2019 Purely Suri Magazine

A silly rhyme:

PURELYSURI

™

Fall/Winter 2019 Ten Dollars

A PUBLICATION OF SUR I N ET WOR K

Photo courtesy of Linda Kondris, Pines Edge Suri Alpacas

A serious message:





Make the Mark work for you:

www.surinetwork.org

A silly rhyme:

PURELYSURI

™

Fall/Winter 2019 Ten Dollars

A PUBLICATION OF SUR I N ET WOR K

Photo courtesy of Linda Kondris, Pines Edge Suri Alpacas

A serious message:





Make the Mark work for you:

www.surinetwork.org

surinetwork.org

3

Message from the President Greetings to our Suri Network members and Suri enthusiasts from your Suri Network Board of Trustees.

We are honored to serve you in working to advance the Suri industry. The board, along with many other volunteers, has worked successfully on our 2019 initiatives to accomplish the goals set before us, including sponsoring the 2019 Suri Symposium and All Suri Fleece Show, implementing the first phase of the Suri Simply Stunning™ brand program, and updating the Suri Network strategic plan.

The 2019 Suri Symposium and All Suri Fleece Show held in August 2019 was a stunning success. It was well attended by members and enthusiasts from across the US as well as Germany and Poland. Our conference theme was Suri Simply Stunning™, which showcased our Suri brand initiative. The Symposium was packed with educational presentations and lots of hands-on learning. Presentations included topics such as global perspectives on Suri, the developing US market and Suri Simply Stunning™, as well as EILEEN FISHER’S Sustainability Journey in the Fashion World. There were also many breakout sessions to choose from including hands-on fleece evaluations, pain management and hands-on fiber sorting.

During the Symposium, the Suri Network Board hosted the members’ Annual Meeting and announced the SN officers for the upcoming 2019-2020 year: President, Sue King; Vice President, Deb Christner; Secretary, Beth Sheets and Treasurer, Nancy Lindemood. The Treasurer presented the SN financial statements and the Board updated members on the major SN initiatives, including the implementation of the first phase of the Suri Simply Stunning™ brand program.

In this phase we developed an application for SN members and nonmembers to apply to use the Suri Simply Stunning™ brand to market their Suri products and farms. We have over 20 participants in the program since August. The brand program is free to SN members and costs an annual fee for nonmembers.

In addition, we have marketing packages available to participants that include Suri Simply Stunning™ banners, product stickers and hang tags. We also have some beautiful products in our Suri Network Store with the new brand on it, including shirts, hats, and coffee mugs. Take a look at all this on our website, www.surinetwork.org.

In 2019, the SN strategic plan committee worked over several months to draft an update of our strategic plan. They will be wrapping up their work by the end of 2019. The major areas addressed in the draft include: growing and strengthening the Suri Network organization and its members; increasing the numbers and improving the quality of the overall national Suri herd; and identifying and building market opportunities by promoting and increasing exposure of Suri alpacas, fiber and products. We look forward to 2020 as we focus on our strategic initiatives driven by the updated strategic plan. We will draw on our member volunteers to help drive these initiatives, so stay tuned for opportunities to contribute your time to advance our industry.

This is an exciting time to be in the Suri industry as we focus on promoting our Suri Simply Stunning alpacas and products. Thank you for your support!

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Warmest regards, Sue King, President, Suri Network

Suri Network Board of Trustees Sue King, President - We purchased our first Suri alpacas in 2011 after falling in love with their fine, luxurious fiber at the Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival. Our farm, Big Timber Alpacas, is located near Sherwood, Oregon and home to between 30 and 40 alpacas. We focus on breeding the highest quality Suri alpacas for seed stock. We also promote suri fiber in the commercial/cottage fiber industry, through participation in various trade shows and festivals. I have a background in corporate finance, executive leadership and general management through my career experiences with CH2M and KPMG and service on various corporate and not-for-profit governing boards.

