larvae from the pasture and be found suddenly dead in the paddock. Other alpacas in the group will be ill-thrifty and exhibit sudden weightloss (what has your regular body condition scoring told you about the herd?) and severe anaemia (have a look at mucus membranes in mouth, vulva, and around the eyes for pale colour). Some alpacas have been described as having “bottle jaw” where

the skin under the jaw becomes oedematous and swollen because the animal is hypoproteinaemic (low blood proteins, so plasma oozes out of the blood vessels into the skin). Note that if drench resistance exists on your farm, you will see these clinical signs despite having drenched recently.

be made at autopsy by the presence of larvae in C3. If worm egg counts are low, and larval BPW is suspected, it is possible to test faeces for occult blood in the faeces using tests such as Occultest® or Hematest® as larvae are ‘messy feeders’ and spill blood into the gut of the host.

To get an idea of how voracious these worms are, BPW suck approximately 0.05 mL blood per day in sheep. So an animal carrying 2000 worms loses 100 mL blood per day. A 50 kg sheep has around 4 litres of blood so it will only take 10 days for the BPW to consume a litre of blood. A sheep this heavily infected would have a worm egg count of 10,000 eggs per gram.

Treatment

Diagnosis

There are many different drenches available to use against BPW. There are (a) narrow spectrum drenches that target BPW, (b) broad spectrum drenches that kill BPW and other worms in the gastrointestinal system, (c) short-acting drenches and (d) long-acting drenches. It is essential that you select a drench in consultation with your veterinarian that is effective and will perform the job you require. That is, the selected drench will kill the worms you are targetting and that the parasites are not resistant to the active ingredient from over-use of the drench.

1. Dead alpacas. It is important to look for BPW in the correct place! Adult and larval forms of BPW are found in the third compartment of the stomach not the small intestine. Adult female worms are 20-30 mm long, quite fine and have the characteristic red and white stripes, males are about 15 mm long and larvae are smaller. They are all attached to the lining of C3 in large numbers (because they have killed the alpaca). 2. Faeces. Fresh samples of faeces should be collected directly from the rectum of approximately 10 alpacas in each mob using a gloved finger. 10-15 faecal pellets should be collected from each animal and placed into separate freezer bags. Air should be excluded from the bag and bags placed into the refrigerator and kept cool during shipment to the laboratory. Collect samples early in the week so they do not get lost in transit over the weekend. Do not freeze faeces. Alternatively, move alpacas to a communal dung pile and hold them there for 10-15 minutes then collect warm samples from the dung pile in a similar fashion. Most strongyle worms, such as Ostertagia spp. and Trichostrongylus spp. lay 10’s to 100’s of eggs per gram of faeces. BPW lay 1000’s to 10,000’s eggs per gram of faeces. BPW eggs look similar to other strongyle eggs found in alpacas (Figure 3). If egg counts are very high, it is a fair assumpion BPW is involved. If counts are in their 100’s, then the only definitive method of diagnosis is to ask the laboratory to perform worm egg incubation, larval culture and identification.

Figure 3. Strongyle eggs.

Sometimes alpacas will pick up massive numbers of larvae from the pasture and die before larval forms of BPW have had time to mature and begin egg laying in C3. Worm egg counts may be zero or low, but diagnosis will

Been ‘saving that drench for an important event’? Been avoiding overuse of drenches to reduce the risk of causing drench resistance? I hope so. This is the time to use your effective drench! Do not delay once a diagnosis has been confirmed or you will lose more animals.

