ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
Spring 2014 £7.00 where sold
SURI SPECIAL THE SPIN ON SURI FIBRE
A THOROUGH LOOK AT THE PROPERTIES OF THIS LUSTROUS FLEECE
INTO THE DRAGONS DEN
THE TV EXPERIENCE REVEALED
The Mini Miller's Tale
BELGIAN BREEDER BRANCHING OUT
Rumplestiltskin Project OPPORTUNITIES FACING SURI BREEDERS
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CONTENTS
Classical Publishing Ltd Š 2014 Issue 49 Spring 2014 ISSN 1477–7088 Editor: Rachel Hebditch Vulscombe Farm, Pennymoor, Tiverton, Devon, EX16 8NB Telephone: 01884 243579 Mobile: 07540 748803 Email: rachel@alpaca-uk.co.uk Advertising: Heidi Hardy Telephone 01598 752799 Email: heidi@ alpacaworldmagazine.com Copy deadline for the next issue: 13th June 2014 Design and Production: TRG Design 68 Rivermead Road Exeter EX2 4RL Telephone: 01392 279371 Email: info@trgdesign.com www.trgdesign.com Printed in England by: Advent Colour 19 East Portway Ind. Est., Andover SP10 3LU The material contained in Alpaca World Magazine is compiled by the publishers for information purposes only. Although the material included has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, no guarantees are given as to its accuracy or completeness. Readers are reminded that expert advice should always be sought in individual cases. Whilst every care has been taken in the compilation of the material contained in this issue the publisher does not accept responsibility for any loss arising out of such changes or inaccuracies nor for any other loss suffered as a result of information contained in this issue. Notice to Advertisers: It is a condition of acceptance of advertisement orders that the publishers, Classical Publishing Ltd, do not guarantee the insertion of a particular advertisement on a specific date, or at all, although every effort will be made to meet the wishes of advertisers; further the company does not accept liability for any loss or damage caused by any error or inaccuracy in the printing or non appearance of any advertisement, or if we decide to edit or delete any objectionable wording, or reject any advertisement. Although every advertisement is carefully checked, occasionally mistakes do occur. We therefore ask advertisers to assist us by checking their advertisements carefully and to advise us by the deadline given should an error occur. We regret that we cannot accept responsibility for more than one incorrect insertion and that no republication or discount will be granted in the case of typographic or minor changes which do not affect the value of the advertisement. Cover photo by Terry Harrington Smith, The Alpaca Stud
WELCOME
The only independent magazine reporting on the international alpaca industry. Distributed by subscription worldwide and through country stores across the UK, Alpaca World Magazine reaches the largest readership in its market.
SURIS, THE MOST ELEGANT ALPACAS, ARE THE FOCUS FOR THIS ISSUE WITH TALES OF PROCESSING THE FIBRE FROM THE USA, NEW ZEALAND AND CORNWALL, STORIES FROM TWO SURI BREEDERS AND AN EXPLANATION OF THE QUALITIES OF THE FLEECE BY CAMERON HOLT. It includes cautionary tales from the processors that apply equally to huacaya fibre of avoiding colour contamination and short cuts in the shearing shed, skirting the fleeces properly, testing for tender fleece and making sure the fleece is long enough for processing. Nowadays the great thing is that all those fleeces, skirtings and shearing waste that might have ended up in a skip can be used in bedding and in the wool trade so that there is absolutely every bit of fleece from the alpaca can and should be used.
CONTENTS Alpaca World Magazine Spring 2014 NEWS 4 Alpaca Showtime 5 Alpaca Fiesta 6 BAS National Show 8 Floods hit Bozedown 8 Wedding bells for Alex 10 Knitting & Stitching Show
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SURI 26 Serious about Suris 28 The Spin on Suri Fibre 36 Rumplestiltskin Project: an Introduction 38 Rumplestiltskin Project: Fleece Processing 40 Rumplestiltskin Project: Classing Days 44 Alpaca Fabric: Working to Develop an Industry
The Natural Fibre Company Spring Farm Alpacas Faraway Alpacas
FEATURES 12 Into the Dragons' Den 20 A Belgian Mini Mill 64 The Magic of Miniature Llamas 66 AWM Giveaway: Tea With an Alpaca 68 From Fleece to Fashion: Butlers Farm 74 Book Review: A Definitive Guide to Alpaca Fibre 76 Au Revoir and Out REGULAR ITEMS 60 Ask the Vet 81 Breeders directory
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NEWS
If you have news of events or developments within the alpaca industry which you would like to share with others please send it to: The Editor, Alpaca World Magazine, Vulscombe Farm, Pennymoor, Tiverton, Devon EX16 8NB, United Kingdom Email: info@alpacaworldmagazine.com
SHOWTIME DEBUT SUCCESS
Sire's progeny groups
ALPACA SHOWTIME, MARCH 2014
ALPACA SHOWTIME, A NEW EVENT on the show circuit, was staged at the Houghton Hall Equestrian Centre near St Ives in Cambridgeshire over the last weekend in March. There were over 300 entries for the event, the first stand alone show in the East of England. It was the first time that Peter Kennedy, a qualified AOBA and AAA judge, had judged in this country. Peter and his partner established
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the Canchones herd in 1998 starting with two females. Today the herd has grown to some 350 black
alpacas, huacaya and suri, and is located in North East Victoria in Australia. There were some impressive trophies for the event with each colour champion receiving a trophy in the shape of an alpaca with the Supreme Champions awarded ones that were double the size. Instead of sashes there were pennant awards for champions and reserves. The selection of the Supreme Champion Huacaya and Suri was
also different. Firstly a Best in Show female and male huacaya and suri were selected, those went forward and the Supreme Champion Huacaya and Suri was awarded to one of them. Houghton Royal Duchess was Supreme Champion Suri and Bozedown Rembrandt ll Supreme Champion Huacaya. The show was organised and promoted by Houghton Hall Alpacas, The Alpaca Stud and Bozedown Alpacas.
NEWS
Supreme Champion Huacaya Bozedown Rembrandt ll
Supreme Champion Suri Houghton Royal Duchess
Judge Peter Kennedy giving his oral reasoning in the light junior female class
There were some impressive trophies for the event with each colour champion receiving a trophy in the shape of an alpaca White female championship line-up
A FIESTA OF ALPACA PRODUCTS THE ALPACA FIESTA will take place from November 10 to 15 in Arequipa, Peru. The event will include a programme of activities favouring 70% for fashion and garment manufacturers and 30% for fibre producers. This is a reversal of previous years as the
organisers wish to reflect that the commercialisation of alpaca products is the main driving force in the production chain. The flagship fashion event 'Peru Moda' was this month and a spin-off 'Alpaca Moda' will be staged for three days during
the Alpaca Fiesta and feature conference presentations, round table business meetings and four fashion displays on the catwalk in the event's showground Cerro Juli. Its highlight will be a spectacular evening fashion show in an historic part of Arequipa.
ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Spring 2014 | 5
NEWS
2014 NATIONAL SHOW As seen by Ken Freivokh, Artwork Alpacas
WHAT A WAY TO START the show season. Great venue, excellent organisation, efficient and informative judging. 370 entries, 50 competitors, a veritable raft of alpaca-mad foreign visitors from Norway, Finland, Sweden, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, Holland, Northern Ireland. Exhibitors and visitors alike were greeted with a very professional display of fleeces from a well supported fleece show. The box displays were beautifully presented with the appropriate rosettes and sashes and enjoyed pride of place at the centre of the show. For the first time ever, we decided to enter two fleeces. We feared we had all but destroyed the fleece in our attempt to skirt them and were stunned to find that we managed two 3rd place rosettes. In a quiet moment, I managed to pull Mary-Jo Smith, one of the fleece judges, aside to explain how such fleeces had been assessed, and she kindly showed us that our fleeces had indeed managed a much higher score in terms of fineness, uniformity and other parameters, but been pulled down from the first two places on account of lack of weight/yield – clearly, overenthusiastic skirting.
TANDEM JUDGES The halter show trialled 'tandem' judging' by Nick Harrington Smith (UK) and Jenny Jackson (Australia), and it really seemed to work very well - one certainly felt that one had been judged, and that the potentially subjective assessment of fleece and conformation qualities were being examined and discussed. The anticipation was that having two judges trying to do the same job would only result in squabbling
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and wasted time, but nothing could be further from the truth. Going over the alpacas in tandem worked a treat - the judges seemed to feed from each other, it was a lively and intensive operation, and sharing the commentary and other aspects of the judging process really seemed to keep the momentum going, the judges looked fresh, and seemed to be running on full adrenalin. Indeed, we were pleased that Artwork Dorian (Grey) managed a 2nd in the Intermediate Male Class, behind the eventual Reserve Champion. The Class was won by Meon Valley Sorcerer, a handsome grey whom we have mated to Peeky Wee, sorry, I mean Artwork Samba, to explore the outcome of joining the Ardingly and Nyetimber/ Jaquinto lines. This event stepped up a notch for us when our junior black female Artwork Dolores managed to win her class - another successful
The judges looked fresh, and seemed to be running on full adrenalin Supreme Champion Suri Houghton Royal Duchess (ET)
outcome of a mating of Lillyfields Jack of Spades and our handsome black girl Inca Definition. Definition and Jack had given us Artwork Domingo the year before, the most imposing and friendly male at the farm. This was quickly followed by a 2nd place in a very competitive Junior Male Black class for Artwork Rafa, out of a mating of Popham Thunder and our girl Barton Romany. We were slightly brought down to earth with a 4th for Artwork I. E. Juanita in the Junior Female Light, but quickly back to better placings with a 2nd for Artwork I .E. Merlin in the Junior Male Light class. We were soon back in the ring and the next one in was Artwork I. K. Marianela – a Snowmass Incan King daughter. She managed a second to the eventual class champion Bozedown Avatar.
FANCY DRESS The serious affair of judging, clearly explained by Rob Bettinson on the commentator's microphone, was strategically spiced up by events during the inevitable breaks - the fancy dress show was a hoot, with a very convincing Batman with his alpaca as Robin, the junior handling Supreme Champion Huacaya Houghton Damian
was excellent, organised on a sheep pen format, which tested the young competitor's ability to keep sight of their alpacas at all times, the progeny classes were very amusing and carefully judged to ensure that the correct traits were considered in the assessment. The inclusion of a multi or "fancy" class may have caused some concern at a National Show, except that the appaloosas and multis were so incredibly cute and varied - well may they stay in the programme, provided they are not taken too seriously.
EFFORTLESS AND EASY The location and venue were excellent, with most attending favouring adoption for future shows. The evening event and meal were equally splendid, with a most informative talk by the Australian judge Jenny Jackson, the trade stands enjoyed being able to show their wares in a clean, sparkling environment, warm and welcoming. Even the parking and loading/unloading were perfectly planned and went without a hitch. A successful show almost seems effortless and easy. Of course, why should things ever go wrong, why should judges overrun, why should the exhibits not be ready at the holding pen, why should the programme be confusing, why should the venue and surrounds be muddy and inappropriate? And, there lies the truth - it is clearly a testament to excellent, hard and committed work by a great team, too numerous to mention here, but clearly one could not fail to at very least mention Barbara Hetherington and Tim Hey, who clearly know what they were doing. For once, what counted was indeed attending, and enjoying and taking part in a professional event.
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The Syke House Herd
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The Syke House Herd Must Go “I have finally convinced myself that I must retire. Thus, sadly, the entire remaining stock of Syke House Alpacas is to be sold. The herd – which, family apart - has been the main focus of my life for over 30 years has been carefully developed by putting home-bred females to bought-in or outsourced males. The remaining animals are a balanced group of white and light-fawn Huacaya, with sound conformation, dense fleece and robust health.”
To find out more or arrange a viewing please contact
Pat Bentley on 01931 714373 pat.bentley@sykehousealpacas.co.uk
www.sykehousealpacas.co.uk ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Spring 2014 | 7
NEWS
FLOODS HIT BOZEDOWN These pictures show Bozedown Alpacas at Whitchurch on Thames as it should be and in the floods in February.
WHAT A HOOT!
MANY OF YOU WILL KNOW ALEX HARRINGTON SMITH, one of Nick and Terry Harrington Smith's two daughters, who was one of our younger British judges and then hightailed it to Australia and the EP Cambridge alpaca stud where she met her husband. Alexandra Claire Harrington-Smith and DriesMatthijs Verhoef were married on the 18th December 2013 at Comlongon Castle near Dumfries. The best man, Mark Van Renterghem, took delivery of the rings from a two year eagle owl, the owl was quite the star of the day, her entrance caused great excitement. It was a magical and memorable day, the castle providing the perfect fairy tale setting for Alex’s dream Christmas wedding. Alex’s niece, Florence Wilde was highly amused by the events of the day, especially intrigued when Grandpa gave his speech, she found that very funny. Also there were Dries’s nieces Lissanne, Esther and Monica and nephew Gian, who were wonderful, they were still dancing when the band said goodnight at the end of the evening.
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NEWS
FLYING THE FLAG
Knitting & Stitching Show, Olympia, March 2014 FIVE COMPANIES SELLING BRITISH ALPACA YARN were at the four day Knitting & Stitching Show at Olympia from March 13 through March 16 - a clash with the BAS National Show. Purl Alpaca Designs were showing a new collection of children's clothes, see Tracy Birch's diary in this magazine about her experiences on the Dragon's Den TV programme whilst Kerry Lord at Toft with her catchline 'Luxury British Knitting' has a range of alpaca and
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British wool knitting yarns and her collection of cute animals that always pull in the crowds. Down the aisle was UK Alpaca Ltd with its catchline 'Supporting British Alpaca Breeders' and its range of doubleknit, 4-ply and aran yarns in dyed and natural colours. Two UK Alpaca clients were there too. Monica Russel of Knitknacks who sells kits containing UK Alpaca yarns and Belinda Harris Reid with her amazing shawls also using UK Alpaca yarns.
M Y D i o ar ar u k ie r s The full information pack will be available in November 2014 online or as a hard copy. For sponsorship opportunities contact Chas Brooke at info@britishalpacafuturity.com or 01884 243579
www.britishalpacafuturity.com
To join our mailing list for email updates, please contact us at info@britishalpacafuturity.com
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The largest alpaca show in Europe and a celebration of all things alpaca. Halter classes with over 400 alpacas participating, an international fleece show, Fibre Festival, trade stands, elite auction. Join us in March 2015 to make merry and applaud the best of British breeding. The NEC is ideally situated as it is close to the motorways, adjacent to Birmingham International Airport and the British Rail station.
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Tracy Birch and Kari-Helene Rane of Purl Alpaca Designs describe their foray...
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DRAGONS' DEN
Prelude
Way back in 2010, Tracy wanted to try Dragons’ Den and Kari-Helene didn’t; she changed her mind in 2011 and Tracy applied for the application forms. Copious amounts of paperwork later, our application was sent to the BBC and we waited. Another series of the programme was aired and we heard nothing, so we forgot about it. Eighteen months later, we were asked in for a preliminary audition, screen test and to bring more information. We were given interview pitching tips, Pre-Audition Q & A sheets and told what to expect. Quickly writing a pitch to cover all the salient points, it was ‘all systems go’.
Act One SCENE 1 – GETTING THERE One gloriously snowy morning in January 2013, Tracy loaded Bessie, the van, with everything she could think of that might be needed on the day. Setting off with hours to spare, she followed the Google Map directions which was great until the last half mile; then they took her to the wrong place. Frantically phoning the BBC contact, KariHelene (who had a seamless journey on public transport), Tracy successfully got completely lost in London and eventually arrived at a BBC location, but it was the wrong one! Kari-Helene met her and together they travelled the last 300 yards to the right location and proceeded to manoeuvre round the back of the building to the loading bay. Quickly we set up a display of our patterns, yarn, finished garments and ourselves. SCENE 2 – THE AUDITION We had to pitch, on camera, to the film crew and pretend they were the Dragons. We had some rehearsal and Kari-Helene forgot her lines, once she got them right, Tracy stumbled over her words. Much laughter later, we filmed our pitch until the last take, when we felt we had given the opportunity our best efforts. SCENE 3 – THE COMPETITION Of the thousands of applications received, the BBC had four teams, filming eight applicants a day for four weeks. Of these, they whittled down to those they would like to invite on to the programme. We were told we would hear. SCENE 4 – HURRAY! In February, we were informed they would like us on the programme, to bring alpacas, and that the filming would be in Manchester in March.
SCENE 5 – GETTING READY Serious preparation now took over, learning all the facts, figures, market share, details, exit strategies, competition and everything we could think of. We had to make our usual display freestanding as there would be nothing to lean it against. Whilst Bessie the van was being serviced, Tracy set about mocking up our fence panels with knitted pockets; to join them together, she used our Chunky yarn and a bootlace pattern. We then had a dress rehearsal thanks to Mick George of Houghton Hall Alpacas. Using his business premises, we said our pitch to John and Neil (two of his directors) and answered questions relating to our business and finances. This showed us where our arguments were weak and what other points we needed to cover. They also suggested we pursue the wedding idea more. We adapted our pitch, learnt more figures and felt we had the information we needed ready to regurgitate to any dragon. SCENE 6 – THE ALPACAS Manchester is too far to take the alpacas from Cambridgeshire and it wouldn’t be fair to keep them in a horsebox overnight, so Tracy searched the British Alpaca Society website to find a breeder who lived locally and who would be willing to let them borrow two alpacas on the day of filming. She contacted Shaun Daniel of County Alpacas who recommended Miss Darcey (a brown female described as ‘bomb proof’) and Alfie (a white youngster with a good quality fleece). As we’d never met before, it was arranged for us to visit Shaun and Julie the day before filming, meet Miss Darcey and Alfie and have a little walk around with them. Hopefully this idea would give us all confidence. We all arranged to meet up, at the BBC, the following morning at 7.00 a.m.