Deb Christner, Vice President - My husband Doug and I raise Suri alpacas in the North Fork Valley of Western Colorado at Akuna Matada Suri Alpacas. We purchased our first alpaca in 2004 and agisted until finally, Doug and I, along with the alpacas, moved to the ranch in 2008. As chair of the Product Development Committee for three years, I was involved in creating the P2P educational DVD, the Suri Strut fashion show and educational and promotional events and publications. I have taken numerous fiber classes through the University of North Carolina, along with grading and sorting classes. I also sort and grade suri fiber for Liz Vahlkamp’s company, NASCO. Nancy Lindemood, Treasurer - I am the owner of 2 Point Farm, LLC in Dry Ridge, KY. I got my start in the alpaca business about four years ago with two alpacas and now manage a herd of 20 Suri alpacas, two Maremma sheepdogs, a few beehives, two house dachshunds and three cats. I retired from Procter & Gamble several years ago with 28 years of experience in financial analysis, logistics and leading large organizations. I am a long time animal shelter volunteer and amateur dog trainer who enjoys clicker training. I am currently the Treasurer of our local beekeepers club and this year was elected Secretary of the Kentucky Alpaca Association.

Beth Anne Sheets, Secretary - Beth owns Heritage Farm Suri Alpacas in central Indiana with her husband Tim. They have raised Suris and been active members of the Suri Network since 2003. Beth was a consultant for a major pharmaceutical company for 20+ years and recently retired. She has been a Board Member for the Indiana Alpaca Association for over six years and is currently treasurer. She has served more than eight years on AOA committees and is currently chair of the Judges Training Committee . She has served for over 20 years in the local 4H program and is still active as a project leader and support for the Lama project within two counties.

Jennifer Hack, Director at Large - I established Triple H Ranch three years ago. As the owner and operator, I decided to breed solely Suri alpaca. For the past twelve years, I have served on the Board of Directors for the United States Equine Rescue League, Inc. (USERL) - a non-profit equine rescue - holding the position of Executive Director for the past ten years. I have been an Advertising Coordinator for PurelySuri for the past two years. This past year I was elected to the board of my AOA affiliate, the Alpaca Breeders of the Rockies (ABR) and serve as the Marketing Director for that organization.

Margit Korsak, Director at Large - I hold a B.S. in International Business and have enjoyed a successful career in marketing, market research, advertising and business consulting within a variety of industries, including media, hotels/resorts, and plastics. I founded Boulder Hill Alpacas & Photography five years ago and currently maintain a herd of 30 Suris. My alpaca and nature photography has been featured in several magazines. Before alpacas I was a breeder of show dogs and served on the board of the Akita Club of America for eight years. I spent six years on the board of the Society of Plastics Engineers heading up both marketing and membership committees as well.

Elizabeth Vahlkamp, Director at Large - My husband, Chris, and I run Salt River Alpacas which is located on 116 acres in Paris, MO. We own approximately 70 Suris, of which 22 make up a fiber herd and the remaining are breeders. We have been Suri owners since 2004. We have participated in the show system for many years, and we have pursued a breeding program designed for profitability in fiber production.

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Table of Contents Features 12

To Blend or Not to Blend?

by Gabrielle Menn

16 Breeding Alpacas

by Dr. Norm C. Evans, DVM 22

A New Perspective: Alpaca Shows by Grade and End Use

by Amanda VandenBosch

12

26 Brand New

by Ted Ritschard

34

Integrating Males into Your Herd

by SN Member Farms

42 MisSuri Stats Class Learns the Ins and Outs of Suri Breeding

by Jennifer Crane 46

Persian Knotted Rugs Made with Hand Spun Suri

52

Suri Fiber: Important Characteristics in Sorting and Grading

by Deb Christner

26

by Wini Labreque

56

Geldings Aren’t Always Good Guys

60

The Suri Summer Symposium

by Jill McElderry-Maxwell

by Sue King

34

Departments 4

Message from the President

5

Board of Trustees

9

Statement of Purpose

65

The Suri Network All Suri Fleece Show Results

81

Suri Network Membership Directory

87

Advertising Index

46

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Suri Network Statement of Purpose PURELYSURI

Dedicated to the preservation of the Suri alpaca.

The purpose of the Suri Network shall include, but shall not be limited to, the following: To promote, through education to the alpaca community and the general public, awareness of and interest in, Suri alpacas and their fiber, and related business interests.

To promote the growth of the Suri alpaca industry.

To serve as an industry and marketing group to promote and protect the collective economic and legal interests of the Network’s members.