Effective short-acting drenches basically eliminate the worm burden in the alpaca on the day of drenching. Animals continue to pick up more infective larva with every mouthful, but they do not start re-infecting the pasture with worm eggs for another 21-28 days (the period it takes for the ingested larvae to mature, mate and start laying eggs) so become reinfected quickly if you are unable to drench and move onto a ‘clean’ paddock. The definition of a clean paddock is one that has been rested completely for more than 3 months or has had a crop/hay recently harvested. Most alpaca farms do not have ‘clean’ paddocks once BPW infection is established – assume there is BPW in every mob on the property. With the advent of long acting drenches in the ivermectin family (macrocyclic lactones, MLs) you are able to use injectable drench in this family that will kill the current burden of worms and keep killing ingested larvae for approximately 2-4 weeks, depending on the actual drench used. You are therefore able to protect the herd for 4-8 weeks (as it takes worms another 21-28 days to start laying eggs), which allows you to sort out paddocks, perform worm egg counts to monitor, and also, move into the cooler weather of autumn. Cooler environmental temperatures will kill larvae on the pasture. It is standard practice in camelids to administer drenches in the ivermectin family at 1.5 times the cattle dose stated on the packet. I recommend injectable drenches over pour-on or oral drenches in alpacas to make sure they are receiving the active ingredient. Before you treat your animals, carefully read the directions for use of the selected drench. Shake the container so the drench is mixed evenly. Make sure you weigh some of the largest animals in the group and treat to the heaviest in the mob so that no animal is under-dosed. If the group has a wide range of weights, divide into lighter and heavier mobs so the smaller animals are not overdosed. Calculate the correct dose. Ensure drenching equipment, delivered via both injectable and oral routes, is calibrated to deliver the correct dose (and check throughout the day). Ensure drench is not spilled during drenching. If you are using an oral drench, place the drench gun over the back of the tongue and allow time for the alpaca to swallow. If injecting, place the needle 39

subcutaneously. Do not hold drenched animals off water for too long after treatment. Remember that no drugs are registered for use in alpacas and you should work in close consultation with your local veterinarian to obtain appropriate information about off-label use of drenches.

Prevention Monitor worm burdens regularly in your herd by collecting fresh faeces and testing for worm egg output in the herd. Worm egg counts are given as a measure of numbers of parasite eggs per gram of faeces. The animals most at risk with gastrointestinal parasitism are the late pregnant females, lactating females with crias at foot, and recently weaned stock. Parasites in C3 are able to detect when livestock are about to give birth through hormonal changes in the pregnant female, and start producing many more eggs per gram than in non-pregnant females. The pasture then becomes heavily contaminated and newly born cria are then exposed to the worms on the pasture as they start grazing. Beware of BPW though as it may strike males and non-lactating females as well. There is only one routine drench that should be performed on any farm and that is to crias at the time of weaning. You should not routinely drench the herd “twice a year” or “at shearing” just because someone told you to! Never wean crias onto a pasture that has had heavily pregnant and/or lactating females with crias at foot grazing on it in the last year (yes, year!) otherwise you will put them on a

contaminated pasture at high risk of parasitism. Plan your weaning paddock a year in advance so that after they have been drenched, they can be placed onto a ‘clean’ paddock. You should also monitor for drench resistance (where a drench is no longer effective at killing more than 95 % of worms in the gastrointestinal tract) by collecting faeces from alpacas 10-12 days after drenching. There should be greater than 95 % reduction in worm egg count between pre- and post-drench worm egg counts if the drench is effective. You will need to perform a Worm Egg Count Reduction Test if drench resistance is suspected. It is possible to perform your own worm egg counts. You will need a microscope, egg counting chamber, graduated beakers, pipettes and saturated salt solution. Training courses are run intermittently by your local department of agriculture or local veterinarian. There is currently a test being developed in Australia, called the ‘Haemonchus dipstick’, that will allow farmers to test faeces for blood on farm. The dipstick test will take about 30 minutes and will change colour according to the amount of blood in the faeces. The more worms in C3, the more blood in the faeces and the higher the reading on the dipstick. Selection of animals with innate resistance to parasites (known as ‘host resistance’) has been undertaken in sheep for many years. It is possible to perform worm egg counts at weaning (and therefore before they have been drenched for worms) and select sires with the lowest worm egg counts at weaning. These animals will pass on the trait of having lower worm egg counts in their offspring.

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“The 3 Amigos” Phosphorus, Calcium & Vitamin D by Dr Jamie McNeil - Kooweerup Veterinary Clinics 7-11 Langham Drive, Korumburra, VIC 3950

ecently there has been a lot of talk in alpaca circles about phosphorus. Personally, I have been approached by many alpaca owners questioning whether it is something new and whether phosphorus supplementation is going to fix or solve this or that. Basically people have been trying to understand what it is all about! Hence it is timely to look at the topic of phosphorus and alpacas but is it that easy? One of the key issues in this discussion is to understand that phosphorus has some very close relationships with calcium and in particular Vitamin D. Just looking at one without considering the others can lead to some incorrect conclusions; one must truly take a bigger look to get the right answers.