Everyone else got into a mini-bus but we followed behind as our newly constructed display didn’t fit in!
SCENE 7 – SETTING UP Once we left Shaun and Julie, we drove the last 40 minutes to The Copthorne Hotel which had been arranged by The BBC and we checked in. After unpacking, we met other contestants in the foyer where we waited for the staff to take us to the venue. Everyone else got into a mini-bus but we followed behind as our newly constructed display didn’t fit in! Collectively the contestants were given last minute instructions and we had to stay behind to be given more instructions relating to the alpacas. We eventually arrived back at the hotel at 9.30 p.m. only to be told the restaurant was closed. We managed to sweet-talk the staff into giving us something to eat before retiring for the night. ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Spring 2014 | 13
DRAGONS' DEN
The 'bomb proof' Miss Darcey
The 'less confident' Alfie
Act Two
Tracy couldn’t stop laughing, couldn’t speak and then her eyes started watering. Luckily the makeup lady was able to do a repair job so that it didn’t show in front of the cameras. 14 | Spring 2014 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
SCENE 1 – UP AND READY There we were, bright eyed and bushy tailed, ready for the day. We met Shaun, Julie, Miss Darcey and Alfie in the loading dock and decided to have an impromptu rehearsal. The line up was KariHelene leading Miss Darcey, then Tracy leading Alfie (we didn’t realise until afterwards that the height of each went down in uniform stages). We started our pitch. Every time Kari-Helene spoke, Miss Darcey looked at her, nodded and made a humming noise; this happened every time Tracy spoke too. Kari-Helene took no notice, but Tracy did... what started as a smile, turned into chuckle and then became a guffaw! She couldn’t stop laughing, couldn’t speak and then her eyes started watering. Luckily the makeup lady was able to do a repair job so that it didn’t show in front of the cameras. SCENE 2 – THE SET We had asked for time to show the alpacas the set before we saw the Dragons. This was just to ensure that they weren’t spooked by anything. Darcey was as beautifully behaved as promised; Alfie followed her and as long as he was in close proximity, he seemed quite content. We practised walking past the props, then the lift and finally where the filming would take place. The director checked the lighting, camera angles and once he was happy, we were asked to proceed. To our right was the freestanding display which needed to be covered when we walked in and then
unveiled once we were in front of the Dragons. It was hidden by folding doors that moved on wheels. Tracy held the lead reins whilst Kari-Helene moved them. The director didn’t like the effect and so a production assistant went off to see if he could find something else. He came running up behind us holding out a big, black cloth. He looked like a giant bat! Miss Darcey and Alfie, span round and ran away as fast as they could, going in different directions, behind Tracy’s back. She didn’t let go and Shaun and Julie ran on to the set to help calm them down. Miss Darcey was fine, she ate a piece of carrot and settled quickly, Alfie however, lost confidence; as long as he could stand next to Miss Darcey, facing the wrong way round, he felt comfortable.
Contact Roger Mount
on 01386 853 841 or 07711044106 Email: snowshillalpacas@btinternet.com Web: www.snowshillalpacas.com
Snowshill Alpacas,
Snowshill Hill Barn, Temple Guiting, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL54 5XX
Snowshill Beethoven
Snowshill Ciscero
sire: Virococha Prophecy of Anzac dam: Merungle Audrey of Anzac
sire: Eringa Park Lionheart of Cambridge dam: Silverstream Escudo of Anzac
Snowshill Nicodemus
Snowshill Oberon (Suri)
sire: Snowshill Samuel dam: Snowshill Amelia
Snowshill Peregrin
sire: Wessex Cosmos dam: Hermione of Willaston
Snowshill Raphael (Suri)
sire: Andean Legacy of I-Spy dam: Snowshill Letitia
sire: Snowshill Raphael dam: Bozedown Dividend
Blackmore Vale Shaston Prince
sire: Coricancha Fernando of Wessex dam: Patience
Snowshill Shadow Dancer
sire: ARU Cambridge Ice Cool Lad dam: Cambridge Chocolate Button
Wellground Imber
sire: Moonstone Ridgway of Bozedown dam: Eve of Atlantic
Snowshill Orlando
sire: Virococha Prophecy of Anzac dam: Snowshill Perdita
Snowshill Ramises
sire: EP Cambridge Navigator of Accoyo dam: Snowshill Alexandra
Snowshill Vivaldi
sire: Blackmore Vale Shaston Prince dam: Snowshill Abbigail
Above is a selection of our Stud Males available for services in 2014. Fees range from ÂŁ350 to ÂŁ650. Significant discounts apply for multiple matings. Progeny can be viewed. We also have a number of alpacas for sale from pet to show quality. Please phone/email for details. ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Spring 2014 | 15
DRAGONS' DEN
SCENE 3 – THE PITCH Well we were as ready as we could ever be and entered the den. Hello, my name is Tracy Birch And I’m Kari-Helene Rane. Our company is called Purl Alpaca Designs and we are here today to ask for £125,000 investment for 25% equity in our business. Tracy: We are a 'Field to Fashion' company; these are alpacas, this is their raw fleece which we prepare in-house, take it to a specialist mill and have it spun to our unique specifications. We then create exclusive designs for our yarn and sell knitting kits. Our Sales are made through our website, a large online retailer, a monthly show on a craft shopping channel and we exhibit at ten of the larger knitting shows which take place around the country, throughout the year. A local specialist yarn shop acts as our retail outlet. K-H: We have started to market and sell finished garments which are hand made by our team of experienced knitters based in the UK. This includes several designs which are ideal complements to any wedding dress. We have also started to develop the wholesale side of our business, both of yarn and readymade garments. These areas of development are where we need investment. Tracy: Alpaca is one of the most luxurious natural fibres in the world; it is exceptionally lightweight, soft, warm and water repellent. As the most colour diverse
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animal in the world, alpacas come in 23 registered colours from ice-white to midnight black, with shades of brown, fawn and grey in between. This is why we have the fleece washed but not dyed and we blend it to make our colours. Our fibre is locally sourced (some from our own herd). K-H: Knitting is gaining popularity. In 2010 the craft market contributed £3 billion to the UK economy and this figure is growing. Yarn shops are re-opening and knitters want a quality product. There is a growing trend to support companies producing in the UK which have an ethical attitude towards the fibre-providers and the environment. Tracy: Our business has reached a plateau. We now need help to grow from being a small business to medium sized one. Part of the investment is to help us take advantage of ‘economies of scale’. By manufacturing our yarn using the larger mills, we can cut our costs by approximately 28%. To do this, we need to procure much larger quantities of fleece and have the funds available to have this made into yarn. K-H: We also need to have the resources to market our two new revenue streams. Thank you for listening and we look forward to answering your questions. Tracy: Would anyone like to say “Hello” to the alpacas before they go home.
Alfie lost confidence; as long as he could stand next to Miss Darcey, facing the wrong way round, he felt comfortable.
Suppliers to the UK and European alpaca industry of quality alpacas, alpaca based equipment and husbandry tools ALPACA & LLAMA CARE
KILNWOOD ALPACAS
LIGHTFOOT ALPACAS
www.alpacacare.co.uk www.kilnwoodalpacas.co.uk www.alpacabreeder.co.uk 07801 109243 01608 683937 07802 263589
ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Spring 2014 | 17
DRAGONS' DEN SCENE 4 – THE DRAGONS Apparently Peter Jones’ face was a picture when we walked in! Alfie wasn’t sure about this whole idea and kept stopping before walking forward. Tracy held the reins and Kari-Helene carefully removed the cloth from our display; there were no mishaps this time! After our pitch, the Dragons met the alpacas, asked lots of questions and Tracy realised she was the same height as Peter Jones’ elbow. The alpacas were led off set and, once seated with hands washed, the Dragons did their thing. Deborah Meaden was really enthusiastic about alpacas and their fibre; she owned a mill and we thought we were in with a chance. Duncan Bannatyne however, wasn’t interested. Very quickly he said that it wasn’t for him and he was out. He said: “In fact, you’re boring me”, which we found funny! Peter Jones picked up on the fact that Tracy had said the yarn was water repellent and questioned her about it. To check what she said, he proceeded to chuck a full glass of water over the Icon Dress which was displayed on the mannequin. Peter: It’s soaking Tracy: Brush it off Peter: (brushes water droplets off) Oh, not that I didn’t believe you or anything!
Piers Linney and Deborah Meaden asked lots of questions relating to how alpaca fibre compares to that produced by different breeds of sheep. This was an area we hadn’t researched; Tracy replied that she didn’t feel she had the right knowledge to make an informed and accurate answer but could easily go away and research it. However, as a natural fibre, felt sure that alpaca would work favourably as blends for any use of product. Peter Jones asked Tracy a question and as she took a deep breath, he interrupted her:
Finale The show airs on 2nd March 2014 and we shall see how they edit it – either with the hilarity or not!
Peter: I like my answers short and sweet Tracy: Okay Peter: Bit like you Tracy: Thanks very much!
The End
Piers asked Kari-Helene about design, production and hand knitters. Piers: My mother is an amazing knitter, she can make a suit in an evening. K-H: Great, does she want a job?
Well the programme has gone out and we weren't allowed to promote it until after airing. It's such a shame, we filmed for one and a half hours and they only showed the clips that were detrimental to us. No wonder it was three minutes then!
They had a chat and then Piers said: “I can’t believe I’m pitching to you to get my mother a job!”
TRACY BIRCH Tracy has had a varied career including actress, legal assistant, recruitment consultant, business development manager and proprietor of a candle factory. You can see her making candles at YouTube. After selling her business, she work at the National Grid; after being made redundant, she decided to go to university to study for a degree. Tracy commuted for the first year, then moved to Cambridge in 2004 and graduated in 2006 with a B.A. (Hons) Degree in Communication Studies. She used her inheritance to buy some alpacas and saw there was an opportunity to develop an exclusive knitwear business using alpaca fibre bought from local alpaca breeders. By researching on the internet, Tracy found Kari-Helene’s final collection and the fact she had used alpaca fibre, convinced Tracy to contact her. They met in London in October 2007 and are thrilled with their collaborative projects.
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All in all, the dragons were really lovely to us and we laughed a lot. Once it was realised how small the UK alpaca fibre producing industry is, they lost interest. In their final summary, they liked us and our products, but that we were too niche for their investment. As a parting shot, Deborah said that she thought we were ‘very racy’ to ask for £125,000 based on our current trading figures.
KARI-HELENE RANE From early childhood in Norway, Kari-Helene was surrounded by knitting. Both her grandmothers and her mum knitted and throughout her childhood, she was never without lovely, warm garments. It was however her sister’s 1980s jumper (made out of leftover yarn) that provided early inspiration for possibilities within knitwear design. Kari-Helene moved to England in 2002. She attended Kingston University and in 2005 she graduated with a B.A. (Hons) Degree in Fashion Design. Her final collection primarily consisted of knitted garments and it was awarded runner up in The Knitted Textile Student Award in October 2005. After a few years of freelance work for various designers and publishers such as Daniel Blake, Modernist and MQ Publications, Kari-Helene met Tracy in 2007 and the Purl Alpaca story started. Kari-Helene offers one on one tuition at a cost of £20 an hour. Tuition can take place in any suitable London location. She can also offer group tuition. Price to be discussed. You can contact Kari-Helene via her email, kari-helene@purlalpacadesigns.com.
www.miriquidi-alpacas.com
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ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Spring 2014 | 19
BELGIAN MINI MILL
Laurence Lenoble and Eric Varlet set up Alpagas du Maquis in Belgium in 2011. Things have moved on since then and they have just taken delivery of a mini mill.
MILLING AROUND IN BELGIUM
20 | Spring 2014 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
BELGIAN MINI MILL
IT
all started seven years ago when we decided to look for an isolated house with enough space to satisfy our mutual need of living and working in the great outdoors. When we finally found the place that matched our expectations, we fell in love with this cozy cottage full of charm and the undulating landscape and we looked forward to live with our children in this landscape composed of pasture and wooden areas. We settled in the hamlet of Houyet , Ciergnon more precisely, where our King Albert II owns a magnificent castle as a summer residence. The magic finally happened when we discovered the alpacas and welcomed our first alpacas in 2011. It was some kind of revelation, the spark long awaited. It was then that we decided we wanted to breed and care for them, even if our close relatives were flabbergasted by the new passion and the change in our lives, we were convinced that we had made the right choice.
OBSESSIVE, COMPULSIVE It was in spring 2012, a few months after the purchase of our first alpacas. After shearing I have
developed a terrible addiction, an uncontrollable OCD: immerse my hand into a fleece, take a sample and not let go for several hours... We started talking about fibre and we realized an awful lot of people were interested; many more than what we thought as there are a lot of spinners, knitters, weavers. Actually many people are completely passionate about wool and very interested to discover alpaca fibre. And the idea popped! We will transform our fibre to better promote and sell. That's a great idea! Yes, but the way is not so easy. I first tried the spinning wheel; it was very nice but not much prospect of profitability. We wanted to explore more automated solutions. It only remained to find a machine that can do that. We thought it would be easy but our research quickly showed that the only solution to meet our expectations was not a single machine but a combination of several machines of superior quality made exclusively in Canada by Mini Mills Ltd. When we read the offer, we wondered if it was not a mistake, we redid the conversion USD / â‚Ź several times because we were sure there was an
I have developed a terrible addiction: immerse my hand into a fleece, take a sample and not let go for several hours...
ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Spring 2014 | 21
BELGIAN MINI MILL We visited a similar mill in June 2012 and had been seduced but this configuration required a building of more than 100 m² that we did not have. We searched for a building for rent near us but it was very expensive or did not meet our expectations. Well, as to be crazy, let it be all the way! We had little space but anyway the possibility to build a new building here.
APPETITE FOR CONSTRUCTION
I think our entourage wondered if we should not be interned after announcing our spinning mill project.
22 | Spring 2014 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
undesirable extra zero! We were not disheartened although we had to review and extend our project because we will transform two tons of fibre a year and pointless to imagine a herd of 1000 alpacas in the field! So we will spin for us but also for other farmers with small herds of alpacas or other animals. After surprising everyone with our strange animals, I think our entourage wondered if we should not be interned after announcing our spinning mill project.
To find an architect, I just looked in the phone book for someone local. After a phone call with a good feeling, he came to see the work to do and quickly became a good friend. The authorization was difficult to get since we are located in an agricultural area and we are not graduate farmers, which normally categorically barred building but after a few months, multiple appointments at the Ministry of Agriculture and also some fun nights working with the architect, he convinced the head of the Ministry of Agriculture and our project was accepted. Victory! Because this is derogation it took six months before receiving the agreement to start work and then we were in January 2013, in midwinter. I can tell you that before starting any new
BELGIAN MINI MILL
construction by doing everything yourself, you can not imagine the work involved. Removing the old wood shed in March, excavation in April, laying the concrete slab in May, making the walls and laying slabs during the summer, roof and frame in autumn, painting and electricity in winter. Phew ... Everything is ready for the machines coming in February! It was also a big administrative work to build a good record with the help of our accountant and submit to different banks. In August, we received agreement from our bank and we ordered the machines. In November, I went to an internship with John and Juliet Miller from "The Border Mill" in
Scotland. Their wonderful family gave me a very warm welcome and this week with them was very instructive, both in terms of the organization and of working with machines. I admit that the evenings by the fireplace, walks on the beach, good food and good wine also leave me a unforgettable memory! At the time I write this article and to our delight, it all starts very well with more than 500kg of top quality alpaca fibre waiting to be processed for sale in our online store and the order book filling up quickly. Our machines have just arrived on March 5 and everything is in perfect working condition. Here we go for our greatest adventure.
I can tell you that before starting any new construction by doing everything yourself, you can not imagine the work involved ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Spring 2014 | 23
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24 | Spring 2014 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
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ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Spring 2014 | 25
MAIN HEADING
Serious about
26 | Spring 2014 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
SURIS
Photo by Gareth Saunders, Popham Alpacas
MAIN HEADING
Suris, the most elegant of alpacas, are the focus of this issue of Alpaca World magazine. They are a minority amongst alpacas and have a beautiful, lustrous, draping fleece that is most commonly used in fabric. The notion that processing suri is impossible is a misconception as it is processed in large quantities in Peru and Bolivia. In the UK suri is processed in the smaller mills and the first large scale trial with several tons of British suri fleece will take this place this year as part of co-operative venture between UK Alpaca Ltd and The Alpaca Stud. The fibre will go through the commercial mills in Bradford and be made into a variety of yarns. In this issue Cameron Holt talks us through the properties of suri fibre, we look at the Rumpelstiltskin Project in New Zealand, hear from Sue Blacker at the Natural Fibre Company in Launceston, see what two suri breeders in the UK are up to and learn about the fabric Wini Lebrecque of American Alpaca Textilers is producing in the USA. ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Spring 2014 | 27
THE SPIN ON SURI FIBRE
The SPIN on Suri FIBRE
By Cameron Holt
(c) 2014 Pambula Beach NSW Australia
INTRODUCTION Alpacas come from the Genus Llama family, which also include Llamas, Vicuna and Guanaco. They come under the umbrella of the Camel family, their old relations. The Alpaca and Llama it is thought has descended from the Vicuna and Guanaco.