To organize and conduct, from time to time, a Suri alpaca event, which shall be open to the public and which shall further the purposes of the corporation. This event shall provide members and other participants with the opportunity to share with each other their ideas, encouragement, knowledge, and companionship.

Fall/Winter 2019 • $10

PurelySuriTM magazine is a publication of the Suri Network. Statements, opinions, and points of view expressed by the writers and advertisers are their own and do not necessarily represent those of PurelySuri, members of the Suri Network, the publisher, staff, employees, or agents. Suri Network does not assume liability for products or services advertised herein. Suri Network reserves the right to accept or reject any editorial or advertising material.

No part of PurelySuri may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronically, mechanically, by photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior express written consent of the submitting author to which the article, photography, illustration, or material is copyrighted. PurelySuri assumes all work published here is original and is the work and property of the submitting author. All product and company names are trademarked or copyrighted by their respective owners. ©2019 by Suri Network, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.

Publisher: Suri Network Managing Editor: Jill McElderry-Maxwell Advertising Coordinator: Dawn Chew Browning

Contributing Authors:

Michelle Alexander Patti Anderson Deb Christner Jennifer Crane Dr. Norman C. Evans, DVM Laurie Findlay Patty Hasselbring Wini Labreque Jill McElderry-Maxwell Candy McMahan Gabrielle Menn Ted Ritschard Amanda VandenBosch

Printer: Able Printing Company Patient Print Guru: Steph Pride Cover Photo: Margit Korsak @2019 Suri Network, Inc. P.O. Box 1984 Estes Park, CO 80517-1984 Phone: (970) 586-5876 office@surinetwork.org www.surinetwork.org

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To Blend?

Or Not To Blend?

by Gabrielle Menn To blend or not to blend alpaca with other fibers is an interesting quandary. Interesting, indeed.

“As we go about the room, please introduce yourself and your experience with alpaca or what you have heard about it.” The responses from knitting guild members entwined around a similar theme.

“It’s so silky soft! But … I knit a scarf, washed it, hung it on my towel bar to dry, and it grew six more inches.”

“My son wanted me to knit him a pair of alpaca socks. It was the first time that I ever knit socks. They fit great the first time he wore them, but the opening stretched so much that they won’t stay up and the heel was so floppy that they don’t fit in his shoe. I tried gently washing them hoping that they’d shrink a little bit back into place, but then the length of the foot was too short. It was a disaster.”

The stories of saggy sweater elbows, crew neck collars that became scoops, and waist lengths that became hip length, had me cringing at my own early experiences of exploring the fleeces off our first alpacas.

Twenty-plus years ago, when no mill that I contacted could process 100% alpaca, I was disappointed at the idea of blending 20% wool with my precious exotic alpaca. I sold my medley of sheep breeds and invested in my first merinos. “If I have to blend it, I’m going to blend it with the best.” As I sit at my desk typing this today, I’m laughing at my formerly purist self. Those 80% alpaca, 20% merino sweaters that I made with those yarns are still precious treasures in the wardrobe, with necks, elbows and waistlines still in place. The socks I knit with those blended yarns lasted six seasons before I finally wore holes in the heels.

I had gotten caught up in the alpaca marketing claims of the day without having the science to support those claims. “Warmer than wool.” “Softer than cashmere.” Alpaca was touted as the most superior and versatile fiber known to man. So why would we ever want to blend it with something inferior?

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When asking alpaca breeders their opinion of wool, the comments are generally negative: “it’s scratchy”, “it has to be washed first”, “it’s coarse.” Okay. Fair enough. If all I had ever been exposed to were old army surplus blankets made from short, high micron wool, my impression would also be negative. However, if you do a sideby-side comparison of histograms of my average merino to that of the average alpaca, my merino will win out every time in fiber diameter (micron), standard of deviation, and comfort factor.

In an effort to support the emerging alpaca cooperative, I purchased a sleeveless top: 60% baby alpaca 40% acrylic. I remember thinking, “Why?! Why would anyone blend natural with plastic?” The short answer is money. Acrylic is much cheaper to produce and to process allowing for significant cost savings while still being able to demand a high garment price for sporting the name “alpaca” on the label. Here’s the rest of the story on that sleeveless top: I was wearing that top on the morning of the busiest fiber show in my region. Half an hour before the gates opened to the public, I was weighing out packages of angora rabbit fiber in my booth. I heard an explosion and immediately sparks and embers rained down on me. Because I was leaning over the scale on my table, my back was their target. And then I could feel the burning.