The Relationship between Phosphorus, Calcium & Vitamin D The body needs calcium and phosphorus for many essential functions and chemical reactions in the body. Most obviously calcium and phosphorus are essential in bone formation. Calcium and phosphorus levels in the blood are controlled by a complex situation involving three hormones vitamin D, calcitonin and parathyroid hormone. These hormones change the level of calcium and phosphorus in the body by 1. Increasing/decreasing the amount absorbed by the intestine (or excreted in faeces) 2. Increasing/decreasing the amount being excreted in urine 3. Increasing/decreasing the amount in of each in bone. From our point of view, vitamin D is of most importance if we want to influence the calcium or phosphorus levels as neither of the other hormones are readily available.

Vitamin D – Background Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin whose main action is to increase the amount of phosphorus and calcium that is being absorbed by the intestine. In normal animals vitamin D levels are achieved by oral consumption or by a chemical reaction that occurs from sunlight (U.V. light) hitting the skin. Vitamin D occurs in many forages but is naturally highest in sun dried feed such as hays. It is important to note that lush green feed such as grasses contain chemicals that may decrease the amount of vitamin D available to the animal This then puts a much greater emphasis on the ability of the animal to make its own vitamin D to meet its daily needs. Scientific research has shown that alpacas struggle to perform this chemical reaction very well leaving them very susceptible to phosphorus deficiency. Without adequate vitamin D levels, very little phosphorus will be absorbed from the intestine and the 42

Reprinted with kind permission from “Paca Punch” Newsletter of the W.A. region of AAA.

animal will suffer low phosphorus levels. Therefore to achieve necessary phosphorus (as well as calcium) levels in the body, alpacas need to have both adequate phosphorus (and calcium) intake and suitable vitamin D levels at all times of the year.

Vitamin D, Phosphorus & the Research Alpacas have long been shown to have trouble maintaining adequate phosphorus levels in their bodies. Fowler back in 1990 described a rickets syndrome in young alpacas and llamas., 3 to 6 months of age. Affected crias presented showing decreased growth rates, a reluctance to move, shifting or varying limb lameness and joint enlargement, most commonly in the front carpus or "knee" joint. The only consistent clinical finding was that the affected animals had low blood phosphorus levels. Fowler assumed that since the crias were still suckling that they would be getting enough calcium and phosphorus from the milk (rickets is due to either low blood levels of calcium, phosphorus or both). He also assumed that there would be enough Vitamin D being produced from the action of UV light on the skin and hence made an untested conclusion that the low serum phosphorus levels and subsequent bone abnormalities were due to inadequate phosphorus intake. A subsequent study by Fowler in 1992 demonstrated that phosphorus supplementation significantly helped "ricketsaffected" animals but failed to alleviate the problem altogether. This suggested that phosphorus deficiency alone did not adequately explain the changes and clinical signs being seen in these cria. Also supporting this conclusion is that in neither of these investigations was the author able to identify a particular dietary reason why these animals should have an inadequate phosphorus intake. Infact Fowler himself found that the best supplement to increase phosphorus levels in the affected alpacas was one that contained both phosphorus and vitamin D. Supplements with very high phosphorus levels but no vitamin D did not raise the blood levels of phosphorus as much demonstrating that both were missing from the diet. It has since been shown by another researcher that just increasing phosphorus intake in alpaca showing signs of rickets does not increase the phosphorus levels as would be expected unless extra vitamin D was also given to the animals. Dr Brad Smith undertook 3 more significant studies in 1994, 1995 & 1996 which followed on from Fowlers earlier work. In the first of these studies Smith looked not only at blood phosphorus levels but also at blood vitamin D levels. Interestingly he found in one of these studies that alpacas showing signs of rickets not only had lower phosphorus levels but had over 10 times lower vitamin D levels as well. In the second

of these studies he showed that alpacas maintained on a set, well balanced diet showed variation in blood vitamin D and phosphorus levels which were related to the seasons i.e. lower in the low sunlight periods and higher in the sunnier months. Again this supports the importance of vitamin D as the major limiting factor because phosphorus intake was stable. The third study looked at the most suitable levels of vitamin D supplementation required to achieve the necessary body phosphorus levels. Within Australia similar work has been done in 1996 and 1997 which demonstrated the marked seasonal variations in vitamin D levels in alpacas in southern Australia and investigated the required amounts and frequency of vitamin D supplementation to maintain optimum health.