THE SURI DESCRIPTION • Fineness 18-35 microns (has a soft silky feel) • Length average 100-200mm (4-8 inches) in 12 months • Fleece weight 1.5-4.5 kgs (3-9 lbs) • No crimp (straight fibre). The fleece has curly staples • Lustrous • Medullation (less visual guard hair types) 28 | Spring 2014 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
The Suri should grow a very lustrous silky dense fibre, which hangs in individual locks, vertical to the body (similar to that of a mohair goat). These locks come in various types, with the ringlet formation and the wave with twist being the most popular. Although the face is open it may be covered with short fine lustrous fibre. The topknot area of a suri grows fibre, which hangs down, similar to a fringe over the forehead, falling down onto the face. The style/character in the fleece should be maintained from the forehead all the way down through the body to the lower leg. (Fig. 1) There will be an increase in micron in the apron area. Guard hair (Medullated fibre may also be found in this area (suri fibre contains less medullation than huacaya).
Fig. 1
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Our ethOs is to ensure that our clients enjoy success within their venture, be that breeding or general herd management. • Pre-ownership husbandry training • Pre-purchase no-nonsense advice: Understanding the Alpaca Business; Planning; Logistics; Business Plans; Alpaca Evaluation; End Use; Long Term Objectives • Alpaca Selection: Matching to individual aspirations; Ensuring maximum value for the client financially and genetically • On-going Support: 24 Hour advice on medical problems and emergencies; Herd inspections and breeding advice; Show Team Selection and training; Advice on Gelding Decisions; Sales Advice; Herd Valuations.
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Discover for yourself how The Alpaca Stud can be of service to you. Call us for a chat on 01903 891425 or 07979 651742. Bowford Farm, Goose Green, ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Spring 2014 | 29 Thakeham, West Sussex, RH20 2LP, UK T: 01903 891425 or 07979 651742 e: nick@alpacastuduk.com www.alpacastuduk.com
THE SPIN ON SURI FIBRE Fig. 2
INDEPENDENCE OF LOCK The locks should be independent and free flowing. (Fig. 4) Suri does not exhibit any crimp but is a relatively straight fibre in comparison to huacaya. A very low wave/twist is desirable when looking at the individual fibre as compared to a very straight fibre. (Fig. 5) A hybrid type sometimes referred to as a “chili” or “huasu” is highly lustrous exhibiting a broad crimp like structure and grows in a suri lock like formation. This fibre is undesirable in suri. (Fig. 6)
Fig. 3
The Alpaca population comprises of approximately 94% Huacaya and 6% Suri. Alpacas have upwards of 20 recognised grades of colour. TRUE TO TYPE SURI FIBRE
FIBRE TYPE True to type suri fibre (Fig. 2) will be dense to feel and will have a cold sensation when handled. The bulky intermediate fleece type (Fig. 3), sometimes associated with cross breeding, will have an average density and will be warmer to touch. It is quite noticeable the difference between the two types as the true to type suri will hang close to the body, giving the illusion that the suri is thin, whereas the intermediate type will be more rounded giving a fatter appearance.
There is much discussion on what constitutes a true to type Suri (pure). Just because the two parents are “Suri looking” does not mean the Suri progeny is true to type. It will depend on: • pureness of parents and lineage • correctness of lock type and style • trueness to breed type Many “Suris” coming from South America have no traceable ancestry. They may be from a homozygous male and a Huacaya female (let alone a hetrozygous male). The Suri could look relatively true to breed but have a questionable fleece type. There is an old saying: “If it looks like a duck and walks like a duck it is a duck”. But, how many Suris “look like a Suri and walk like a Suri, but
when you open the fibre they are not as true to type as you think.
TRUENESS TO TYPE Trueness to Breed: Displaying characteristics laid down for a specific breed of animal. Possessing the most desirable characteristics of the breed (correct fibre type). A suri with straight plain fibre and chalkiness (no lustre) would be said to be “not true to breed”. Trueness to Type: A term used more by buyers and processors. It reflects the trueness to the actual requirements of manufacturers of alpaca fibre. EG Fibre which is even and regular within the specifications of a certain type. (Impurities have an effect on this evaluation). Example: Fleece exhibiting the best of all its characteristics and free of vegetable matter would be considered to be “choice or extra super style”, whereas a fleece with a lot of dust and vegetable matter and poor in all its characteristics would be considered “poor or inferior style”.
True To Type
Fig. 5
Fig. 4
Fig. 6
30 | Spring 2014 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
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ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Spring 2014 | 31
THE SPIN ON SURI FIBRE IDENTIFYING SUPERIOR SURI ALPACA FLEECE So how do we recognise superior fleece. Look at all the characteristics and breed for the best of each characteristic. • Lustre • Acceptable fineness • Softness (handle) • Density of lock • Good staple length over a 12 months growth period • Lack of medullation • Well nourished fibres • Free flowing locks
Dust
Yolk
It is therefore important for the breeder to be able to identify chalky type fleeces and either breed this fault out or sell the animals concerned. Breeders should record fleece as: High Good Average Dull / Poor (Chalky) Placing a staple around a finger can help in identifying lustre.
MEAN FIBRE DIAMETER
LUSTRE The main trait is lustre.
Good lustre is the most important characteristic for Suri fibre as this is what is required in a finished garment of Suri or Suri blend yarn. Without this lustre Suri is nothing to the high fashion market. Most Suri fabric is brushed to highlight the lustrous finish. What creates lustre? Lustre is created by the ability of the alpaca fibre to absorb and reflect light. There are many attributes that create this effect – in no particular order: 1. Scale length and height – with Suri scale length of 6/7 scales per 100 microns and the very low protrusion (tip height) of the cortical cells (approx .3 of a micron) the fibre has a good reflective surface. 2. Shape of fibre. The more cylindrical the fibres the brighter they appear to those that have a more imperfect elliptical shape. The cylindrical surface has a more consistent surface to reflect the light. This applies to Suri. 3. Dull chalky/highly medullated fleece/ excessive guard hair. These types do not dye well and due to their surface and internal structure. They have difficulty in reflecting light. 4. Impurities – Yolk (grease/suint), Dust. Both these impurities have the ability to mask the lustre. True lustre can only be assessed after washing the fibre. Judges sometimes underscore fleece when the yolk and dust content is medium to heavy. 32 | Spring 2014 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
This is one of the main attributes. This is expressed in microns (1 micron = 1 millionth of a metre) and is a most important characteristic of any fibre. The micron determines the fineness of the yarn and when using fine micron fibre, soft lightweight fabrics can be produced. Micron accounts for approx. 70/80% of the value of alpaca fleece. The fineness of fibre you are breeding in your herd must be considered if you reflect on what the end product that the fibre is to be used for. Breeders should be aware of the average micron of each animal in their herd not only to identify those finer or superior types, but those that are undesirable for the owners breeding goals. The fineness of the micron will determine the final use of the fibre and in some cases how the fibre is to be processed that is whether the Alpaca is to be blended with another fibre eg. Wool or processed by itself.
HANDLE AND SOFTNESS (Closely linked to fineness) are in my opinion one of the main assets of Alpaca fibre. The softness is usually
due to the micron of the fibre but when comparing Alpaca with wool we have a major difference. The cuticle cells (outer) on wool protrude approximately 0.8 of a micron (scale height) compared to Alpaca that protrudes approx. 0.4 of a micron. This gives a feel of around 2/3 microns finer (softer) than the equivalent micron in wool. With lustrous Suri fibre you can get also a more slippery feel due to the scale frequency per 100 microns being lower, and with superior fibre being cylindrical. These characteristics are advantageous to Alpaca not only from the softness angle but also from the ability to wear Alpaca fibre on the skin. You would assume that the prickle factor which applies to wool with 5% of fibres over 30 microns may not be as severe on the equivalent Alpaca fibre, although if the yarn has a lot of coarse fibres through it this may not be the case. Coarse fibre ends touching the skin triggering pain receptors just below the epidermis layer cause the prickle factor. A low CV fibre usually has fibres more similar in fibre thickness, therefore being softer to handle.
STYLE Suri fibre is basically a straight fibre and is used like mohair for specialised fibre production. One of the main difficulties when processing Suri, (like Mohair), requires some twist in the sliver so it will not pull apart during the drawing process. This is due to the lack of cohesion when spinning caused by the low, smooth cuticle scale structure. Processors have suggested that they prefer a fibre with a slight wave in preference to a straight fibre. From a breeding perspective, Dr Julio Sumar would prefer the ringlet type followed by the lock with twist and wave. Many variations of suri lock type exist. However, in the USA and Australia five types are commonly identified. These range from a tight ringlet, wave and twist ringlet (sometimes known as curled ringlet), corkscrew ringlet and large wave with broad lock. These four would be the most common of the five types with the other one being and a straight fibred lock. 1. The lock twists into tight ringlets almost to the skin. 2. The lock grows showing a small wave with twist. It also grows in a ringlet formation. The best locks will almost twist and wave to the skin. 3. The lock grows in a corkscrew like curl. It
THE SPIN ON SURI FIBRE also grows in a ringlet formation. The lock can be small or large. 4. The large wave with the flattish broad lock is a much thicker looking lock than the above three. The thickness does not necessarily mean density. 5. The fibre grows straight showing no signs of ringlet, wave or curl. Within the above four main types many variations can be seen. These variations can be affected by the trueness to type of the fibre and can be changed, eg. fanned ringlet, when the fibre becomes excessively over long. Another type of lock sometimes found when breeding Suris is that with a crimp like wave along the length of the staple. This is a much bolder and wider crimp/wave than found in the Huacaya fibre. This is not desirable.
CURVATURE
LACK OF GUARD HAIR
Not surprisingly, measurements for fibre curvature in the Suri were much lower than that of the Huacaya. Curvature in Suris tended to give a range from 15 to 35 with the Huacaya showing a range from 25 to 60. (OFDA) It was noted that the coarser the micron, generally the lower the curvature value. Also when the C of V was more variable (higher) the curvature value also tended to be lower. Research by the writer has found that the spread of micron (evenness) over the Suri is similar to that of the Huacaya. Co efficient of variation for micron, prickle factor, was also similar.
The medullated fibres called “guard hair” (Fig. 7)are not desirable in the finished product. They are stiff and hollow with pointed tips. They reflect light differently to solid fibres and are hard to control when spinning. Medullation (guard hair and continuous medulla) is also considered a disadvantage because of fibre breakage. Partial fragmented medulla has little affect on fibre tenacity. Medullation (guard hair) also creates non-uniformity of colour levels in the dyed fibre. A large number of these fibres are removed during the carding/combing process but a number still remain and these are a contributor to the coarse edge, which gives the "prickle factor" (now known as the “comfort factor”) in garments. Being stiff they will protrude from the yarn. Breeders can measure the numbers of medullated fibres including those partially medullated, using an O.F.D.A. (white only). A Histogram of medullated fibres is superimposed over the solid fibres and records the various diameters and spread. Dark coloured fibre is more difficult to calculate and results for these colours are not as reliable. It was noted that as the fibre became stronger in micron there was an increase in medullation. (Holt/Scott 1998).
MEDULLATION Micron
Suri
STAPLE LENGTH
20
4.7%
This is also an important characteristic. Length basically controls the method of processing Alpaca (woollen or worsted), that is, the shorter length fibres will be processed via the woollen system (eg. 2"-4", 50-100mm) and the longer (4"-6", 100-150mm) by the worsted process. The mean (average) length in the top contributes to yarn strength by increasing adhesion of fibres during spinning. Breeders should select animals that do not have short fibre growth over 12 months (compared to other alpacas on the property – if all are short you probably have a nutritional problem). The breeder should record length. This will enable you to identify any animal not producing commercial length fibre. All you need to do is select at random 10 staples per fleece and measure with a standard ruler, and average the measurements.
26
16%
36
42.4%
Suri fibre is all processed on the worsted or semi worsted system. DENSITY This is basically not of interest to processors, but very important to breeders for total fleece production of a given animal. Density not only helps keep out vegetable matter and dust but contributes to fleece weight. Improved density is obtained by an increase of follicles in the skin over a given area. Average density
Alpaca fibre depending on micron has some medullation. The medullated types are defined into 5 categories...
CLEAN FLEECE WEIGHT
(Adapted from J. Villarroel)
Types of medulla and typical cross-section shapes in white Alpaca fibres. 1. Non medullated fibres, 15-20 micron diameter 2. Fragmented, 20-30 micron diameter 3. Interrupted, 30-40 micron diameter 4. Unbroken medium wide, 40-60 micron diameter 5. Unbroken very wide (near to lattice type), 60 or more micron diameter Group "5" is undesirable in Alpaca fleece.
This is of great commercial value to the breeder. The more weight of a given micron the more return in dollars. The processor pays by the LB/ kilo and is not worried how many animals it takes to produce the weight. Fleece weight is a most important factor in your breeding program as you need to identify those animals which are below the herd average as well as identify those superior animals with top fleece weights. Fleece weights and micron are traditionally, in the goat and sheep industry, two of the important selection characteristics along with conformation of course. Clean fleece weight is affected by: • Micron • Staple length • Follicle depth (related to staple length) • Follicle density
Fig. 7
Poor density
ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Spring 2014 | 33
THE SPIN ON SURI FIBRE STYLE DEFINITION There are two basic interpretations of the term “style” for Suri fleece. Style: Characteristics required for Suri fleece style. Style is assessed on lock type and uniformity of the lock formation, density of staple, degrees of lustre, freedom from guard hair/kemp as well as softness to the hand. Uniformity of micron throughout is important but the actual micron is not considered for this style assessment. The above is sometimes referred to as “Classing Style”. Processing style: This is a term that takes in to account the factors mentioned above for. Added to these traits are the district characteristics, such as dust, vegetable matter and the severity of these impurities. Processing loss (tear) is also considered. During the carding (both woollen and worsted) and combing of the worsted wools, the process creates wastage as it passes through the various stages. Lower style wool including dusty wools and those wools which have high vegetable matter content, along with those wasty thin wools (which have lower tensile strength) have a lower ratio of top to noil, when compared to better styled fleece. Processing is in fact “Classing Style plus District Characteristics”.
EXAMPLE PHOTOS OF SURI STYLES
34 | Spring 2014 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
REFERENCES Haldene, R: Private correspondence (1998) Holt, C & Stapleton I Dr.: A survey of Alpaca Fleece Characteristics, 1993 for AAA. Report Melbourne College of Textiles & LaTrobe University Holt, C: Advanced Alpaca Fibre Production, I.S.F. 2001 Holt, C: A Definitive Guide to Alpaca Fibre, Selles Design 2014 Holt, C: Alpaca Appraisal and Selection. I.S.F. 2001 Holt, C & Scott, S: A Survey of Suri Fleece Characteristics, 1998
Michell, D: Peru Private correspondence (2001) Swan, Dr. P: Private correspondence Uphill, G: Private correspondence, CSIRO 2002 Watts, Dr. J: Private correspondence Special thanks to the following for the use of their photos: G Mecklem, J Armstrong, J Short, L Dickson, C Holt. Copyright ownership of this article is retained by the authors Cameron & Joy Holt, Australia ©2014. This article may not be reproduced either in part or full without written permission of the authors.
ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Spring 2014 | 35
MAIN HEADING
A project involving New Zealand and Australian suri alpaca breeders could one day lead to the commercialisation of the fine micron fleece these animals produce.
THE FUTURE'S BRIGHT 36 | Spring 2014 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
RUMPLESTILTSKIN PROJECT
Known as the Rumplestiltskin project, the 13 month venture will hopefully grow the business of New Zealand’s suri alpaca industry. One of the suri breeders involved in the project , Phillipa Gardner, says it has been hugely challenging. "It has taken passion and perseverance to get the fibre off the back of the alpaca and into a processor.” There have been times where there have been tears, a lot of exasperation when we really wanted to give up, but what has kept us going is that this fibre is just so bloody exquisite that you can’t help but do something with it. It has been an interesting journey”. Phillipa says she knew it was possible as Peruvian designers had been using suri fleece to make garments for some time. Suri fibre was a fine micron fibre that commanded a high price and these prices remain the most stable she says. “If you are breeding fine and uniform fleeces, those prices stay pretty static”. One of the biggest challenges the sustainable farming funded project faced was sourcing the fibre. Suris are a rare animal, representing only 4-5% of the world alpaca population. The breed made up 15% of the 20,000 to 25,000 alpacas in New Zealand. The remaining 85% are huacaya alpacas. Phillipa says she found they could not get the amount of fibre needed for commercial processing in New Zealand so decided to source the fibre from Australian breeders, who had been very supportive in this project. The group approached Canterbury Woolscourers in Timaru who agreed to process the fibre, despite the small amount of product they would be processing and the unknown factor of what suri might do in their machinery. “These guys are scouring 500 kg of wool every 6 minutes. We’re putting through 160 kg of the Rumplestiltskin fibre. It was a really big challenge for them but they were keen to work with us”.
CLEAN MACHINE They had to clean their machines before processing the suri fibre to prevent contamination, which took an entire day and a loss of earnings for the scour, despite the monetary contribution from the breeders. “They were willing to give it a go because they wanted to expand the fine wool market, because they see there is an opportunity for them”. Phillipa says they are part-way through processing all the fibre. The bushfires in New South Wales caused a delay in collecting the suri fibre from across the Tasman. This meant they could not meet the deadline for processing the scourer requested. It has resulted in the process running about 4 months behind schedule. She hopes it should be completed by March 2014. The fibre is still at the scour and it about to be transferred to fibre spinner DesignSpun for spinning. This proved its own challenge. There are no mills in New Zealand that had a fine wool spinning frame and were fully worsted, which is a spinning technique used for the tailoring of garments such as suits. Phillipa says their next step will be to source a weaver for the spun fibre. The Rumplestiltskin project evolved out of the Surissimo trial in Australia, which aimed to prove that suri fiber could be processed through modern machinery. This in itself proved to be a massive challenge she says. “It took two years to convince AgResearch scientists to actually give suri a go”. “The anxieties around how it processed, that it would ruin machinery and that it will be impossible to get anything else out the other end was really challenging”. This was because of the unique nature or suri fibre. The fibre is silky, soft and smooth. It has a very long scales on the fibre strands and a very low scale profile. Wool has a short scale and a higher profile and the scales of the fibre catch on one another easily. A suri fleece was not like that Phillipa says. “That’s what gives suri it lovely slick. A well nourished fleece is also a very lustrous fleece and this is important in processing”. The limited supply of the fleece has
to be turned into an advantage by focusing on a market where money can be made at the other end.