My instinct was to remove my body from the immediate danger and then to “stop, drop and roll”. As I laid on the floor grinding my burning back into the coolness of the concrete, my analytical brain said, “I don’t need to roll because the front of me is not on fire. How could I possibly be on fire? Alpaca is flame resistant! I’m wearing alpaca!” As I looked up at the ceiling from where I laid on the floor, I saw flames coming out of an electrical box mounted to the ceiling above my booth. Molten metal balls were what had fallen onto me. They melted the acrylic in my top and I was now grinding them and the melted acrylic into my skin. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the day that I stopped purchasing any garments that contained any amount of synthetic fiber.

So, why blend? Blending two or more fiber types adds stability to a yarn and therefore to a finished garment.

Blending can allow the benefits of one particular fiber type to help another where it lacks. For example, this is why polyester is a favorite to blend with cotton for t-shirts. Polyester is cheaper, lightweight, wrinkle-resistant, and stain resistant. Cotton is more expensive, heavy, wrinkle prone, and is a stain magnet. Polyester doesn’t absorb moisture, but cotton does. Blended together, they make for lighter weight, wrinkle resistant, stain resistant, comfortable to wear t-shirt (that Gabrielle won’t buy.)

Side-by-side comparison of 10g flicked suri (fawn) and 10g flicked merino wool (white) surinetwork.org

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How can blending help alpaca fiber? Be mindful of what the purpose of the blend is for a finished garment.

Can blending wool with alpaca prevent my sweater from stretching out? Yes! Wool benefits alpaca by giving elasticity to the garment. Can blending wool and nylon with my alpaca make a durable sock? Yes! The wool adds memory and elasticity; the nylon gives strength so those heels last longer. (If avoiding synthetic fibers, suri alpaca and mohair can be natural alternatives to nylon.) Can wool help my suri yarn to be lighter weight? Yes! Can wool help my suri to have more loft and air in the yarn? Yes! Can wool help my suri to be more spongy and not so dense? Yes! Can suri help my merino to have more density and drape? Yes! Can suri give my merino a beautiful halo (nap) to the yarn and garment? Yes! Can I blend with something other than wool? Yes! When considering the blend, ask yourself: What is the best end use for this fiber?

Would blending another fiber benefit the end use?

What is the best yarn size and ply for that end use?

Open skeins of blend percentages of suri (fawn) with merino wool (white).

Blend percentages change per skein in 10% increments.

There are some guidelines for blending. Always blend a similar micron (within 3-micron range). Why? Because finer micron fibers migrate to the center of the yarn, leaving the coarser fibers toward the outside, which affects the handle. Finer fibers do not “help” the coarser fibers “feel better”.

Blend similar lengths (within a 2” range). Why? Because when two extreme lengths are combined, the shorter fibers migrate out of the twist of the yarn causing pilling in a garment. When examining the length of the fleece, test for weakness and breaks. The force of carding will cause those weakened fibers to break, which can cause neps in the yarn and cause pilling in a garment.

Consider color - but what colors you use are purely your design decision. The natural colors of alpaca can be found in many other species of fiber bearing animals. The task of finding them may fall to you and not to the mill of your choice. Different fibers accept dye differently, so may produce a heather rather than a solid. (This is

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true of individual fleeces since a damaged tip will take dye deeper than the healthier cut end of a staple or lock.)

Consider tweeds for plied yarns. Do you love rose gray but only have solid colored animals? You can make your own rose gray yarn by blending your solids.

Are you worried that your blended yarn won’t sell because “it has wool in it”? Share the benefits of why the wool is in there! Do your research on the pros and cons of the fiber type you are considering. Give it a try! Play with it! Test it out! I sell a lot more yarn when there is a sample of a finished item and pattern to go along with it.

My answer to the knitting group mentioned at the outset? “Ask your favorite alpaca breeder for blended yarns.