and one of the other major clinical signs is the presence of very dark (port coloured) urine due to the large amount of red blood cell breakdown "bits" being excreted out of the body. In domestic farmed animals this condition is rarely seen anymore due to the large amount of superphosphate which is applied to pastures (super has heaps of phosphorus in it). In the few cases I have seen in dairy cattle, the disease progresses quickly towards death often despite phosphorus treatment. Death occurs due to the loss of blood due to the ruptured blood cells. In mature animals, phosphorus deficiency appears to be reasonably well tolerated and many animals show very little obvious signs. Therefore the signs discussed above are generally reserved to cases where phosphorus levels are very, very low.

Normal Alpaca Phosphorus Levels

Vitamin D Supplementation

In alpacas we like to see a blood (or more correctly serum) phosphate level in excess of 1.5 mmol/L. Ideally levels of 2.0 mmol/L or above are preferred. Some laboratory reports have normal ranges extending to as low as 0.6mmol/L which is well below the level where clinical signs of rickets can be seen.

It is generally scientifically accepted that alpacas do require vitamin D supplementation. Studies in the US and Australia have shown that a dose of between 1000-2000 IU D3/kg bodyweight is the necessary amount (D3, often written as Cholecalciferol D3, is a type of Vitamin D). It has also been suggested that in southern Australia that such a dose (1000 IU D3/kg bodyweight) be given to crias in late autumn and again in mid winter and to adult females in mid winter. It is my opinion that this suggestion is a bare minimum and that some alpacas in southern Victoria require additional doses of D3. Animals at greatest risk are young, growing animals often with dark and/ or dense fleeces. I do see many animals that despite following the above recommendation struggle to maintain adequate phosphorus levels and do benefit from a more intensive vitamin D dosing regime. Occasionally I will also use injectable phosphorus as well but normally only if animal is truly showing signs of rickets. The above finding suggests to me that there may be a genetic influence with some animals being better able to manufacture their own vitamin D than others. I also feel that the genetic improvement in the Australian alpaca fleece particularly the emphasis on density may also be a cause of why traditional vitamin dosing regimes fail on some farms.

The normal phosphorus levels in an animal may vary with the following factors and so they should be taken into account when investigating alpaca blood phosphorus levels. 1. Age – In normal animals, phosphorus levels will be highest when young then decline rapidly until about 12 months of age at which time they should remain at a constant levels. 2. Pregnancies +/- Lactation – These animals have a higher requirement due to phosphorus being lost in milk and being used to form the skeleton of the developing cria. This may lead to lower blood levels 3. Season – Higher blood phosphorus levels are seen in the late spring and summer months due to the increase in sunlight (U.V. radiation) 4. Digestive Upsets such as diarrhoea – Animals that are suffer from intestinal problems can suffer low blood levels of phosphorus due to decreased absorption from the diet & losses into the gut. Common to see low blood phosphorus when alpacas are suffering significant worm burdens 5. Kidney failure – Animals with kidney disease will often have very high phosphorus levels as the kidney cannot remove it from the blood stream for excretion in the urine. Phosphorus levels are often used as an indirect "rough" guide to blood vitamin D levels (blood phosphorus is a relatively cheap and simple test whereas blood Vitamin D testing is at least 5 times more expensive and sample collection is more complicated).

Signs of Phosphorus Deficiency As has been discussed, one of the major signs of phosphorus deficiency is a condition known as rickets. This basically is a situation where the bones are not growing properly because there are insufficient amounts of the raw materials (calcium, phosphorus or both) available to make them. Rickets tends to be a more significant problem in young, growing animals. In mature animals one of the major signs of phosphorus deficiency is anaemia or low red blood cell count. Other signs such as weakness and weight-loss are in part due to the anaemia. This anaemia is due to the red blood cells bursting

Vitamin D can be given in either injectable or oral forms. In principal I prefer oral dosing as it is more natural as the body can pick or choose whether it wishes to absorb it or not versus injectable which gives the body little choice on absorption. Oral dosing is far more labour intensive so we often focus this on the most susceptible age groups i.e. young, growing or clinically affected.