CHEMICAL FREE The nature and make-up of suri fibre meant it is a very heavy fibre. This was a huge advantage because it allows the fibre to drape naturally. Another key advantage was that no chemicals were needed to be added to suri fibre for it to retain its lustre. If you are making merino suiting right now, to get the drape and to get the lustre, they put chemicals onto the fibre to enable that to happen. We don’t need to do that for suri”. The sustainability of alpaca farming was also a strong marketing arm for the breeders. “ They are easy on the land and we can tell the most fantastic story around suri”. That sustainability story was very important for those high-end markets that suri fibre was aiming at” she says.
What has kept us going is that this fibre is just so exquisite that you can’t help but do something with it Suri is a rare animal. There’s not a lot of them and we need to focus on markets where we can make some economic gain at the other end and that is about using their rarity and how we farm them to our advantage”. Bumble Hill Alpacas Julienne Gelber worked with AgResearch five years ago on their 'Surissimo Project' and the fabric that was paraded on the catwalk during the New Zealand Fashion Week in 2010 was outstanding. It has qualities that could compete in the high-end of luxurious fabric markets. The AgResearch technicians told the suri breeders that the fabric could ‘blow cashmere out of the water’. “We knew now that we could make a very high performing fabric”. Phillipa says once the project is finished they hope that all of the suri breeders who contributed fibre will have some of the produced cloth. “It’s so they have something to show for the animals they are breeding and producing this really high end luxurious cloth. It will help grow their own businesses and the suri fibre industry which Phillipa “truly believed” breeders can have. “It’s just sitting there waiting for us to do it. We just need to have the courage to take the step and breed the suri well. This project is being run by Surico Alpaca and Thistledown Suri Stud in NZ with the help of the Sustainable Farming Fund , a NZ government organisation.
ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Spring 2014 | 37
RUMPLESTILTSKIN PROJECT
LUSTRE FOR LIFE Now in its second year of operation, the 'Rumpelstiltskin' suri project is well on the way to achieve its aim of developing economically sustainable methods of processing suri fibre, while thriving on the back of cross-Tasman cooperation between suri breeders from New Zealand and Australia.
Paul Vallely of Australian Alpaca Fleece Testing gives an overview of suri processing trials.
O
NE of the key aspects of this project is that it is tackling the challenges of processing this luxurious fibre. In fact the irony of suri fibre is that its positive traits can be its limiting factors for value adding. Suri fibre is perfect for use in top end textile products such as top quality house-ware fabrics and designer fashions. Its beneficial traits are its soft, smooth handle and its obvious natural lustre - used in the right way, a sure way to 'prestige up' product ranges aimed at discerning tastes. The lustrous, smooth nature of suri is largely a result of the structure of the fibre. Firstly, because there is little variation between the type of cortical cells within individual fibres of suri, the fibre grows relatively straight rather than exhibit crimp definition along the staple as with many other natural fibres. Secondly, the cuticular scale (or simply 'scale') on the outer edge of suri fibres is relatively lower and longer than most other natural fibres. As the protrusion of the scale edge is about a third the height of merino, it gives a much softer sensation to the touch. Furthermore, combined with their low height, the scales on suri fibres are also relatively long, thus allowing the reflection of light to emit a more lustrous appearance.
consigning, marketing and information feedback. For example, breeders are continually informed of the project's progressive findings so they may use that information in their breeding programs and husbandry techniques. As a result of the first round of fleece collections from breeders, 200kgs were sent to New Zealand for processing. The fibre has been scoured and is now waiting for latter stage processing. Two messages to emerge from the project to date is that for commercial processing, the suri fibre cannot be more than 140mm. Further, the locking style should be open and flat rather than twisted to enhance processing performance. The fleece collection system used for the project is based on the successful Premium Alpaca model. Fleece collection commences with breeders evaluating their own fleeces against the project's selection criteria. This criteria includes length, colour, level of contamination and mid side fleece test results. Breeders then attend localised collection days where fleeces are re-skirted, grid tested to give overall fleece diameter and SD averages and then checked to ensure they meet all other criteria. It should be noted that only fleeces that have been adequately skirted immediately after shearing are accepted at the collection day. Fleeces that meet the criteria are then weighed
The characteristics of straight fibre with virtually no crimp combined with low scale height, however, make for issues with fibre cohesion during processing. The Rumpelstiltskin project is using 'leading edge' methods to overcome difficulties in getting fibres to effectively mesh.
and placed in appropriate classing lines. Eventually, breeders receive payment based on the weights and the price per kilo relative to the classing lines their fleeces were placed into. The project also uses or encourages 'leading edge' techniques such as 'saddle first' shearing, QA fleece harvesting, exact and unified classing parameters such as 2 micron increments, tight controls on length and maximum allowable fleece SD's. This will ensure fleece consignments from breeders enhance the quality of the eventual product outcomes from the scheme. The end result will be an overall model to showcase the potential of a commercially viable suri fibre industry.
THE PATH TO PROGRESS This project is more than just a processing trial, however - it is a pathway to creating an integrated approach to developing a viable suri fibre industry. The project interlinks the critical components of any fleece industry such as genetics, animal husbandry, fleece harvesting, preparation and 38 | Spring 2014 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Spring 2014 | 39
RUMPLESTILTSKIN PROJECT
CLASS OF 2012 Classing and baling days for the Rumpelstiltskin Project were a great educational device for suri breeders in New Zealand. Here are some extracts from an article written by Hermione Richards of Surico Alpaca about the first weekends of classing in the North and South Islands of New Zealand in 2012.
40 | Spring 2014 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
T
HE Rumpelstiltskin project was looking for a tight specification of white suri with an average micron of 22.0µ to 23.9 µ, an SD under 5µ, and length 80mm – 140mm. The amount of variation in the fibre has an impact of the handle of the final product so it was important to keep specifications tight. As there was a certain amount of cost and time involved in setting up and executing these weekends for both the organisers and the breeders, it was decided to class and collect all grades of suri fibre with the hope that buyers or other projects might be found for the specifications not required by Rumpelstiltskin. In total 63 classes were available. The weekends were each split into 4 sessions of half a day, meaning breeders didn’t need to attend the whole weekend if they only had a small number of fleeces. Each session started with a short introduction to the fibre attributes we wanted and those we needed to avoid. To illustrate these traits small samples of fibre that exhibited either lustre or chalky fleece, colour contamination, strong primary fibre and uniformity of micron were used to train attendees
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RUMPLESTILTSKIN PROJECT micron (SD) is the most difficult part of classing. A midside measurement is a great start, but the fleece still needs to be inspected to assess the micron across the whole fleece. Some animals have excellent uniformity across the fleece and some only have a small area on the upper mid blanket, the rest needs skirting out. Where there was no micron test available we had to make an eyeball assessment, to help us do this we had cards with known micron samples that we could use as a guide. To become proficient at assessing micron you need experience, start looking at as many fleeces as you can and test yourself.
on the good and bad characteristics to look for when classing and skirting. We would then class and skirt a fleece as a group to start then break off into smaller groups, white on one table and colours on another to minimise contamination. Most fleeces came unskirted, which was understandable since most people had been doing nothing except storing the fleece straight after shearing, however it does take more time and we ended up with four very full on days. Very quickly we worked out an order of things to check – length, tenderness, suri style/nourishment, colour (contamination), and micron.
GOING TO GREAT LENGTHS
MAKING THE GRADE
Length is a difficult one for breeders to get their head around, why had we set the maximum length at 140mm? The simple answer is that is what the spinning mills will process, they are already leery enough about processing suri fibre (because it is not sheep wool) so to try and get a much longer length than they usually process is too big a battle at the moment, we know we can do up to 140mm because it was successful in the Surissimo trial. So, sadly many beautiful fleeces went straight to the overlong bag if they exceeded our specification. Remember that fleece length is a management issue – in a commercial fibre production situation birthing and shearing would be timed to produce the optimal fibre length. Tenderness in the fleece can automatically downgrade it to seconds. If the fleece staple is snapping in half it will mean that the length is under the specification minimum. Suri style and nourishment was an important attribute when selecting fleeces as the inclusion of a dry chalky fleece, or fleece without the smooth suri fibres would affect the performance of the final product. In order to be able to command the top prices we need to produce fabrics that display the beautiful lustre and handle that makes suri so luxurious and unique.
The other aspect of micron is how much coarse primary fibre is present. It doesn’t matter what the average micron is if it is full of bristles then it must be downgraded to seconds. We also found fleeces that needed to be downgraded due to shearing and contamination issues. Doing your own shearing might sound like a great idea to save money but we really noticed the difference in fleeces from a professional versus the amateurs. Some fleeces were downgraded for excessive second cuts and shearing blows through the middle of the staple. Shearing shed hygiene was also an issue with fleeces being downgraded as they were too contaminated with coarse fibres from another animal or another colour. If you are serious about producing quality fibre you need to use the experts and plan your shearing well so the best quality and lightest colours are shorn first. Once we had assessed and classed the fleece we skirted out anything not meeting that classification and placed it in bins separating prime and seconds. We allowed a maximum of 10 mins per fleece to try and keep on time and get through tonnage. The bins were weighed in and recorded against each breeder and class. Breeders could then choose if they combined their fibre into the bales or took it home for their own projects.
Categorising the colour correctly and consistently is vital. White must be pure white with no coloured fibres as the dye uptake will be different across different colours and can appear as smudges in the fabric. Although we will probably end up combining the light and mid fawns it is much better to do this just before scouring, then we will know the “recipe” and be more likely to reproduce the same colour, the same goes for creating grey from black and white. Classifying average micron and uniformity of
Tenderness in the fleece can automatically downgrade it to seconds. If the fleece staple is snapping in half it will mean that the length is under the specification minimum. 42 | Spring 2014 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
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WORLD MAGAZINE | Spring 2014 | 43 Greg MecklemALPACA • Alpacas@Teleport.com
ALPACA FABRIC
A L PAC A FA B R IC
WORKING TO DEVELOP AN INDUSTRY B Y W I N I L A B R E QU E , A M E R IC A N A L PAC A T E X T I L E S 44 | Spring 2014 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
ALPACA FABRIC
A
merican Alpaca Textiles, LLC (AAT) have been working for the past four years to develop repeatable, quality textiles utilizing all grades of alpaca fibre. We have faced many challenges in creating repeatable fabric runs due to the lack of uniformity in the fibre available to us. Our fibre is purchased from breeders when we seek specific colour, length, grade or type of fibre, huacaya or suri, we purchase from sorting/ grading events across the country and we also accept donated fibre under 30 microns. All fibre is sorted and graded into batches which are then milled to our specifications, ready to be sent to our weaving mill. We utilize a number of different spinning mills across the United States depending on the end product we are developing. Our weaving mill is a small production facility utilising power looms in a variety of set ups. This enables us to be creative in our design and textile development while managing short runs of fabric to test the market. AAT is challenged by the lack of availability of commercial level processing mills to take our fabric and products to the next level. AAT has recently been focusing on end products for the home decor market including pillows, table linens, drapery and throws. The product will make its debut at a large Home Decor/Design show in New York City in August. In addition, test runs of a suri blend fabric for suiting or clothing has been completed which shows great promise. The
characteristics of suri fibre make production more of a challenge in keeping uniformity and length consistencies. The author, Wini Labrecque, has succeeded in developing a proprietary blend of alpaca/tencel which is machine washable and can be put into the dryer. The resulting fabric does not shrink, holds its shine and actually develops better hand over time. It is hoped this fabric will be moved into production in the near future and developed into a clothing product. The success of our company is very dependent on the fibre supply chain. We require certain standards in fibre production to ensure we can achieve repeatable, quality fabrics. We encourage alpaca breeders to evaluate their programme goals with an eye on improving herds to produce commercially viable fibre.
There must be consistency, quality and quantity in order to supply growing textile industry requirements and needs for production.
There must be consistency, quality and quantity in order to supply growing textile industry requirements and needs for production.
BEST PRACTICE The continued improvement of alpaca fibre production through better breeding practices that take into account fibre characteristics along with conformation are the key to being able to provide quality alpaca in quantities sufficient to sustain a manufacturing process. Sound fibre with uniformity across the blanket in micron, length, colour and minimal guard hair are the primary characteristics utilised in most textile production. Breeding practices that strive for these characteristics make the fibre more valuable since less handling in sorting and grading is required. Breed practices should also include efforts to ensure fibre remains free of impurities and environmental contaminants. The importance placed on specific fibre characteristics may vary from end user to end user depending on their production needs. The following traits discussed are those of importance to the author in production of our own quality high end textiles for upholstery, drapery and home decor products. A company producing high end clothing may have additional or different experiences in the importance of these traits. Producing quality end products with alpaca fibre begins with breeding choices. A healthy alpaca exhibiting good body score and solid confirmation traits gives a foundation for
ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Spring 2014 | 45
ALPACA FABRIC GUARD HAIR
quality fibre production. The alpacas should exhibit minimal micron variation across the body from shoulder to rump as well as down the body to the belly, upper and possibly lower leg. Fibre expressing minimal guard hair across the body as well as guard hair that is closer in fineness to balance of primaries/secondaries. Alpacas that express and maintain fibre micron fineness as they age should be looked upon as serious breeding contenders. Animal nutrition, environment, parasite loads both internal or on the skin along with effects of shearing are all areas requiring attention in order to produce the best quality fibre possible. For commercial processing it is important to have the highest quality and uniformity in fleece offered for sale if you want to receive a good price for it.
Guard hair is present in all alpaca fibre. Guard hairs are the stiffer fibres within the fleece that don’t readily bend or conform to those fibres around them. They present with a duller appearance than other fibres and don’t process in the same manner as the rest of the fleece. Excessive guard hair present must go through the dehairing/ separating process to reduce the quantities within the run. This again will reduce yield, add to production costs and despite all efforts will still have some remain in the end product. These fibres are stiffer so they don’t hold in the yarn twist and have a tendency over time to migrate out of the yarn and in turn out of the fabric. This can cause a degradation of the textile fabric as these stiffer fibres pull out of the fabric. an entire batch or bale of fibre. Cleanliness of fibre for processing helps keep down costs in scouring and processing. Impurities cause a reduced yield and high waste in spinning as well as causing flaws in finished textiles. Again as with off colour fibres, impurities in end fabric result in loss of sales which in turn create production loss and excess expense that is unable to be recouped. For high end fabric production demanding high pricing for finished product, we must strive for clean fibre to be able to produce a desirable product. Uniformity in micron across the blanket, or lack thereof, affects spinning performance and limitations at the mill. Quality of yarn will be diminished by a high variation of micron within the run. High variation of micron may require
SOUND VISION Soundness is probably the most obvious but most often missed fibre characteristic in the purchasing and/or sorting process. A batch of fibre that breaks due to tenderness, brittleness, cria tips or from just being dry will cause a high amount of variability in length within the batch. This variability affects the integrity and durability of the yarn, reduces yield, effects blending opportunities, causes pilling and fibre migration in finished fabrics and affects hand. In a commercial grade textile, all of these are unacceptable. Colour and the uniformity of that colour across the blanket is stressed in the show ring and is a major issue in textile production. When creating fabrics, off colour fibres show up in weaving and act as flaws in the textile. End purchasers of this fabric will refuse to purchase fabric with flaws so it creates production loss not only in materials but also in production costs and labour expenses across the entire chain from raw fibre purchase, shipping, yarn production, weaving process and end product construction. Length helps determine the best processing method for the fibre and also affect yarn production. Varied lengths within a processing batch can lead to poor yarn integrity, fibre migration out of spun yarn, and poor hand. The effect on weaving can be noticed in the fuzzy appearance of the finished textiles. Impurities in just one blanket can contaminate 46 | Spring 2014 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
the batch to go through a dehairing/separating process to help remove some of the heavier fibre. This adds cost to production which in turn creates a product requiring a higher wholesale/retail price. Lack of uniformity in micron will affect the final hand and abrasion resistance as well as drape and appearance of the finished textile. Sorting and grading is required to separate the variations across the blanket into like batches and ensure a quality end product is created for the consumer, one that can also be repeated in the same quality.
For high end fabric production demanding high pricing for finished product, we must strive for clean fibre to be able to produce a desirable product. They also cause a prickly effect which reduces the textile quality and value. Breeding for less guard hair and finer micron guard hair will improve textile production efficiency. Guard hairs do not take dye readily nor in the same absorption level as the rest of the fibres. Primary to secondary fibre ratio can also affect final textile production if that ratio exhibits a high degree of variation in micron between the two. This fibre issue is evaluated at the same time as micron uniformity when sorting and grading and will affect end textiles in the same manner that uniformity of micron does. Breeding for higher quantities of secondary fibres to primaries will lead to better consistency of fleece, higher yields and less variation. Breeding for primary and secondary fibres that exhibit a closer micron range, staying within 3-4 microns of each other will also lead to more uniform, higher yielding fleece. Being a new company in the world of textiles, American Alpaca Textiles, LLC is developing a reputation for sustainability, elegance and durability. We strive to become the frontrunner in a world market for alpaca blended fabrics using American alpaca fibre. It us our mission to bring alpaca blended fabrics and products to the commercial textile market using natural and sustainable fibres. Further information on American Alpaca Textiles can be found at www.americanalpacatextiles.com. We welcome feedback, comments and suggestions for use of our fabrics.