It’s okay to not have 100% alpaca yarn. You’ll want some wool in that alpaca sweater so your elbows won’t sag, necklines stay in place, scarves don’t grow longer than intended, and socks stay in shape.” Will you be the alpaca breeder that has blended yarns in stock when they call?

Twisted skeins of blend percentages of suri (fawn) with merino wool (white).

Blend percentages change per skein in 10% increments.

In 1996, Gabrielle came home one day with a spinning wheel and told her mother, “I want to get 4 sheep: a black one, a white one, a brown one, and a gray one.” Her mother enthusiastically responded, “No, no, no!

You want to get alpacas!” “Al-a-what?” Within a few months, Gabrielle was bottle raising her first lamb and her mother bought her first alpacas. After raising a menagerie of fiber-producing animals over the years, Gabrielle settled her focus on breeding naturally colored merinos and French Angora rabbits. Her mother, Cheryl Woods of Fanfare Farms, continued with alpacas.

Raising the animals and spinning a variety of fibers has given Gabrielle a unique perspective on what is desirable in a fleece and which yarns are best suited for specific end uses. This knowledge and experience has resulted in her earning top awards in both local and national fiber arts competitions, as a sought-after instructor, and alpaca Spin-Off Judge. Spin, weave, knit, crochet, felt, dye – she does it all.

Gabrielle has served on the Board of Directors of the Northern California Angora Guild and for the National Angora Rabbit Breeders Club. She is also a past-President of the Lambtown USA Festival. In 2007, she attended the Camelid Fiber Sorting and Grading Certification course, and completed the Camelid Fiber Classer Course in 2011 through Olds College in Alberta, Canada. She owned and operated FiberWise Mill doing custom fiber processing, and now focuses her time on raising her two daughters and caring for her autistic son. Gabrielle has been a judge for the Suri Network Summer Symposium.

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Breeding Alpacas

by Dr. Norm Evans, DVM

Throughout the years, I have noticed that the primary criteria for breeding selection was often based on facial wool coverage, fiber, and, to some extent, conformation. Some alpacas were bred at 12–15 months of age.

Some got pregnant and gave birth while others acquired infections and became infertile. Many were not mature enough to mother and milk properly while still attaining their own growth and maturity.

All female alpacas are not meant to be dams, just as all males are not meant to be studs. If this industry is to survive, we must police ourselves and not sell our problems to someone else unless the animal is sold as pet quality. In addition to fiber, an alpaca should be bred for temperament, mothering, milking ability, a strong immune system (as measured by high IgG), conformation, and good fertility. Matings that result in known genetic abnormalities should be removed from the gene pool. Yes, that means both the male and the female.

Congenital anomalies only reported once likely should not tarnish a male’s or female’s future reputation. There are possibilities other than genetics such as heat stress, vaccination or deworming procedures done in the first 35 days of gestation or morphological development. However, a second occurrence from the male or female definitely necessitates removal from the gene pool.

I want to present some observations based on knowledge and experience gained through trial and error as well as some from experts in the field. When you incorporate these observations into your breeding operation, hopefully it will make you happier, your alpacas happier, and your farm operation more successful. For those looking for more in-depth information, I suggest reading Dr. Ahmed Tibary’s Theriogenology in Camelidae Anatomy, Physiology, Pathology and Artificial Breeding, as well as his chapters in Llama and Alpaca Care.

The Male Alpaca

At birth, the male alpaca should have two symmetrical testicles descended equally into the scrotum. By 30 months, normal fertile alpaca males should display two firm testicles that measure an average 2.4 cm in width x 3.6 cm in length. A small difference in size (less than 15%) is acceptable as long as both testicles are within the size recommended for their age. Veterinarians can make this measurement with a caliper or diagnostic ultrasound. In several species, testicular size has been found to be correlated with fertility in their female offspring. Testicular size remains an important factor in stud selection.

Male alpacas reach puberty somewhere between 18 and 24 months of age. Some will settle females as early as 9–11 months; some wait until near 36 months. Males often can settle females when they cut their fighting teeth at 20–24 months of age.

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Testicles are carried much closer to the body with a higher susceptibility to heat sterility than other species.

Subcutaneous edema of the scrotum is one method alpacas use to protect the testicles from heat, and the scrotum may swell to the size of an orange. Males suffering from heat stress may also develop hydroceles, or an accumulation of fluid within the testicular envelope. Owners should recognize this as a warning sign that the animals are being exposed to too much heat.