Phosphorus Supplementation Animals that are on good pasture from well fertilised soil are at a low risk of being truly phosphorus deficient. Maintaining adequate Vitamin D levels will ensure ample phosphorus is absorbed from the intestine. If unsure of pasture phosphorus levels then soil and pasture testing can be undertaken to determine status. Many of the commercial feed supplements contain phosphorus as well. Phosphorus injections are also available if deemed necessary in cases where increased levels are required rapidly. If phosphorus injections or supplements are used then ensure that adequate Vitamin D is also being given concurrently.

What should you do if you wish to investigate phosphorus/Vitamin D issues on your property? 1. Undertake a soil and plant tissue test with a reputable soil testing company to obtain baseline information on phosphorus availability on your property. Embarking on a planned soil fertility program is far more cost effective than individually trying to supply each animal with this and that. Remember true phosphorus deficiency in animals that have incredibly high needs for phosphorus, such as dairy cows, is virtually unheard of on improved pasture. 2. Speak to your veterinarian about the logistics of blood testing for either phosphorus (cheaper) or vitamin D levels (dearer). To gain maximum information it is prudent to test a wide range of animals young and old, growing and not growing to see if it truly is having any effects on your animals. You need to work out if it is a herd problem or an individual animal problem. 3. Seek advice from your vet about vitamin D supplementation programs for your animals in your area. Advice can also be sought about appropriate ways to supplement phosphorus if testing shows it is limiting on your property. 4. Consider phosphorus/vitamin D problems in young animals that do not appear to be growing well. This is the major group where the problem, if present on your property, will present. If phosphorus deficiency is only seen in occasional animals but other animals test normal considering increasing vitamin D supplementation to just the affected animals and monitor results. 5. Do not put all your eggs into one basket! Vitamin D/ phosphorus deficiencies will not explain all your health problems. Ensure that you and your vet approach any health issue with a broad mind to enable the correct diagnosis to be made and appropriate treatment instigated.

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We are importers and processors of animal skins. We have the interest in collecting skins from your dead animals and transport them to us in sufficient quantities, ideally per 20’container. This may involve several breeders to make up quantity. We are prepared to send the high quality processed skin products back to you so that you can benefit from this exercise yourselves in the sale of finished products at high end markets. Contact me personally anytime. Ben Van Rooy 7C Zhongxin Huiyang Building Tel: +86 592 531 2128 59 Hubin Bei Lu Tel: +86 592 531 2129 XIAMEN Mob: +86 139 060 18796 China Email: Ben.Van.Rooy@TradePointDistribution.eu

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BREEDER

PROFILE Jenny & Martyn Ellwood-Wade by Jenny Durno

Trading as Cuesta Alpacas and The Alpaca Box

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Okay so what do you do with all those Jenny and Martyn Ellwood-Wade are rightly non-black animals out there? associated with the gorgeous woven fabrics we see at the National Expo and various trade shows. Keep the best boys for their fleece and sell the rest for pets.

o pick up a piece of luminous cloth and feel it drip luxuriously through your hands is the moment when you know ‘it can be done.’ In New Zealand, right here, with our own alpaca fleece, we can produce world class fabric any of us would be proud to showcase. The clever use of colour and structure in ever-lighter-weight cloth makes even the least creative person pause for a moment and nod appreciatively.

But what came first, the weaving or the alpaca? And why alpaca anyway? ‘Lawn mowers!’ says Jenny. She wanted paddock ornaments, preferably different colours – a few wethers would be nice… But Martyn said, no, we are breeding, and we are doing whites, because that makes sense commercially. Right then. So in 2006, after research to satisfy the most discerning business person, off they went for their first white females. They joined the Alpaca Association (The black book! The paddock cards!) and they attended every learning event they could find, formal and informal. This couple were fast-tracking their knowledge.