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1
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ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Spring 2014 | 47
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NATURAL FIBRE COMPANY
Sue Blacker of the Natural Fibre Company in Launceston describes her experience of spinning suri fibre.
It's only NATURAL T
HE Natural Fibre Company processes both suri and huacaya alpaca fibre. Generally, since suri alpacas are much less common, we have processed rather less, and often we process a blend of the two rather than pure suri. We are usually able to spin pure suri to woollen spun yarns, but as a natural fibre has occasionally got a mind of its own, we sometimes find we need to add either some huacaya or fine wool to get the suri through the machines and this is pretty much essential for worsted spun yarns – indeed semi worsted (aligned but not combed) is probably a sensible compromise. There are some specific issues with suri and it is worth exploring them: Suri grows longer than huacaya, particularly if left for two years for showing, but this is not at all helpful for spinning, as the length which might win prizes is often associated with matting, felting and tangles, which cannot always be processed and actually from the spinning viewpoint, unless one is doing long-draw spinning by hand, the length of staple beyond around 10cm/4 inches is irrelevant to most mill equipment Suri has a wavy curve and no crimp, so is more akin to mohair or a wool like Gotland, Wensleydale or Teeswater. As such, it also has even smother scales on the individual fibres than huacaya or these lustre wools, which means it will naturally slip apart, hence the need to blend with wool, huacaya or possibly something like silk Because a suri fleece is more likely to come off in individual locks, it is again more like the lustre wools and as such may sometimes seem easier to skirt, but it still needs careful attention and sorting, to remove undesirable hair, coarse hair, matting, etc., particularly at the ends of 48 | Spring 2014 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
locks where dampness and dirt can stick them together irreversibly. Ensuring a yarn will hold together may require a higher twist, which will make the handle less soft: basically the more twist in a yarn the stronger it will be but also the harder it will feel – again adding wool or silk can help to avoid this. The higher lustre in suri adds even more brightness to the natural alpaca colours, but bear in mind that even in wavy locks, the fibre will look paler than when it is twisted, as also the candyfloss paleness of frothier huacaya will also darken considerably when spun. This is important, as you might expect a fawn and end up with a pretty definite brown! It is also worth noting that all alpaca is difficult to blend consistently, reducing the batch repeatability, though within a batch double blending is usually sufficient to ensure a consistent result. This is due to the brightness of the colour in the fibre and many blended shades simply go to grey rather than the hoped-for peaches and pinks one might desire particularly with deep red browns and whites, which can
We find that with all alpaca, wool and mohair, it is not necessarily a prize-winning fleece which will be our favourite for spinning
be a bit disappointing. If you wish to have an idea, comb or brush out some fibres and twist them together by hand and you will see both the darkening and greying effects. As a general rule, we find that with all alpaca, wool and mohair, it is not necessarily a prizewinning fleece which will be our favourite for spinning – generally we find too many points are given to total weight and bulk and we would prefer more for handle and style. Therefore, the suri which we can process needs to be shorn annually and the fleeces must be presented clean, not tangled or matted and not interwoven with vegetation. If you cannot pull the locks apart by hand then our equipment will not do so either and scouring will only make it worse. The other attributes of alpaca are actually common to both suri and huacaya: inelasticity will make the yarns rather less economic than wool yarns and hence it is often a good idea to blend with good quality fine wool to improve this attribute. Wool will also hold together an alpaca yarn, and reduces its propensity to shed hairs, both guard hairs and other fine hairs, which is a particular aspect of alpaca. Finally, alpaca is a denser and heavier fibre than wool, so adding some wool will make a lighter yarn, which is particularly important if you are considering thicker yarns, as they will make for quite heavy knitted or crocheted garments. But fear not, we are only thinking of around 10-20% wool or silk, which is sufficient to help avoid these problems but not to alter the intrinsic character of smoothness, softness and lustre of the alpaca fibre! It is only when one gets to over 30% that a yarn will begin to take on the attributes of the blended fibre types.
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ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Spring 2014 | 49
MAIN HEADING
“ I F I COU L D W R I T E OU T A PR E S C R I P T ION F OR A S T R E S S E D E X E C U T I V E , I T WOU L D B E TO
WORK ON A FARM WITH ANIMALS AT T H E W E E K E N D S ”.
Taken from Chris Agar’s medical insurance assessment in 2004. Apparently, his doctor believes he has the right work/life balance – watch this space.
50 | Spring 2014 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
SPRING FARM ALPACAS South of England Show
Rapper progeny
WE
bought Spring Farm in 1997 and our first female alpacas in 2000. With no real idea of what direction, if any, we might go in, other than breeding our girls, our interests and business has evolved continuously ever since. We started our herd with three pregnant huacaya females but quickly thereafter added our first suris. While our herd was predominantly huacayas for several years, by the time all of this year’s crias have been born, we will be close to 50:50 in numbers. In 2007, we imported Pucara Sur-real Rapper alongside three Snowmass huacaya males from the US. This was a double first, the first import of a Macgyver grandson, Rapper, and the first direct import of Snowmass genetics from Snowmass Alpacas to the UK.
we joined forces with Neil and Michelle Payne of West Wight Alpacas and set up a joint venture - Suri Stud, the aim of which was to search out additional genetics from Macgyver and other world class suris. For those of you who haven’t come across Macgyver, he is a legend amongst US suris. Born in 1996, Macgyver, a mid brown macho, has produced more champion alpacas than any other herd sire in the world. At the 2003 US Futurity, Macgyver took “Herd Sire of the Year”. He then went on to make alpaca history by taking the US “Herd Sire of the Year” a further six times in consecutive years up to and including 2009. To achieve this sort of success, it helps to have a male that can produce offspring of many colours, all of which have superior genetic traits – and who will win in the show ring in those colour classes.
RAPPER'S DELIGHT
YOUNG AMERICANS
Rapper’s arrival at Spring Farm transformed our suri breeding programme. In excess of 70% of Rapper’s crias have been entered into UK Shows and then gone on to win major successes in the show ring. His crias have taken three Championships and five Reserve Championships at the 2011 and 2013 British Alpaca Futurity and added a Supreme Championship in 2013 as well! This should be taken in context that over this period our total suri herd was small. We only had five suri crias in 2013. Both breed types remain of great interest and importance to us. However, it is a desire to build up our suri numbers and the massive impact that Rapper has had on our breeding programme and fibre characteristics of our suris, that has led on to the next phase of our herd development. Over the years that we have owned alpacas, we have been fortunate to meet many like minded owners who also share a similar passion. In 2011
This led us to visits to the US in late 2011 and early 2012 to select a group of suris that would further enhance the quality of our two existing suri herds. We selected two Macgyver sons, fawn and silver grey, one Macgyver grandson, light fawn but son of a world class black Macgyver son – Sniper, and two other males, both white, boasting additional world class genetics from the likes of Torbio, Uribe, Ganador and Bruxo, who were all part of the PP Accoyo import into the US in the early 1990’s. It is in terms of colour that this becomes very exciting! With the diverse group of suri males that we now jointly own with Neil and Michelle, we hope to produce high quality fleeced suris of all colours. We also brought in a select group of female suris – all of whom are related to Macgyver - one daughter,fawn, and two granddaughters, fawn and dark brown. Sadly, at the age of 17, Macgyver passed away in 2013 – a legend in suri alpacas. ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Spring 2014 | 51
SPRING FARM ALPACAS
Spring Farm holiday let
Our males and females finally arrived in the UK in February 2013 following the six month quarantine process – plus an additional three months of border dispute between the US and Canada. So we had to wait until Summer 2013 before putting our new boys to work and now eagerly await the progeny. This will be the time to see the product of our financial investment – and two and a half years of expectations. We have had to make some tough decisions as part of the import process to the UK. For example, we have brought into the UK a number of alpacas that could not be screened due to their age and size as youngsters, or old age – for example an elderly female called Starlette who was too good to leave behind. In her case, she would not have passed screening given she was aged 13 at importation. However, her offspring boast four US National Champion Suri Males, two of whom were black, plus two multi Championship winners. We believe it is vital to have a hurdle to entry so that only alpacas of the highest calibre are successful in screening and therefore being brought into the UK. Having been involved in importing alpacas on two occasions now, we do however feel that the screening rules should be updated – a discussion for another time?
SO HOW DO ALPACAS FIT INTO OUR FARM BUSINESS? We farm a total of 110 acres within the High Weald AONB in East Sussex. Our alpacas are only part of our farming operation. Our entire farm has been within the Countryside Stewardship (now ELS/HLS) scheme for 15 years. We produce our own hay and haylage both to feed to our alpacas and to sell on as a cash crop. We have also been involved in a major environmental project on our water meadow (next to the river Ouse on one side and the Bluebell railway on the other) to reduce 52 | Spring 2014 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
flooding in the Sussex Ouse catchment area – this is already believed to have produced quantifiable reductions in the likelihood and actual flooding in towns like Lewes. We have a range of farm buildings, some
We farm a total of 110 acres... our alpacas are only part of our farming operation
and micro chipping....oh and teeth trimming. They apparently do not include that in my job description:- well at least things that I am prepared to do. In 2014 we are progressing our fibre driven goals by processing our fibre and producing goods for sale. We also offer workshops in dealing with fibre whether skirting fleeces for processing, preparing show fleeces, spinning, felting, knitting etc. All of our fibre from 2013, both suri and huacaya, is being processed currently. As far as first principles of business are concerned we can look at alpacas as part of our business enterprise in two ways: Maximising their value as stock. Maximising the value of their fibre to us.
STOCK VALUE of which we have adapted and utilise for the alpacas, and we have recently converted a largely redundant outbuilding into a holiday let. This we intend to rent out from this summer onwards primarily in conjunction with encouraging farm visitors to come and learn about alpacas, their ownership and their fibre. It is almost finished and we are starting to furnish it in preparation to welcoming our first guests this Spring. We run workshops here on the farm to teach aspects of health and husbandry. These workshops cover everything you need to know about how to keep your alpacas in full health throughout the year. These may include halter training, handling alpacas, toe nail trimming and problem solving handling issues. We run these both for existing owners and, in addition, we also have regular Open Days for prospective owners. We hope that our holiday let will encourage would be owners and existing owners alike to come and stay for a few days to learn any aspect of alpaca ownership...except ear tagging
Obviously there are many ways to achieve this which will involve making cool headed and hopefully shrewd decisions. These will be about alpacas as individuals within our own herd, their genetic value and their ability to pass on desirable characteristics to their progeny. In addition their phenotypic value can be assessed. Even such traits such as parasite resistance, thankfully not needed at Spring Farm, easy birthing, with no difficulty in getting pregnant or getting females pregnant, for a male, should be considered. All of this can be achieved by the ability to recognise either the most pre-potent male or fabulously fleeced female through the quality spectrum to ones more suitable as pets or companions. Of course anyone who knows us knows that each alpaca here is looked after as if we had a herd size of less than 10 alpacas.
FIBRE VALUE Part and parcel of recognising fleece value is the ability to look at your fibre with a critical and
FIVE UNMISSABLE SURI MALES IMPORTED FROM THE USA IN 2013 WORLD CLASS GENETIC LINES FROM ACCOYO, MACGYVER AND MORE...
for more details: www.suristud.co.uk
ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Spring 2014 | 53
SPRING FARM ALPACAS
Alpaca fibre is a very versatile product in a world where there is a demand for truly ethical produce
knowledgeable eye i.e. to evaluate it correctly. Originally shearing day, for us, involved getting everything done as quickly as possible, putting each fleece in a bag then storing and forgetting about it at the back of a barn. These days all of our fleeces are skirted on two tables alongside our shearing stations (baby fleece contamination is picked out at a later date). Any damp fleeces are identified at the time of shearing and in the days after shearing are air dried in the sun weather permitting!. Over the recent past we have had up to 100 alpacas to shear and having a team of people here to help us has enabled us to get everything done in one tiring day! The beauty of skirting our fleeces on shearing day is that I get my hands on every fleece on the farm that same day which is a great way to evaluate “where we are,” compare family lines and identify potential show fleeces. During shearing, we take an individual fibre sample from the mid-side of each alpaca, in part to keep and separately to send off the balance for fibre analysis/testing. It is not only the saddle or the prime blanket that is most readily saleable as neck fibre can easily fall into the finer categories, depending on age. We sell a number of fleeces each year to loyal hand spinners who really value the fibre that they get from us. The majority of 2013’s fibre is being processed and we hope increasingly to use all of our fibre – from alpacas of all ages – rather than sell it as raw fibre. Here at Spring Farm we have committed not to use fertilisers and pesticides so as to farm as organically as possible. This ties in with alpaca being a highly ethical and green product. In this respect very little pollution results from cleaning
alpaca fibre for processing and the range of natural colours means that dyeing is not necessary. Its wicking properties mean that alpaca is not only lightweight but is also very comfortable to wear whether the ambient temperature is hot or cold. New uses are constantly being found for alpaca fibre – such as sound proofing, insulation and breathing masks. Alpaca fibre is a very versatile product in a world where there is a demand for truly ethical produce.
“SO WHAT HAVE THE ALPACAS EVER DONE FOR US?” (to paraphrase Monty Python) It gives us a great sense of achievement to have gone from knowing nothing about alpacas or farming to where we are now. We both have attended many talks and courses on alpacas and farming. Vicki qualified as a BAS judge and for a number of years also chaired the South East Alpaca Group. She also represents BAS on the Fibre Committee as well as the Health and Welfare Committee. Alpacas are central to our farm business and we realised that having a herd of beautifully trained alpacas through all of Vicki’s kind and respectful handling, was a waste of their talents and could be turned to our advantage. So for 2014 we are introducing “alpaca safaris.” Every generation of alpacas born here has benefitted from Vicki’s handling skills and the cumulative effect is obvious in the friendliness and relaxed nature of our herd. Do have a look at both our new Suri Stud website (www.suristud.co.uk) and our alpaca walking website (www.alpacawalking.co.uk).
Vicki judging South East Alpaca Group demonstration
We will train anyone
Shower time!
54 | Spring 2014 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
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Nikki Hayton of Faraway Suri Alpacas writes: “There are many reasons why people keep alpacas and one of them, in my case, is that they may well have saved my life.”
56 | Spring 2014 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
FARAWAY ALPACAS
T
Suris are more muscular than huacayas and are the elite athletes of the alpaca world
HE first time I saw a suri, it was love at first sight. I already had four huacaya geldings as pets, bought after watching a local TV programme in 1998. I really wanted to breed alpacas and as soon as I saw suris in Alpaca World at the start of the century, I had to have some. People at first thought suris were more reactive than huacayas but soon realized that if you trimmed their fringes they could see clearly and were not so easily taken by surprise. Suris are more muscular than huacayas and are the elite athletes of the alpaca world. When body condition scoring it is important not to confuse the extra muscle suris have along the spine with being overweight. My first suri females arrived in 2003 and were joined over the years by select alpacas from all over the world. I mainly concentrate on coloured suris and in 2005 imported an appaloosa female from New Zealand who had a very famous herdsire – Somerset Peru Inca Treasure - as her grandsire. He produced many appaloosas. This female gave me some stunning cria but it was not until she met USA import GLR The Syngergist in 2010 that she produced a rose grey appaloosa cria. He is stunning and as with all appaloosas, his colour developed over the first year or so. He is now a member of my stud team.
diagnosed with cancer in 2009. My passion for alpacas and improving the suri led me to judge training. Last year I passed all the judge training courses and should now be apprenticing ready for certification. However my passion is only for suris and so I am waiting in hope of separate judging tickets for suris and huacayas.
THE POSITIVE TOUCH I spend as much time as I can with my alpacas to ensure they are friendly and well adjusted. Males are carefully chosen, as temperament is definitely hereditary. The best tip I ever got was on a course run by Cathy Spalding of Gentle Spirit Llama Training in the US, who suggested running your hand along the back of every alpaca you passed at feeding time. This really works. Focusing on my alpacas even kept me positive when I was
With a small herd I can allow the alpacas to move from paddock to paddock throughout the day. My original female from Bolivia is very much the matriarch. She is retired from breeding now but is still in control of where the herd goes. At pronking time at dusk she leads the herd and gets very annoyed if any other alpaca dares to try to get in front. In fact they usually follow the same daily ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Spring 2014 | 57
FARAWAY ALPACAS routine. After morning feed time they go to graze in the far paddocks, returning in the afternoon to the hay feeders and then settling down for the night. I keep them in this way to try to emulate an alpaca’s life in South America where they go out to graze during the day and return home to pens at night. Being such inquisitive creatures, moving from paddock to paddock gives them different vistas and interests and makes for a very happy herd. In May 2009 one female even had twins. I went out in the field to find a newly born cria and then did a double-take as there was another identical cria a few feet away. Both were very healthy but weighed in at half the normal weight. One just under and one just over 4 kg. The mother fed them both right through to weaning. My aim now is to produce more high quality coloured suris, including greys. In October a silver grey male and a silver grey female will be arriving from Australia. Classique Moss at three years of age, has already got grey progeny on the ground. He was sired by Somerset Stirling Moss, who was proven homozygous for the suri gene by mating him with a dozen huacaya females. Producing a dozen suri cria from matings to a dozen huacaya is the only way to prove a male as homozygous for suri.
EUROPEAN SURI ASSOCIATION The suris in the UK are up there with the best in the world – as American judges have commented whilst judging in the UK. However we do not have enough bloodlines, especially in the colours. It was for this reason, and because Suris seem to have their biggest fans in Europe, that the Australian Suri breeder and Judge Dominic Lane and myself set up the European Suri Association.