Male infertility is most often caused by humans. Breeders may buy a young male from an owner in a cooler or less humid climate and transport them to a warmer climate. They leave them in full fleece for show purposes and neglect to wrap their tail to allow air circulation to the scrotum. The best-case scenario is scrotal edema and temporary infertility. The worst-case scenario is testicular degeneration and permanent infertility. Bottom line: All males should be shorn in spring, and if taken to warmer climates, they should be monitored closely until their system can acclimate to the new environment.

It is my opinion that males should not be labeled as breeders until they complete the act of copulation and live, viable sperm are visualized. Even better, they should demonstrate that they can actually impregnate females. An option to purchase and take possession at an agreed-upon price once fertility is established might be considered.

All potential breeding males older than 24 months should be required to have a thorough prepurchase examination. Sale exams where certain items are omitted should not be accepted by the potential buyer. It is important that the veterinarian perform a testicular ultrasonographic exam since some abnormalities, such as testicular cysts, cannot be palpated and falsely increase the size of the testicle.

The Female Alpaca

Early female maturity is a promising trait in the cattle industry. In alpacas, I note a distinct correlation between females that are physically mature and those that are mentally mature for motherhood. My observation is that females bred at 12–14 months who birth by two years of age experience more infertility and poor doing crias than those bred at 18 months plus. Common sense dictates that weight alone is not sufficient criteria for breeding size in these cases. We all realize that most alpacas can be classified as small, medium, or large framed based on skeletal size. Larger, taller females (frame score three) may actually require 4–6 months more to attain sexual maturity. Ultrasound examination of such maiden females may substantiate a lack of follicle maturation.

Mature ovulatory follicles appear to be 7- to l2-mm in size. Smaller follicles of 4 to 5 mm are not likely to ovulate and do not produce a corpus luteum which secretes progesterone to maintain pregnancy; consequently, the female continues to be receptive. The lesson to be learned from this is that when the maiden female continues to be receptive day after day, she likely has immature follicles too small to ovulate or may even have no ovarian activity at all. She may need to mature for 3 to 4 months. When she ovulates a 7- to 12-mm follicle, she will become nonreceptive or “spit off” 3 to 4 days after ovulation and will remain nonreceptive for the next 10 to 12 days. If fertilization and conception took place, she should remain nonreceptive, except for rare cases.

Ovulation is confirmed by the detection of greater than 1.5 ng/ml of progesterone in the blood serum 6 to 8 days following the last male exposure. This test is sometimes used in problem females to detect ovulation as well as for confirming pregnancy at 21 to 24 days after male exposure. If the male failed to ejaculate mature, healthy, live sperm in the proper place because for whatever reason, then fertilization cannot occur, and the female will again become receptive 12 to 14 days later. The act of copulation may vary from 5 minutes to 45 minutes. I suggest limiting breeding time to 10-12 minutes to reduce trauma to the uterus. When females contort into abnormal position during copulation, it is often due to an attempt to relieve pain or pressure created by the breeding process. With this observation, a veterinarian should evaluate either the male or female or both. The one that is the least proven breeder may be the best place to begin. Vaginal strictures are common in maiden All images courtesy of Dr. Norm Evans @2019 unless otherwise noted

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females. These strictures can be broken down by many experienced males but can cause penile irritation. I prefer for the veterinarian or experienced owner to detect and stretch this stricture in the prebreeding exam or, better yet, allow mother nature to assist by allowing the female to mature an additional 3 to 4 months. Clean hygiene must always be practiced.

Most of my clients choose to hand breed with sire selection based on pedigree, fiber characteristics and color, among other things. I feel inadequate teasing and inconsistent breeding of females on farms is the number one cause of infertility. I do not like when I go to farms and see breeders tease test by letting the male and female loose in a large pen together or when a haltered female is brought into the pen of an unrestrained male. If the female is timid or the owners do not intervene soon enough, the male will often force her to kush and be bred, regardless of her cycle. Since I work with many owners who have limited support staff, I recommend the stud be the one on a halter and lead if two handlers are not available. This keeps the female in her own environment and more importantly, allows the owner to pull the stud away if the female shows she is not receptive by running, kicking or spitting. Owners are also encouraged to wrap the fiber on the female’s tail to decrease risk for penile laceration and introduction of contaminants into the vaginal vault.