So here we are in 2012 and outside is a herd which looks mainly, um, blue-black? ‘Ah, yes, we had a change of heart about the colour and decided niche was the way to go. We LIKE black and blueblack alpacas and yarn are hard to get. As a smaller operation we felt we could make a bigger impact with black.’

Make plenty of contacts, sell them in competition with horses and dogs, don’t let people compare them to sheep, and you get a decent price for them. Most of the girls are kept in the breeding herd although they might have to start considering a more active selling programme to avoid getting too big. They have 80 now and think that 100 would be plenty although their 40 acres could cope with a lot more.

So what about the weaving? Jenny says she got a spinning wheel just before the alpacas, and taught herself to weave on alpaca fleece. ‘The hard way to do it. If you want to learn to spin, do it in a creative fibregroup and get support.’ Much as she finds spinning relaxing, it was the weaving that she really got excited about and there are many examples of sophisticated fabrics produced on the little four shaft sitting in the sunny spot, surrounded by boxes and shelves of yarn and partially completed projects. They day-dreamed, they window-shopped, looking for a bigger commercial sized loom. While Jenny likes the outcome, it is the design stage she loves – the execution is secondary, so a bigger loom would allow her to produce so much more for the time expended. However the price was prohibitive so back to the sunny spot; just get that shuttle going for longer each day. Eighteen months later an overseas supplier where they had made enquiries got in touch with the offer of a second hand machine.

This loom, an AVL Industrial Dobby Loom (google ‘Youtube Jenny’s AVL Loom’), which Jenny described as traditional with a modern air compressor to automate the shuttle process, is apparently a wooden version of the 100 year old metal looms that Stansborough rescued and put into use by the people who wove for The Lord of the Rings. It certainly has a dignified presence – and a large presence. The whole operation had to be moved into the barn into an area big enough to house the loom, the special warp wheel and the various paraphernalia for serving the operation. There is a showroom/shop draped with ‘touch me’ shawls, blankets and scarves, as well as knitted items provided by business partners Bob and Joyce Martin (‘Martina’) who share The Alpaca Box. At first Jenny and Martyn planned to weave their own fleece, but they found it too difficult to make a profit after paying for the processing of their smaller runs. The solution of pooling fleece from others and getting it processed more cheaply sparked a whole discussion about the difficulties involved in handling the fleeces and the expectations of a wide variety of fleece growers. No; it is easier, if not cheaper, to buy the yarn in. Weaving is what they really want to be doing, after all. The exception is natural undyed black yarn, which is hard to source; chances are that anything Jenny makes with black yarn comes from their own animals. The Alpaca Box, a real shop at the Martins’ property in Bombay, as well as an online presence, was a natural progression to handle the produce coming off Jenny’s looms. ‘I have to sell stuff so I can afford to buy yarn to keep making stuff,’ she explains. So who is the market? Surely this quality material is catching the eye of the clothing design industry? ‘Well, yes, but without naming names, they are a difficult genre…’ As excited as Jenny and Martyn were to be approached by a prominent fashion designer to produce some woven material (not alpaca this time) the reality of pressure on price and short deadlines made it less than satisfying. Jenny prefers to do commissions for alpaca breeders who want something made from their own fleece. With that and the constant demand from the shop, other retail and some wholesale outlets, she has plenty to do.

And Martyn? Smiles are exchanged. Martyn fixes the machines when they break. Whew. They break down, eh? Now we can see what this idyllic lifestyle is really like. But no, it still looks pretty attractive. Jenny and Martyn have a variety of tasks to keep them busy; they are starting to make just enough for them not to worry too much about the downturn in demand for Jenny’s IT Management work. Martyn not only fixes the machines but looks after most of the farming responsibilities that come with 80 alpacas and a few beef animals. And he is a volunteer firefighter. Does he pose for those calendars? No, don’t worry, I didn’t actually ask that question. What would they do differently? In all modesty, not much, they tell me. They did the right amount of research and you really have to get your hands dirty and learn the rest from experience. And as we wandered back from the tidy workshop to the warm fire for some of Martyn’s stone ground bread, I could see that gaining this ‘dirty experience’ was really no hardship at all. 47

NEW MEMBER

PROFILE Daryl & Elizabeth MacAskill

by Jenny Durno

Each issue AANZ profiles a new member, taken from a draw from the ranks of those who have joined the Association since the last magazine. This issue we feature Daryl and Elizabeth MacAskill of East Road Invercargill, whose herd name is ‘Malmac.’