The Hut overlooks the alpacas and is my favourite place to just sit and watch these beautiful creatures
58 | Spring 2014 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
ESA is dedicated to promotion of the suri alpaca industry. The aims of ESA are Education and Training Seminars; Development and Promotion of ESA shows and events; Development of the ESA National Suri Show; Development of ESA Suri marketing group; Development of ESA male certification; Suri fibre research and production; Research into health and welfare; Education and training of ESA Suri judges and above all to act as an open association to serve and support its members. It is hoped to hold the first ESA Show in 2015. This will be open to all BAS registered Suris as well as those registered with ESA. All alpacas, of course, are bred for their fleece and suri fibre is one of the softest and lustrous fibres. It really lends itself to woven garments. The Natural Fibre Company produced a very nice yarn for me in various colours. I had this yarn handwoven into some beautiful award winning triangular shawls - as well as a wide range of other things which I sell via my on-line shop. I also supply a number of doll makers with specially prepared fleece for dolls’ hair and even a wig maker. The fact that suri fibre is so much finer than human hair, does not seem to be a problem and I have had many repeat orders. The New Forest , where I am based, has a producers' group and I hold the prestigious New Forest Marque for my products. In 2012 the New Forest also gave me a grant to have a bespoke Shepherd’s Hut built by Plankbridge of Dorset , to house my shop. The Hut overlooks the alpacas and is my favourite place to just sit and watch these beautiful creatures. Oh, and by the way, I survived my cancer and many people have said to me that I stayed so positive because I had to be out everyday looking after my friends in the field.
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ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Spring 2014 | 59
ASK THE VET
ASK THE VET My alpaca has some hairless patches with thickened skin and itches from time to time. What can be causing this, and what can I do?
Figure 1 The belly of an alpaca with mange lesions. The skin is inflamed but there are also some quite long-standing crusty plaques of skin. The red spots are biopsy sites.
60 | Spring 2014 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
This is probably one of the most common questions that I have to answer. Skin problems are worrying to owners because they are unsightly on a fleece-producing and potential show animal, and also because they can see that their animals are uncomfortable (even distressed) and want to be able to do something to help. Many different ideas exist for how to treat the various skin problems that alpacas get, the most frequent of which is mange. If you call five different owner/breeders for advice on what to do, chances are that you’ll get five different answers. It’s never easy to offer advice when you can’t actually see the animal and the problem in front of you. Therefore, the very first thing that I recommend you do is call your vet to look at the alpaca. Different skin problems will present differently and the distribution of the lesions can be quite important in making a diagnosis: mange lesions are usually in the armpit, under the elbows, on the belly, inside legs, under the tail and ears, nose and around the eyes. Occasionally it can be more generalised but this is rare. The vet will examine the alpaca carefully and will be able to do some diagnostic sampling too. This may include skin scrapes, impression smears or
collection of samples for evaluation in the lab. Blood samples may also be indicated. Skin scrapes are helpful for determining whether or not mange mites are involved, and which particular mite, and this helps to direct appropriate therapy: they are not always helpful though in that sometimes mites are not found and that can put people off performing them. However, if you do see the mites, it helps enormously in choosing the correct treatment plan, and what the implications might be for the rest of the herd. Sarcoptes mites produce a mange that tends to be more aggressive and contagious, while the mites do not survive a long time on pasture: Chorioptes mites produce a more chronic (long-term) skin condition that worsens progressively and these mites may survive for up to 90 days off the host resulting in almost continual pasture contamination unless it is rested. Unfortunately the often-used injection course of avermectin drugs (eg ivermectin, doramectin), although easy, is rarely the solution to mange. It is very helpful in sarcoptic mange, but ineffective in chorioptic mange – the more common type - and does absolutely nothing to address the skin problem! For this, aggressive topical treatment is required, using regular bathing (usually 3 times a week) and mite-killing treatment. The bathing is the key part of treatment and the part that requires the most effort: depending on the particular shampoo used, this not only addresses the crusting, scaling and hypersensitivity of the skin leading to an improvement in overall appearance, but it will be soothing for the affected animal. Not too long ago a vet contacted me for advice about a case of apparently chorioptic mange that the owners had been trying to sort out using various methods for over five years. I passed on my treatment protocol and he was happy to report to me a couple of months later that the owner was having good success with the plan and was seeing significant improvement for the first time… There are other skin problems that alpacas can get but these will often present differently. For example, something that we may see a little of this year after our hideously wet winter is Dermatophilosis. This affects all of our domestic large animals in which there are different lay terms to describe it: rain scald and lumpy wool
ASK THE VET
Figure 2 An alpaca with mange lesions around the nose and peri-ocular area.
for example. Dermatophilosis is caused by a bacterium called Dermatophilus congolensis. It tends to affect moist and macerated skin so is most commonly diagnosed following prolonged wet weather or short periods of high intensity rainfall. In general, because it is the uppermost parts of the body that get wettest, lesions are usually found over the back and neck along the midline and also down the sides of the affected animal. Males appear to be particularly predisposed at the bottom of the neck where they often have rolls of skin that struggle to dry out
I’ve heard about failure of passive transfer in crias and that plasma can be administered to treat it. How do you get hold of plasma since it’s not something my vet can order from his normal suppliers?
Figure 3 An adult male alpaca with Dermatophilosis. Note the crusty plaque-like lesions over the shoulder area: these crusts can be picked off and the hairs come away with the crust so that they look like the bristles of a paintbrush (below).
properly. Large areas of skin can potentially be affected. Crusts of varying thickness are observed on the skin and these can be painful when trying to pick them off. When they are removed, the hair comes away with the scab and they often have an appearance like a paintbrush with the hairs protruding from under the scab. The diagnosis can be confirmed by making smears from the crusts and the characteristic bacteria will be seen under the microscope. Treatment involves some topical therapy to the affected areas and also a course of antibiotic. There is currently no commercial source of plasma in the UK. There is a commercial plasma bank in the US but plasma would need to remain frozen in transit and pass by customs quickly! Permissions would also have to be checked before placing any orders! In the UK, your vet can collect blood from donor alpacas in your herd and process into plasma for you to store for an anticipated clinical need. Vets cannot legally sell plasma without a license from the Veterinary Medicines Directorate – this is a license to run a blood bank essentially. There are many quality control steps that have to be taken in order to earn the license (which also carries a hefty annual fee) but this is in order to maintain quality of the product and safety for the intended use. Ideally, plasma collection this should be organised prior to the start of the birthing season, so now would be an excellent time! Basically, the vet has to place an IV catheter in a suitable adult donor animal for collection to take place. Donors should ideally be males over three years old, preferably vaccinated every 3-4 months or minimally three weeks prior to collection in order to ensure good antibody levels. Castrated males make perfect donors since they do not have much energy outlay and are generally a good body weight. Blood is collected into 450ml bags and a
special (large) centrifuge is required to centrifuge the blood (in the bags) and separate off the plasma into separate sterile packs (not syringes) that are stored in the freezer until use. It is important that this is done in a very sterile manner because the most effective means of plasma administration is by intravenous infusion. Plasma that is not processed carefully is not appropriate for administration via this route. Very few vets have their own centrifuges capable of spinning blood bags as they are quite large and can be expensive – they are not the regular centrifuges that they will use on a day to day basis. However, blood can be sent by courier to the Pet Blood Bank at Loughborough: it will be processed there and sent back by overnight courier frozen. Blood needs to be centrifuged as soon as possible after collection (and kept cool or ideally refrigerated in the meantime). Plasma is best used within a year of collection: after this it starts to deteriorate. If you are having trouble organising blood collection for plasma production using your regular vet, please give me a call as I am planning on offering this service from this year. If you or your vet have any questions about plasma supply or administration I am available for consultation on 07769 271506, or by email: claire@ukalpacavet.com ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Spring 2014 | 61
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62 | Spring 2014 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
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Supporting British Alpaca Breeders
2014 Fleece Collection
UK Alpaca will buy ALL your huacaya fleece including leg and short neck. All grades of fibre have value and we are pleased to say that all your fleeces are used to make a variety of yarns in Britain with the lower grades going into cushions and bedding. Keep British fleeces in the UK. Support us in developing a reputation for supplying the best high quality British alpaca yarns into the wholesale and retail markets. Prices paid for the 2014 clip will be as follows. Contact us for your copy of our shearing guidelines including tips to maximise returns from your clip. Grade
Colour
Skirted Price/kg excl VAT
Unskirted Price/kg excl VAT
Baby
White
£12
£10
Baby
Coloured
£8
£6
Fine
White
£8
£6
Fine
Coloured
£5
£3
Skirtings, short neck, coarse and shearing waste
All
£0.40
Please do not consign your yearling necks to ‘waste’. They should be bagged separately and if the neck staple is more than three inches long will go into the top grades. UK Alpaca specialises in British alpaca yarns with full provenance and aims to support alpaca breeders by maintaining our reputation for high quality product. If you sell us your fleece you are entitled to buy back stock yarns at wholesale prices with no minimum order.
For more information contact Chas Brooke or Rachel Hebditch on 01884 243579 or rachel@alpaca-uk.co.uk UK Alpaca Ltd, Vulscombe Farm, Pennymoor, Tiverton, Devon EX16 8NB
www.ukalpaca.com ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Spring 2014 | 63
MINIATURE LLAMAS
THE MAGIC OF MI
After five years of research, planning and waiting, Llama Lland can now unveil the first registered miniature llamas in the U.K. and Europe. Tom and Julie Tripp owners of Llama Lland in Cornwall said, “If we had known from the beginning how difficult this enterprise was going to be we may have thought twice about doing it, now they are here though it has all been worthwhile.” 64 | Spring 2014 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
It all began in 2008, Julie was surfing the net when she came across mini llamas in North America, as she was going out to do some training on conformation and packing of standard llamas, and it was the ideal opportunity to investigate mini llamas. On returning to England after seeing mini llamas our kitchen table became operation mini llamas. “We had no idea what we were letting ourselves in for” said Julie. “This was one of the most difficult and expensive things we have ever done, taking months of organising and many sleepless nights along the way,” said Tom. Our journey started when we got the maps of America out and marked on it the locations of miniature llamas. We had planned to pick up a car in New York and drive to the chosen 20 ranches and return to New York all in three weeks, also fitting in a day sightseeing in New York. Three days before leaving England our friends with alpacas, Janet and Nigel Hicklin, were admiring our llamas and it was over a cup of tea that Janet said “You’ll never see all that in that time , do you know how big America is?” Being Cornish farmers we assumed everything was ten minutes away.
HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PROBLEM The next day Julie rushed into the travel agents and booked many internal flights in America to get us around quicker and arranging to pick up the car in Chicago instead, we would never had made it back to New York in time. In 2009 we flew to Houston Texas, Tom’s luggage however was heading in a different direction and we didn’t see it again for another three weeks when we were departing. Thanks to the kindness of one the ranch owners, Tom was kitted out with jeans, boots and shirts for the three weeks, he liked the clothes so much he lived in them for months. Our flight into Houston was delayed because of a massive thunderstorm with four to five inches of rain falling within hours. We saw our first miniature llamas by torchlight, walking over duck boards; this was not a good start to our adventure. The next morning was a flight to another part of Texas to meet Donna, who was retiring from breeding and had a large herd to select from. Donna offered great hospitality and her little llamas were so cute, especially the spotty ones. We visited the chairman of the mini llama society at the time; he gave very sound advice and had a lot of knowledge of breeding lines. Our days consisted of getting up early to drive to a ranch to look at the animals then drive through
MINIATURE LLAMAS
INIATURE LLAMAS
the night to get close to the next ranch, finding a motel – sleep – breakfast – drive! The American people were very helpful, especially when we looked lost, “You guys need a map?” “You can use my cell.” We did not make it back in time to have a day in New York; this will have to wait until another time. We flew home and organised the purchase of the remaining llamas we wanted , In the end purchasing from 5 different ranches, which made it logistically difficult but we wanted to make sure we had the widest gene pool possible. Now the task was to find a quarantine ranch in Canada, organise testing and transportation.
DISUNITED STATES Each state in America has their own rules and regulations. You can imagine working with 50 different agricultural departments all seemingly contradicting themselves. Sometimes we were told the llamas were moving too soon from one state and not soon enough to the next, they needed to be floating in their little clouds somewhere. We found a fantastic haulier called Sally Rucker who helped smooth out some of the problems we were having with the authorities. Even Sally could not have predicted that when she arrived in Texas to collect that group t a
fax was came through to say that under no circumstances could the llamas be moved as the vet had tested this group of llamas in the wrong part of the body. This meant we had to wait a further three months before this group could join the rest. The quarantine began in Canada and they spent a year in Canada becoming Canadian citizens and for the last seven weeks Tom went to oversee the final testing and transportation of the llamas to the airport. We probably would never have got the llamas home without the expertise of Richard Beale of Stanford Livestock International Limited. While in Canada Tom had to walk 10 kms each way to the quarantine farm on a daily basis as there were no buses .He said “It was a delight to see the llamas after the long walk, always walking briskly as the temperature could go from 10c to 20c in no time at all, no wonder my juice often froze”. Tom really got to know their personalities while working with them every day. One day he was picked up by a lady in a wheel chair, they became firm friends and she enjoyed visiting the llamas and her friend named one of the young llamas that had been born while in quarantine. Finally in April 2011 the llamas and Tom arrived home on the same plane by first class British Airways.
FANCY THAT People in America started breeding for miniature llamas in the 1990's under the leadership of Bud Page. On 15th September 2001 at the Four State Fair the first mini llamas show took place and Bolivian Fancy Me won best female juvenile and went on to win Grand Champion. Bolivian Fancy Me is one of the llamas that has become the nucleus of our breeding programme standing at 36.7 inches at the withers, one of the stud males Chile Rocket stands at 35.2 inches at the withers. Chile Rocket is where it all started, he was the first llama we bought with Cadbury Carmel and a female with the most extravagant name ever, called Stage Stop Sugar at Midnight. The whole experience has been a long and worthwhile journey of discovery meeting some wonderful people and llamas along the way. Our cloud of 22 imported llamas has doubled during the three years that they have been in Cornwall and we are now ready to share the magic of mini llamas offering exclusive groups for sale. Llama Lland has been breeding and selling llamas since 2001, now we are launching Llama Lland Llittle Llamas and expanding our Cornish Country Llama Walks. For more information – Email: info@llamalland.com Tel: 01872 540465
ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Spring 2014 | 65
MAIN HEADING
Alpaca World Magazine
GIVE AWAY
TEA WITH AN ALPACA Artist and alpaca owner Helen Rose has produced a set of alpaca mugs with a choice of designs, each unique and taken from her own water colour paintings. The mugs are a generous 330ml and dishwasher safe. Helen lives in rural Suffolk with her husband, daughter, shaggy dog and a herd of alpacas. She has already published a book 'Keeping Alpacas, Secrets from the Field' that is a diary of her experiences of looking after alpacas.
We are giving away a free mug to the first three readers who send in their name and address. Helen's books and mugs can be found at www.churchlanecrafts.co.uk
66 | Spring 2014 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Spring 2014 | 67
FROM
FLEECE TO
FASHION Liz and Ian Giblin bought their first alpacas in 2007. Their first intention was to have a few lovely alpacas grazing the fields of their new home in the Essex countryside. They then started researching, learning about alpacas and meeting them – and that was it, like many, they were hooked.
68 | Spring 2014 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
FROM FLEECE TO FASHION
L
iz and Ian were struck with how friendly and helpful ‘alpaca people’ were - always willing to advise and to share knowledge and experience. Liz and Ian considered their options and decided to focus on high quality stock – they set a budget and started with four breeding females, two with cria, and a dozen ‘pet boys’. Their intentions had moved on with thoughts of starting a small business, and particularly to increasing the population of alpacas across East Anglia. Seven years later and they now have an alpaca herd of over one hundred. It has been hard work, not least because they have both been in other full-time employment, but they have built a thriving business farming alpacas. Being an enthusiastic knitter, Liz was keen to do something with all the wonderful alpaca fleece that soon started piling up – so she started having it spun and knitted. This led to Liz, in 2013, leaving her full-time job to focus on their entire ‘field to fashion’ alpaca business. Liz has always been an avid animal lover and considers herself very privileged. She adores her alpacas, knows every one of them by name and character, and prides herself on raising alpacas that are not only high quality, friendly, healthy and happy – but also useful and enjoyed by others.