Current Breeding Recommendations

I have found that 90+ percent of infertility cases were caused by the owner’s breeding practices, specifically, by multiple forced breedings of females that were too young, too thin in body condition, and/or nutrient deficient.

Many commonly accepted breeding practices came from trial and error 20 years ago. However, we now have a better understanding of the camelid reproductive system. Much of this understanding comes from the work of Dr. Ahmed Tibary, who has been willing to share his research and knowledge through teaching, speaking, and publishing. I would like to share some things I have learned from him and my other colleagues.

Alpacas are induced ovulators. They do not demonstrate an estrus cycle like most other species. Ovulation is influenced by the size and stage of development of follicles at the time of breeding. This is where lack of understanding can create infertile females by continuous breeding. Truly receptive females with mature ovulatory follicles (8 mm plus) often go down within the first 30 seconds and do not have to be overcome by an aggressive and nonselective male. Unless the owner knows the female’s cycle or has had a veterinarian examine the ovaries with ultrasound or progesterone levels, the breeding is strictly hit or miss. Proper teasing every 2 to 3 days for as much as 10 days and observation often provide the answer. Best success with conception is attained when potential breeding females are across the fence or in close proximity to actual breedings. Often, females with mature follicles will lie down across the fence from a breeding pair.

Left Ovary with 10 mm Follicle

11 mm Pointing Follicle-

will likely ovulate in 12 hours 10mm Follicle

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11 mm follicle

Summary of Dr. Tibary’s Female Breeding Protocol

• If she passes a breeding soundness exam, female is teased and bred when receptive

If ultrasound is available, measure dominant follicle • Day 0: Breed

• Day 7: Tease

If receptive - Breed

If not receptive - Ultrasound at day 14 to verify pregnancy • Day 14: Tease

If receptive - Breed

If not receptive - Ultrasound at day 21 to verify pregnancy • Day 21: Tease

If receptive - Breed

If not receptive - Ultrasound at day 28 to verify pregnancy • Day 28: Tease

If receptive - Do NOT breed, schedule for infertility workup

If not receptive - Ultrasound at day 35 to verify pregnancy

•

It is good practice to ultrasound for pregnancy at 45 and 60 days

What does this all mean? Breed once with a proven male to a female receptive to the point that she kushes within 30 seconds of their introduction. The female should show a complete follicular wave in a 10-day period.

She should be examined by a veterinarian if she does not become receptive after 10 days of daily teasing or if she does not spit after being bred three times at weekly intervals (on days 7, 14, and 21). Because the cartilaginous protuberance at the tip of the penis dilates the cervix and enters the uterus, the practice of breeding a female numerous times during a period of receptivity is excessive and can cause undue inflammation and trauma to the female’s reproductive tract.

Many breeding farms require a female reproductive exam before the first breeding. This is a sound practice to protect the male and female. With a sound alpaca nutrition program, most farms average 1.25 breedings per conception. Programs that breed and “hope” average 3+ breedings per conception. They also often have 10% to 15% infertile females. I highly recommend that serious alpaca breeders attend one of Dr. Tibary’s reproductive seminars for the most up-to-date reproductive camelid research.

Receptive female and attentive suitor Photograph courtesy of Bag End Suri Alpacas @2019

Breeding Management

Nutrition The most important thing breeders and veterinarians need to remember is that any successful breeding management program begins with optimal nutrition and health of both the sire and dam. Proper levels and types of trace minerals such as copper, selenium, and zinc are associated with reproductive function. They are also mediators of the immune response and play an important role in the morphological development, growth, and survival of the cria. These trace minerals, as well as fat-soluble vitamins A and E, are necessary nutrients for support of the immune function of the dam and her developing cria. Deficiency of these vitamins and minerals can result in reproductive issues and early embryonic death.

Increasing food intake, especially vitamins and minerals, for three weeks before breeding can increase conception rates by approximately 20% in many areas. Proper nutrition can help superior genetics become a reality. Proper nutrition for growing alpacas will help them attain their genetic potential 2 to 3 months earlier.