As owners of a pet store, (East Road Pets in Invercargill) you would expect that Elizabeth and Daryl MacAskill would have a wide choice of animals to choose from if they were looking for doe-eyed darling to take their hearts away. But Elizabeth admitted that she had loved alpacas for years before they actually bought some in January 2012. How did it happen after all that time?

It appears that while they were on holiday in Te Anau, the couple had planned a trip in a helicopter. The flight could not go ahead because of the weather so to amuse themselves they stopped at an alpaca property – ‘just to buy some honey.’ Knowing his wife’s fondness for alpaca, Daryl noted the high fences. ‘Good,’ he thought, ‘keep the distance between her and those alpacas.’ But Barbara Lomax (Honeyfields Alpacas) recognized a kindred spirit and invited them to come in for a closer look.

stock. Barbara wasn’t sure she was ready to let her go. So a companion female with another boy at foot was chosen and the Malmac herd had its foundation members. A couple of days passed and Daryl and Elizabeth couldn’t stop thinking about the little cria they had left behind, especially since they had one little boy standing wistfully in the field without his playmate. As Barbara said, ‘You have to remember that they are all for sale, don’t you?’ So a price was agreed and Madhu and his Mum made the trip to Invercargill too. Chelsea was pregnant and had little Diego, the MacAskill’s first-born. He is chocolate brown like his mum and contrary to the advice that cria are born mid morning in the sun, he was 10 days early and born at 5.30 pm in a rain storm.

As Elizabeth tells it, she made eye contact with one particular alpaca on the way across the field, and said to her silently, ‘IF we were to get any alpacas, you would be coming home with me…’ Apparently Daryl saw the same girl and thought, ‘IF I am forced into getting any alpacas, YOU would be one of them…’ Barbara produced pellets and the lovely chocolate brown female, Chelsea, made her way to Daryl, batted her eyelashes, and it was all over. A cute boy cria caught their eyes too, but he wasn’t weaned and Mum would have to come too. The mother happened to be Chelsea’s mother and was an important part of the Honeyfields breeding

By choosing each alpaca based on their eye contact and personal impact, Elizabeth and Daryl have accumulated a small herd of coloured animals, with a range of fawn to chocolate brown. They haven’t even thought about the resulting fleece yet. ‘Do I knit? Not really…a bit of crochet I suppose…’ Elizabeth will worry about the fleece when it’s in her hands, she said; one thing at a time. They are going to rely on Barbara at shearing time later in the year, as they have already done with the basic knowledge they needed to get started. While the MacAskills maintain that all they know about alpacas, they learned from Barbara Lomax, Barbara sees it differently. ‘I have obviously sold a number of animals to new alpaca people but Elizabeth and Daryl had been studying alpacas for a while. They knew more than they thought they

Gyseppe

Gyseppe & Madhu

did. By the time they got their girls home they had the nuts already on hand and new shelters in each of the fields.’ Elizabeth said, ‘Barbara put on a workshop and we learned things like toenail trimming, body scoring and general health checks. Being shown how to catch them was quite a good one! Our daughter Dapeal* is interested in showing so she and Daryl have been out there halter-training the little ones. They are going straight to the big league with the National Show in September!’ The MacAskills refer to their property as a hobby farm, with about 15 acres of flat land. As well as the shelters the cria have a muddy mound for their amusement. Other animals on the property include sheep (‘nothing like the personalities of the alpacas – a different proposition altogether’) and chickens. Elizabeth and Daryl joined the Alpaca Association to give them the support and training they need to look after their animals properly. They also wanted to register their alpacas to enable them to show them. It is too early to talk about selling anyone, although all the girls have been re-mated for another group of cria to enjoy next year. Will they sell alpacas through the Pet Store now? ‘No!’ said Elizabeth, ‘they are the retirement plan. We just like them, like getting to know all their different personalities. When the rest of the family takes over East Road Pets we will have more time to spend with them and that’s just how we want it.’

Dapeal with Gyseppe

*There is a good story about how Dapeal got her name – ask her when you see her…)

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