THE TEDDY BEAR LOOK We decided from the outset to focus solely on Huacaya rather than Suri – simply because we preferred the ‘teddy bear look’. In hindsight, this was a good decision for us – currently huacaya is more commonly processed and is more suitable for our range of knitwear. When we considered our first purchases, we chose alpacas in a range of solid colours, including white, fawns, browns and black – they would look nice together in the
field. But again, this turned out to be a good decision - with our later focus on processing, variety of colour is ideal – and we can be sure of, and influence, the quality of our own fibre. After a couple of years, to complement our quality female lines, we started to invest in stud males – carefully selecting genetics and colours that would benefit our existing lines. We are increasing our knowledge of colour genetics, but from the basics we knew that our selections could give us excellent results across the full colour range. For now, we continue to breed all the colours – but we are especially focused on improvement in black and brown fibre, as these generally have further to go, compared to white, in the UK. It has never been truer that if you want to process your own fibre or continue to maximise your returns, then investing in quality is key. When we moved in to our new home, the fields around our farm were extremely unkempt - we had some lovely wild flowers, but also some Triffid-sized brambles, remember them, they are coming back apparently. We needed to weed the land and fence it as well as erecting shelters so we started by sorting a few acres first and have
Liz prides herself on raising alpacas that are not only high quality, friendly, healthy and happy – but also useful and enjoyed by others.
gradually expanded. Ian, being highly practical and keen on farm machinery, was able to manage much of the work himself, and family and friends joined us for ‘relaxing weekends in the country’. A key lesson - apparently you need a different tractor for each type of job so Ian’s tractor collection is blossoming. But even Liz admits that the more mechanical means you use, the easier and faster the work. By managing the land – sweeping up the poo, weeding and fertilising, re-seeding and resting - we ensure it remains tip-top for grazing. Our fields were initially quite boggy, so before we installed the fencing, we employed a professional land drainage contractor to install a network of drainage pipes and moles. Although costly, this was a good investment and we have really seen the benefits of it this winter. Through our breeding programme we have improved fibre quality and increased our homegrown stock. We have been lucky in that every year we have bred more females that males – must be something in our Essex water. We have invested in new lines to complement our own, and have also bought-in pet boys to keep pace with demand for them. Having a high number of alpacas, and the colour range, means that we can offer a wide choice to customers – whether pregnant or open females, pet boys, potential or working studs. We also work with our alpacas from an early age to ensure they are halter-trained and used to people and thus ‘friendly’. We thoroughly enjoy introducing potential owners to alpacas, and run sessions and courses to help people in the knowledge they need to keep and breed them. We provide ongoing support services, giving welfare advice and visiting owners to undertake health checks and the various husbandry activities. We also offer alpaca stud services with our team of champion males. ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Spring 2014 | 69
FROM FLEECE TO FASHION
It was a harsh but helpful lesson – do not expect every birth to be easy, and ensure that you have an experienced vet or alpaca professional available
70 | Spring 2014 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
BIRTH PAINS
FOCUS ON FIBRE
How exciting is your first born cria - of course, we missed the birth, despite popping out to check ‘every five minutes’ – or that’s how it felt, typical. But no matter, a beautiful chestnut brown, lively boy – great mum, he was suckling straight away and never looked back. Gosh, this is easy we thought. Until, our second – a breach birth, unfortunately try as the vets did, they could not save the cria and the mother’s uterus was torn beyond repair. It was a harsh but helpful lesson – do not expect every birth to be easy, and ensure that you have an experienced vet or alpaca professional available. Our experiences should not put anyone off breeding, it’s a fantastic experience, but do ensure you are prepared. We have now birthed over one hundred cria, and in my experience, one in every ten births will have some sort of problem. First-time mums undoubtedly have more problems – whether this be struggling to birth a large cria or just the shock of it, through to insufficient initial milk. Ensuring you have a Birthing Box of useful goodies, including colostrum and powdered milk, that hasn’t expired, is key. Major problems such as a breach birth are rare, but take every opportunity to learn how to handle problems. Since 2007, alpaca shows in the UK have changed a great deal – they are now bigger and more professional and we are keen supporters of the National, the Futurity and the regional shows. We have not taken many of our alpacas to shows, mainly due to time constraints, but we have entered a few of our boys and girls over the last few years and are proud to have gained a number of rosettes and achieved Champions and Reserve Champions along the way. Participating in alpaca shows is enjoyable, and is a really good way of determining the performance of your breeding programme – the competition gets stiffer every year. Times have changed since we first started keeping alpacas. At that time, it was quite likely that a small/medium sized alpaca breeder could earn a reasonable living - it was never going to make you rich, but would be enough to pay the mortgage and tick along nicely. Now, unless you really want to live ‘The Good Life’, this is an unrealistic objective, and to earn a reasonable living you need to do something else as well – fortunately alpacas can provide a solution here.
After about three years we started to consider the fibre side of things further. What was striking is that even though with over 18,000 alpacas, at the time, in the UK, and those being sheared every year, there was very little on a medium or large scale being done with the resultant fibre. From the outset we focused on high quality animals, partly in the belief that this was ‘the right thing to do’ rather than having our end-goal completely defined. The real benefits of quality become evident when you start to do something with your fleece. If you sell it, it is obvious - the better the quality, the higher the price it can fetch. If, like us, you process it, you really get to see how aspects such as fineness, uniformity, yield, colour and brightness impact the quality, and thereby desirability and price, of your end product. Experience in knitting helped when it came to the processing side - Liz knew what she wanted in a yarn, if not how to achieve it. To sort your fibre into different grades, based upon fineness and length, and to use each grade for the correct purpose, is key to producing a desirable end product. Through attending courses about alpaca fibre, Liz learnt the principles of how to sort and grade fleece. By actually handling and sorting fleece she gained experience of how to apply the principles – they say ‘practice makes perfect’, and that’s never been truer. To gain a better understanding of the spinning process, Liz visited a number of mills – their owners are generally happy to explain the process and give you a tour of the mill, which helps bring it all to life. Whether using a mini-mill or large mill, whether woollen or worsted, processing alpaca fibre is undoubtedly expensive - this is unsurprising as it is a complex and specialist procedure. So, if you want to maximise your output of yarn and minimise your costs, it is essential to grade and sort your fibre as best you can. Grading and sorting is not just about the micron count of the fibres, it is also about the length – for spinning, Liz uses only fibre that is at least 3”/8cm long, this ensures the strength and stability and lack of moulting of the end product. You know just how well you have sorted your fibre when your yarn comes back from the mill – by the quantity and the quality of the yarn that you receive. Of course, that can be a slow, frustrating,
Alpaca Feeds Mole Valley Feed Solutions produce two high quality Alpaca compound feeds in 3mm pellet form. Both diets have shown continuing success and now contain high levels of selenium.
The Alpaca Winter Pellets are formulated for balancing winter forage situations and are available from October to April.
Our high quality Alpaca feeds contain:
The Alpaca Grazer Pellets
• Cereals for high energy. • Sugar beet for quality fibre and palatability. • Fully mineralised to balance forages. • High levels of vitamins and trace elements for health and fertility.
Alpaca Winter Pellets
The Alpaca Grazer Pellets are available for the main grazing season.
Packed in 25kg plastic bags, these feeds are available for delivery direct to the farm in minimum 1 tonne lots or for collection from branch by prior arrangement.
For further information or to place an order call the feedline on 01278 444829
ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Spring 2014 | 71
FROM FLEECE TO FASHION
As an industry we have started to inform and educate the public about the wonderful properties of alpaca but much more is needed and expensive way to learn. Many alpaca breeders now run training courses on fibre grading and sorting – it is well worth attending one, you could soon save the cost, and more, in the processing. Liz now sorts fibre into six grades. The great thing about alpaca fibre is that there is a use for every grade – whether we want to wear it, look at it, cuddle it, sleep under/on it, or even walk on it. There is no international standard for the uses of each grade of alpaca fibre – this is unsurprising as the feel of alpaca is a very personal thing and is related to our skin sensitivity. Currently, around the world there seems to be different names for the same grade – hopefully our BAS Fibre Committee can help to address this in due course. Liz outlines in the table below how she currently sorts and grades fleece, and the various uses she makes of each grade (see table at foot of page). Thus far, Liz has chosen to specialise in producing yarn that is 100% alpaca, rather than blending it with other fibres. She has concentrated on the natural alpaca colours, blending them to produce an array of shades and employs a few local ladies who love to knit – initially keeping her Mum and Aunt very busy knitting bespoke garments that would be sold at Fairs and Markets. She is now developing ‘The Alpaca Shop Collection’ – including a range of knitting patterns and hand knitted garments, and is continuing to take commissions.
THE ALPACA SHOP In 2013, Liz established a new company, The Alpaca Shop Ltd, with the aim of being a focal point in the UK for alpaca related products. This embraces designing, developing, sourcing and delivering alpaca fleece and fibre products for garments, home accessories and gifts. Keen to promote their own and other British endeavours, to begin with Liz was offering just British
products - including alpaca yarns, handknits, socks, throws, duvets and pillows. However, it soon became clear that, even with an increasing range of alpaca products produced in the UK, this approach would limit the viability of the business. The range has now been extended to include Peruvian made goods such as rugs, soft toys, and knitted and woven product. As an industry we have started to inform and educate the public about the wonderful properties of alpaca but much more is needed. The Alpaca Shop attends country shows during the summer, showing alpacas as well as the products. During the colder and wetter months the fleece and fibre products become very popular, particularly at Christmas fairs and markets. A key element of the venture is the online shop, www.TheAlapcaShop. co.uk along with telephone ordering. Liz has also set up a shop in an old Essex barn at the farm, which is now open regularly. The farm offers an ‘Alpaca Experience’ – the opportunity to spend two hours in the company of alpacas – meeting them, learning about them, and taking them for a walk. This is a really popular experience, a great way for people to get a better understanding of the alpacas’ usefulness, as well as their friendliness and cuddliness. People can see, and feel, the fleece and fibre products first hand – and hopefully be tempted to buy. Liz considers herself very privileged to be working with alpacas, ‘living the dream’ and creating something so lovely and useful. She is keen to expand their available product range and support others’ endeavours in creating fleece and fibre, or other related, alpaca products. If you are producing anything made from, or about, alpacas that you wish to sell, or would like to talk through ideas, Liz would love to hear from you and can be contacted on 07811 353105 or info@ TheAlpacaShop.co.uk.
Grade(s)
Name(s)
Micron Range Uses (by The Alpaca Shop)
0 and 1
Baby / Royal
Up to 20.9
Knitted and Woven Garments, including those worn next to sensitive skin
2
Superfine
21 to 26
Knitted and Woven Garments, Felted Products, Toys
3
Fine
27 to 29.9
Woven Throws and Blankets, Felted Products, Toys
4
Course
30 and Above
Duvets, Pillows, Toppers
5
Short
Any
Bird Nesting Material
72 | Spring 2014 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
Designing and delivering luxurious alpaca yarns, garments, accessories and gifts for everyday living
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www.TheAlpacaShop.co.uk +44 (0)1277 896565
drum carders for The Perfect Carder ,ibre For Alpaca and All Fine Fibres preparation
www.classiccarder.co.uk Tel: 01746 714130
or visit our Alpaca Farm & Shop Also: Alpacas for sale, stud services, experience days, courses, welfare support and advice
Email: info@classiccarder.co.uk
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Online Alpaca Advertising at Affordable Prices ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Spring 2014 | 73
BOOK REVIEW
A DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO ALPACA FIBRE
by Cameron Holt
Reviewed by Graeme Dickson, Breeder & member of the Australian Alpaca Association Ltd. Served on the AAA National Committee and chaired several sub-committees; Registered teacher of Alpaca Agricultural Certificate, TAFE NSW; Life member of AAA. To my knowledge this is the first publication to combine scientific subjects such as alpaca fibre histology and modern testing techniques with invaluable information on skirting and classing protocols for alpaca fleece production. While also incorporating advice on practical topics like shearing methods and shearing shed design it includes a chapter on alpaca fleece judging principles which will satisfy even the most devoted show ring fanatic. The subject matter concludes with an overview of the varied procedures surrounding alpaca fleece processing; a book in total summation reflecting the author’s many years of dedication and commitment to his subject. It is a culmination of over 45 years of Cameron Holt’s work in natural fibre industries throughout the world. In that time he has been associated with training and marketing in the sheep industry (merino and other breeds), conducting research and training in the mohair industry followed by a long and comprehensive journey into the world of alpaca fleece. His interest and research into alpacas and alpaca fleece has taken him around the world educating, training and advising the various alpaca breed organizations and processors across four continents on the properties and attributes of alpaca - justifiably earning him a reputation as an “alpaca fibre expert”. Cameron is equally at home working with individuals or small groups 74 | Spring 2014 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
of growers to improve their hands-on knowledge of fleece or presenting at large international conferences and gatherings of alpaca enthusiasts. In the contemporary, high-tech era it is essential that alpaca fleece prepared for the end market is not only classed accurately but tested and described correctly to meet the demands of today’s high speed processing equipment. With that in mind, the extensive knowledge and information contained in this one book is a must for growers, teachers and classers alike. I am sure it will also be a platform to assist organizations and companies to initiate systems for qualified classers that will aid in the standardisation of alpaca fleece lines that can be recognised worldwide. The overall text and graphics contained herein will guide all students of that remarkable animal – the alpaca – to discover much about the distinctive qualities of alpaca fleece while ensuring that fleece educators, trainers and classers, across all levels, will have a valuable reference resource. In short, I believe that Cameron Holt’s book will be referred to as the alpaca fleece growers’ and classers’ “bible” for many years to come. The UK Stockist for Cameron Holt's new book is Classical MileEnd Alpacas. Please contact Chas Brooke at chas@alpaca-uk.co.uk or 01884 243579 to buy this book.
Cameron Holt, a leading alpaca fibre expert, has had some 50 years in the fibre industry, namely as a wool broker, sheep classer, judge, educator and researcher. He first became involved with the Australian alpaca industry when working at the Melbourne Institute of Textiles. Because of his background and long association with wool, mohair and cashmere industries, Cameron was asked by the founding fathers of the Australian Alpaca Association to develop an education program and to advise and set up standards for both the testing and judging of alpaca fleece. Because there was little written about Alpacas in modern times, knowledge needed to be obtained, so a research program commenced in 1990. Cameron became Head of the Wool and Fibre studies department of R.M.I.T. University School of Textiles, where he was responsible for the delivery of the training for the Wool and allied fibres Industries. He is currently judging and training Judges for the Australian Alpaca Association and in his role as Senior Fleece Judge and trainer for AOBA, was involved in the training of AOBA judges as well as judging. He travels internationally, judging for various alpaca groups in other Countries. Cameron, a leading alpaca fibre expert, still continues his educational clinics and lectures throughout the world. In 2012 Cameron was honoured for his work to the Alpaca Industries in Britain and Australia with Life Memberships to their organisations. In June 2013, he was awarded the "AOBA Distinguished Judge Award" to recognize the lasting and significant contributions to the alpaca industry he had made which was well beyond general expectation. Cameron, continues to travel globally, judging for various alpaca groups. He also, along with judging, is currently training Judges for a number of International Alpaca Associations. Cameron still continues his educational clinics , lectures and conference speaking throughout the world. In his semi retirement of grandchildren, golf, fishing and community support, still manages to find time to continue with publications and research into alpaca fibre characteristics and allied areas.
Alpaca books & digital discs from Classical MileEnd Alpacas Now available from our online shop at www.alpaca-uk.co.uk or by mail order The Complete Alpaca Book 2nd Edition Eric Hoffman The most complete and comprehensive study of the alpaca. £120 + £8.50 p&p Antenatal Birthing and Cria Care Dr E McMillan and C Jinks A practical guide for the new alpaca owner written by an experienced alpaca owner and their vet. £20 + £1.50 p&p The Alpaca Colour Key; Rickets: The Silent Killer; Handbook of Alpaca Health Elizabeth Paul of Erehwon Alpacas Australia This trio of books are a welcome addition to the library and cover some fascinating and essential areas of animal health and inheritance not easily found elsewhere. Over 90 pages in each, plenty of supportive colour pictures and biology degrees not needed! £22 ea or £60 for all three +£1.50 p&p ea or +£4 p&p for all three Alpaca Field Manual C. Norman Evans, DVM Down to earth, comprehensive, and simple to navigate. Its pictures and recommended drug tables will help breeders keep their alpacas healthy. £105 + £5.85 p&p Neonatal Care for Camelids David E Anderson, Toni A Cotton, Claire E Whitehead Highly recommended book from three well respected veterinarians. Covers male and female reproduction, birthing, neonatal care and weaning. A practical ring bound manual based on clinical experiences with over 50,000 alpacas and llamas. A must for all breeders and veterinarians. £85 + £3.50 p&p
Cheques payable to Classical MileEnd Alpacas. Credit/Debit card payments accepted.
Calamity’s Bear Elaine Reeman Illustrated by Wendy Holloway Charming children’s book with lovely illustrations. £8 + £2.50 p&p The Art & Science of Alpaca Judging AOBA with Anderson, Gehly, Safley & VandenBosch Five years in the making this book will become the bible for developing breeding strategies and explaining what goes on in the show judging ring. Essential reading for both new and experienced owners. Highly recommended. £72 plus £6 p&p UK or £10 p&p Europe Orgling CD Alpaca World Magazine Fifty minutes of pure testosterone orgling courtesy of Classical Ikon. Ideal for those young males needing encouragement. £7 + £1.50 p&p Introduction to Alpacas DVD Rachel Hebditch of Classical Mile End Alpacas A 14 minute insight into these lovely animals for those thinking of owning alpacas. £10 + £1.75 p&p
Vulscombe Farm, Pennymoor, Tiverton, Devon, EX16 8NB Telephone 01884 243579 or Fax 01884 243514 Email enquiries@alpaca-uk.co.uk
www.camelidcompletefeed.co.uk
08456 076 559
Camelid Complete Feeds The winning formula The only UK Company specializing in the Nutrition of Alpacas • • • • • • •
Developed in Association with Experienced Camelid Veterinary Surgeons Advanced formulation of Minerals and Vitamins (Rich in Selenium & A, D & E) Natural Goodness from First Grade Non GM ingredients Maximises Health and Fleece Production Designed to complete a Forage Rich diet Breeding & Rearing Formula allows for a forage intake of 85%+ Low Sugar Content
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ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Spring 2014 | 75
AU REVOIR AND OUT
AU REVOIR AND OUT
Sadly no pot of gold at the end of the Breton rainbow as Graham Martin writes of his plans for relocation.
76 | Spring 2014 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
AU REVOIR AND OUT
IT
is with a heavy heart that I write this article. My exploits have been reported over the last few issues and I hope that the readers have been able to enjoy them in print as I have in reality. However this will be the last article I write from France. Due to a change of circumstances we have come to realize that life in France is not going to work for us. This news in itself is heartbreaking as my daughter loves it here and I have never seen her smile so much which makes it all the harder. My partner, too, is also thriving. Every morning she heads out on to the land or walks the dog with a smile on her face, a rare thing for a Mancunian. But a series of events have conspired against us and forced us to abandon our dreams. Prior to Christmas we had a rough trot, getting here was continually delayed, red tape at every turn, realizing there was more to do than we ever thought, my gran passing, the females aborting due to the chasse letting a dog run wild in the field and then the weather started.
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It has been the worst weather ever recorded in Brittany and the department in which we live was branded a state of emergency. However apart from power cuts over Xmas and the constant rain we were let off really lightly. In the UK one of my friends decided to sell up due to illness and so some alpacas came on to the market that I had been longing for since I first saw them. Along with the animals I traded Idaho for and a few others sourced from other breeders downsizing I had a decent shipment to bring over. Every day the rain kept coming and our spirits hardened a little but it made doing work on the land difficult. Then the bombshell, three days before the shipment arrived, I received a call from the UK saying that a large payment from a business I had set up was not coming and in fact the business wasn’t working out or rather the person running had decided to ditch it. One of the problems of being out of the UK is that I can't keep an eye on things the way I would if I were there and instead of being forewarned things were going badly I just got the bombshell that it was going under. Sixteen alpacas en route and my income had effectively been halved overnight. My partner and I were at our wits end.
HEADING BACK So we weighed up all the options and the only conclusion we could come to was coming back to the UK. Coming back is full of headaches but I have a job waiting for me and opportunities a plenty. Perhaps trying a life in Scotland so I could be near my friends and the kids could grow up with the closest thing to family I have is the best option. But to get there we have to sell our own piece of heaven, we have to put a price on our dreams that we had worked so hard to get and sell it off. The extra animals that came over means we are stretching what land we had, and again down to money, we now cannot buy the extra land we had hoped for. So now after many weeks of hoping for a miracle we have put the houses both here and in the UK, most of the animals, and the equipment on the market with a view to getting back and settled over the summer so the kids can start school in August. On the upside I have acquired some wonderful animals, some really wonderful animals and it will be a wrench to see them go. We have also got some awesome memories. The animals that arrived were a funny lot, they regularly have me in stitches and they certainly bring out the best in the other animals too. They seem to give them confidence and a touch of swagger. Two of the boys are like the class clowns, constantly messing and strutting their stuff. Caesar is a quality animal and he certainly seems to be the boss in the short time he has been here. The girls are fantastic, the pregnant girls are a bit moody at times as
ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Spring 2014 | 77
AU REVOIR AND OUT
Our loss does mean that there is an amazing opportunity for someone out there, they can take over with a readymade herd and everything needed to start a new life over in France 78 | Spring 2014 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
can be the case, but apart from the occasional grumble and wariness of being handled they are still friendly. The other girls are hilarious. very forthright, if you don't feed them quick enough they let you know their displeasure, not nastily but you can hear them snorting at you and one even spat at me as I was filling the trough because I was in her way. The tears were running down my cheeks as I saw the look of indignation on her ladyship's face. Their attitude has really brought out the best in our others, Rosie has become more confident to the point of nudging us to get us to go where she would like her food, or trying to push us out of the way so she can go in to the little ones' pen. Even Cups, my nemesis, has settled and become more friendly. That's not to say she runs over and gives me hugs but she is a lot more tolerant of me now. And then there is Reefer. He is something else. He is a Magnum cria out of Tia and he is special. I would like to say he is even better than his dad but I guess that will be for the judges to decide when I get to show him. His lustre is crazy, lock structure excellent and has a decent density already. He is special and I have been told there is unlikely to be anything quite like that in pure black in the country. I hope I can bring him home with me as working alongside Caesar he will assure a good future for me in alpacas.
DOG DAYS Over the last couple of months we have had the chasse passing nearby but they don't transgress the boundaries anymore and so we are more comfortable of our standing and safety here. With two of my friends suffering from dog attacks in recent weeks and both losing animals I am so glad I have sorted that issue out. I keep Alaskan malamutes and they have been very good with the alpacas. They are protective of the animals and the land without being aggressive and so the chasse dogs are usually seen off quite quickly if they ever venture too close. Even the insurance
case I have against the local chasse is in hand and hopefully I won't have to go through the French court system to sort it out as that could take years. It's a large claim for the loss of six babies so only time will tell how it all works out. But all in all things have improved and now the rain has stopped and the sun is shining it seems a shame to be leaving. Just the other day I sat out on the land and played guitar for a couple of hours for the first time and it felt like true freedom. The dogs laying down at my feet and the alpacas in the fields it truly felt like home. However our loss does mean that there is an amazing opportunity for someone out there, they can take over with a readymade herd and everything needed to start a new life over in France, an opportunity we wish we could make more of.
DRIVING 'EM CRAZY It is our plan to mate the animals early this year, with the hope that they will be ready for transporting in the summer if we do not sell in time. I don't think the boys will have any issues with it this year, we have mating areas set up to make life easier, and we have the Pamela Anderson of alpacas at hand if any of the boys seem reluctant. Florence doesn't look anything special in alpaca terms to me but when the boys see her pandemonium breaks out. No other alpaca has this effect on them but when she trots up to the fence line and gives them a glimpse the boys come running. It's a crazy thing to see but ever so funny. I honestly wish I was going to be writing more of my adventures in France for the readership but it isn't meant to be at this time, once the kids are grown and gone we might have less pressure and have more reliable things in place to allow us to have a permanent move but for now our dreams have to be put on hold and we have to start over I hope that someone else can carry on the adventures and perhaps write the occasional article to keep us informed on how alpaca life in Brittany is working out. ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Spring 2014 | 78
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Based in North Hampshire near the Surrey/Berkshire Borders. Less than 5 mins from M3 J5. Close to Ports & Airports.
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Mid-Cornwall’s premier alpaca herd Our breeding aim is to maximise fibre production and improve fibre quality generation upon generation, with a view to providing the ultimate fibre for yarn production. alpacas usually for sale. Higher Carpalla Farm Foxhole St Austell 01726 338580 07974 796792 nigel@nigelretallack.co.uk
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a pacas Nigel and Margaret Retallack
BREEDERS DIRECTORY
Alpaca World Magazine’s
BREEDERS DIRECTORY FRANCE
DEVON
Alpacas de la Grange Mynas Gillian Howard-Evieux, La Grange Mynas, La Glacière, Saint Chamond, France, 42400. Tel: +33 (0) 4 77 22 85 69. Email: howard-evieux@orange.fr. Web: www.alpaga-alpaca.com. In the heart of France (30 mins Lyon). Prize-winning alpacas for sale. On-farm and fly-by matings possible with top-class AlpacaStud males – all colours. Initiation and full after-sales support. English/French spoken. B&Bs, holiday flats available for your visit.
Classical MileEnd Alpacas Rachel Hebditch & Chas Brooke, Vulscombe Farm, Pennymoor, Tiverton, Devon, EX16 8NB. Tel: 01884 243579. Mob: 07970 415638. Email: rachel@alpaca-uk.co.uk Website: www.alpaca-uk.co.uk Professional breeding farm with 18 years alpaca experience. Show winning herd sires with British, Australian and American genetics available for outside stud servicing. Wide selection of quality alpacas for sale as pets or breeding stock. We maintain rigorous management of on farm bio-security including full farm perimeter wildlife fencing. Excellent customer support and training with visitors welcome by appointment.
SPAIN Alpacaspain Jane Powell, La Dehesa, Gaucin 29480, Málaga, Spain. Tel: 00 34 951 168 007. Email: info@alpacaspain.com. Web: www.alpacaspain.com. In the south of Spain near the historic town of Ronda good quality alpacas for sale at sensible prices. Huacaya & suri - most colours. Good quality stud males. Visitors welcome. English & Spanish spoken.
UNITED KINGDOM BEDFORDSHIRE Rushmere Alpacas Jo Parker & Neil McAndrew, Little Cuppers, Rushmere, Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire LU7 0DZ. Tel: 01515 237416. Fax: 01525 234068. Email: j.parker101@btinternet.com Website: www.rushmerealpacas.co.uk Quality herd on the Beds, Bucks and Herts border offering a superb service to new and experienced breeders. Pregnant/maiden females, stud and pet males. Free training and 24/7 support.
DORSET Alpha Alpacas Di Davies, Woodstock, Mapperton Lane, Melplash, Bridport, Dorset, DT6 3UF. Tel: 01308 488661 or 07739 382483. Email: didavies@alpaca.fsnet.co.uk Web: www.alphaalpacas.com A small elite herd where fibre, biosecurity and support to our clients is paramount. Our herd, of all colours, have an outstanding show record. Sales, stud services and advice available. GLOUCESTERSHIRE Kensmyth Alpacas Helen Kendall Smith, Kensmyth Stud, Clay Meadow, Cirencester Road, Cirencester, Glocs. GL7 6HU. Tel: 01285 862020 / 07799 700587. Email: helen@kensmyth.com Web: www.kensmyth.com Family farm, central Cotswolds. A warm welcome, friendly advice. Free husbandry courses to clients new and existing. Elite bloodlines, fantastic fleeces, range of colours. Alpaca purchased here can be agisted.
Pure Alpacas Jay Holland, Torsend House, Main Road, Tirley, Glocs. GL19 4EU. Tel: 01452 780327 / 07789 257222. Email: jay@purealpacas.co.uk Web: www.purealpacas.co.uk A family-run herd of both huacaya and suri with a range for sale from pets and poultry guards to elite breeding stock, all backed by professional, unrivalled support and advice. Our herd sires, from renowned bloodlines, are all proven and available for outside services. We run a variety of courses which cater for all levels of experience. Snowshill Alpacas Roger Mount, Snowshill Hill Barn, Temple Guiting, Cheltenham, GL54 5XX. Tel: 01386 853841 / 07711 044106. Fax: 01386 854791. Email: roger.mount@btinternet.com Web: www.snowshillalpacas.com Breeders of prize winning Huacaya and Suri alpacas in Gloucestershire. We usually have alpacas for sale, from pet to show quality. Stud services available from a wide selection of proven sires. After sales support and advice. We also have fabrics for sale, all made from our own alpacas and spun, woven and finished in the UK. HAMPSHIRE Pennybridge Alpacas Joy & Peter, Pennybridge Farm, Greywell Road, Up Nately, Hook, Hants RG27 9PJ Tel: 01256 474978 / 07801 132757 Email: joy@pennybridgealpacas.co.uk Web: www.pennybridgealpacas.co.uk The Pennybridge Herd & Stud. Alpacas for sale. Most colours available, even the rare appaloosa. Quality starter herds, proven and potential stud males, stud services, pets and sheepguards. Free advice and after sales support provided. Watership Alpacas Keith Taylor, Greenacres, Thruxton Down, Andover, Hants SP11 8PR Tel: 01264 889206 Email: info@watershipalpacas.co.uk Web: www.watershipalpacas.co.uk Watership Alpacas invites you to visit and discover alpacas. We have all colours of BAS registered huacaya breeding females, young males, potential studs and pets for sale. Inexpensive stud services all with full support and guidance.
HERTFORDSHIRE Herts Alpacas Nigel and Katie Beckwith, Fairview Farm, Wyddial Road, Buntingford, Hertfordshire, SG9 9BS. Tel: 01763 271301 / 07802 433155 Email: beckwith904@aol.com Web: www.hertsalpacas.co.uk Award winning British Alpaca Futurity breeder. Over 80 quality alpacas for sale in all colours from world famous bloodlines. All our pregnant females are mated to the finest recognised and proven championship winning males. Stud services available, friendly halter trained pets and unbeatable after sales care. NORFOLK AzSu Alpacas Nikki Lenk, The Low Farm, Letton, Thetford, Norfolk, IP25 7TB. Tel: 01362 820097. Mob: 07798 522178 Fax: 01362 821333 Email: nikki.lenk@azsualpacas.com Web: www.azsualpacas.com Norfolk’s largest breeder offers potential and existing owners a friendly and complete service. High quality studs; breeding females and wethers for sale; practical training; caring agistment; fleece conversion; sound advice on all aspects of these magical animals. Burnt Fen Alpacas Ann Nickerson, Garden Cottage, Burnt Fen, Horning, Norfolk, NR12 8LA. Tel: 01692 630553. Email: alpacas@burntfen.plus.com Web: www.burntfen.co.uk We are long established alpaca breeders and have developed a fantastic friendly herd bred from excellent pedigree stock. We sell quality breeding females through to gorgeous pet animals with genuine after sales support and processing advice for your fleeces.
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BREEDERS DIRECTORY NORTH YORKSHIRE Fowberry Alpacas Graham and Jenny MacHarg, Crambe Grange, Barton Le Willows, York YO60 7PQ. Tel 01653 619520. Email: info@fowberry-alpacas.com Web: www.fowberry-alpacas.com Supreme Championship winning herd, including the overall Championship winning Huacaya Sire of the biggest show in Europe (2012). We offer super-fine genetics; correct conformation and happy healthy alpacas; knowledgeable advice and after-sales assistance; regular introductory and advanced courses; on-line shop and as importantly, our support to achieve your alpaca goals. SOMERSET Tai Wind Alpaca Stud Lynn Pepper, Staffords-Mead Stables, Lower Rudge, Frome, Somerset, BA11 2QE. Tel: 07790 674334. Email: info@taiwindalpacas.co.uk Web: www.taiwindalpacas.co.uk Show quality black alpacas. Fast forward your genetics with our stud males. We have a selection of pregnant females and young stock for sale from our show herd. Import, export.
West Dorset Alpacas Mrs Carol Eyre, Sadborow House, Thorncombe, Chard, Somerset TA20 4PW. Tel: 01297 678407. Fax: 01297 678429 Email: caewda@yahoo.co.uk From our prize winning herd of long standing we have alpacas to suit your every requirement, be it show stock, predator protection or pets. All colours, ages and prices available. SUSSEX WEST The Alpaca Stud Nick Harrington Smith and John Potts, Bowford Farm, Goose Green, Thakeham, Pulborough, West Sussex, RH20 2LP. Tel. 01903 891425 or 07979 651742. Email:info@alpacastuduk.com Web: www.alpacastuduk.com Home to 2 Huacaya Champion Futurity Herdsires, 2 Suri Champion Futurity Herdsires and 2 Junior Herdsires, we have high quality females, Proven & Junior Herdsires, and pet males for sale, available in all colours. And unbeatable breeding genetics available for drive by and mobile mating.
A w lpa an c te as d
WARWICKSHIRE
YORKSHIRE
Toft Alpacas Rob & Shirley Bettinson, Toft Manor, Toft Lane, Dunchurch, Warwickshire, CV22 6NR. Tel: 01788 810626. Fax: 01788 522347 Email: shirley@toft-alpacas.co.uk Web: www.toft-alpacas.co.uk Alpaca Stud Farm, est 1997. Pedigree stock for sale in all colours. Superior stud services. Stud males for sale or lease. Pets for sale. Introductory and advanced husbandry workshops. Fleece and fibre workshops. 24/7 advice and support. Holiday cottage on farm. Luxury alpaca products online and on-farm shop.
Beacon Alpacas Jacki Barlow, Suncliffe Beacon Farm, Husthwaite, Yorks YO61 4PD. Tel: 01347 868879 or 07716 917315. Email: beacon.alpacas@yahoo.co.uk Web: www.beaconalpacas.com Females; Herd sires with winning Australian, British, Canadian, Chilean, Peruvian Huacaya genetics; pets with personality; Alpaca walks all available to buy or hire with our committed training and after sales service.
Book your space in the Alpaca World Breeders Directory now by telephoning Heidi Hardy on 01598 752799. An entry is priced at just ÂŁ35 to cover FOUR issues.
For Sale
3 small herds of alpacas: 10 females, 11 females, 8 wethers. 2 breeding males. For more information contact: Hazel Hayman 01736 762858. Helston area in Cornwall.
Tel. James WA Graham 07624 462973 Email. jwag73@outlook.com Fax. 01624 878757
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H OUGHTON HALL alpacas
Here at Houghton Hall Alpacas in Cambridgeshire, a friendly welcome awaits newcomers and established breeders who wish to visit our Farm to view and have a friendly chat about Alpacas. Established in 2002, Houghton Hall Alpacas is a premium independent farm set in beautiful orchards with over 700 Alpacas roaming through our many paddocks. We take great pride in our herd and are always striving to produce excellent quality cria. We have gained recognition through selective breeding with our prize winning stock. We travel far and wide visiting the best breeders in Australia, New Zealand and of course the UK to ensure we source the best alpacas.
Just look at our Stud Males One single purchase from Houghton Hall Alpacas gives you access to all of our Stud Males. Visit our website for more information.
Navigator
Neptune
Centurion
Storm
Balboa
We welcome anyone interested in starting up a small herd or looking to bring quality genetics into their existing herd to contact us. We offer for sale: 4 Pet Males 4 Superior Huacaya and Suri alpacas available in a variety of colours, sex and ages 4 Top quality pregnant females some with adorable cria at foot 4 First class young males – stud quality 4 Recipient girls, carrying elite embryos at very competitive prices. We are confident you will be delighted with the results, maybe a future champion in the making.
We offer full support with every aspect of alpaca ownership. Whatever your budget we feel sure to have an AlpackageŠ to suit you. If you are new to the alpaca business or looking to enhance your herd with outstanding genetics, contact Mick or Liz today! Mick and Liz look forward to welcoming you to their farm. Please phone in advance to arrange a visit. Office: 01480 461510 Home: 01480 492959 Liz: 07791 887986 Mick: 07860 430280 Houghton Hall Alpacas, Houghton Hall, St Ives Road, Houghton, Cambridgeshire PE28 2BL Email: info@houghton-alpacas.co.uk www.houghtonhallalpacas.co.uk
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Take a look at the other sides of Mick George:
www.mickgeorge.co.uk & www.houghtonhallec.co.uk