Alpaca nutrition and its relation to fertility are similar today to the thinking of the equine industry 20 years ago.

Back then, it was thought that hay and pasture were all that was necessary. While some alpacas will reproduce on hay and pasture, many will not.. Milking ability is also affected as well as the length of gestation. These conditions can be corrected to a large extent through feed additives, such as vitamins A, D, and E, at the proper levels and in balance with certain minerals and vitamins found helpful in other species for the past 20 years.

Rebreeding and Herd Health In my opinion, the most appropriate time to rebreed is 19 to 21 days past birthing. In one of his reproductive seminars, Dr. Walter Bravo said that females bred at 10 days post birthing conceived and maintained pregnancy in 14% of the first breedings after pregnancy, where females bred 15 to 19 days after birthing conceived and maintained 80% with the first breeding. Another tip with an important impact on pregnancy is when deworming agents and immunizations are administered. I don’t like to deworm or vaccinate in the first 60 days or last 30 days of pregnancy. About 6% to 10% of known pregnant alpacas absorb due to this stress in the first 60 days, and a similar number birth early after handling in the last 30 days.. Although I try to avoid all medications in the first 60 days of pregnancy, the worst time to administer any dewormer or vaccine seems to be days 14–28 of pregnancy. This time frame seemed to have the highest chance of producing a congenital birth defect. This is based on many birth defects noted in the last 30 years.

Seasons I am opposed to breeding and birthing during times of extreme heat and cold. Many alpacas do not receive sufficient energy from feed—little more than survival levels—during cold weather extremes. Some alpaca owners breed for spring crias, some for fall crias, and some breed all year round and then sell to whomever will buy. Spring crias seem to gestate longer than fall crias and are often 2 to 3 pounds larger. Good, clean grass to birth on, plus plenty of sunshine, relates to healthier crias with fewer incidences of crooked legs.

Both males and females are often temporarily infertile during times of heat stress. Breeders and veterinarians also need to consider that higher levels of birth deformities appear to be prevalent when females are subjected to heat stress in their first 25 to 45 days of pregnancy. It is an established fact that birthing often occurs 3 to 6 weeks early when the mother’s body temperature reaches stress levels when she is within 45 to 60 days of birthing.

If you are going to breed for fall crias in warm climates, consider moving your fall schedule to November 15 through December 15. Many owners breed for early October crias, which sounds ideal, but in early September every year, I consult on several premature crias that weigh 8 to 12 pounds and are born 4 to 5 weeks early. We

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expect crias two weeks early in the fall, but add five days of high heat, and the female’s birthing time clock becomes altered. With the body’s attempt to cool and carry oxygenated blood to the periphery of the body, certain blood vessels must dilate and others will vasoconstrict. Vasoconstriction to the uterus and fetus often alters the birthing time clock, and the female has a “preemie.”

Pregnancy Confirmation

Ultrasonography is the most reliable method of pregnancy detection as it allows visualization of the fetus.

Pregnancy detection is easily accomplished transrectally with an ultrasound machine by around 20 days. If a female is not pregnant as expected, ultrasonography is also helpful to attempt to determine why she is not. It is important to flag females that may have had a double ovulation and are at risk for twinning as this may result in high level of early pregnancy loss.

Early fetal death is relatively common, and the status of the pregnancy should be routinely verified every 60 to 90 days. Early fetal death is most common in maidens, nursing mothers, and females open more than 9 months. With this group, it is not uncommon that 2 to 3 out of every 10 females that were pregnant at 20 days will be open by 45–60 days.

What if you don’t have access to an ultrasound? Progesterone levels can be used to suggest ovulation and pregnancy. Levels >1.5 ng/ml 6 to 8 days following the last male exposure suggest ovulation. Levels >2 ng/ml are consistent with pregnancy when tested 21–24 days after breeding but can also indicate a retained corpus luteum. The presence of a persistent corpus luteum may give a false positive pregnancy which makes this method less reliable than ultrasonography. It is important to note that there are some variations among laboratories. With the lab I am most familiar with, levels >6 are often associated with a retained corpus luteum (CL).

Transrectal ultrasound Photograph courtesy of Carrageen Suri Alpacas @2019

Behavior testing is the least reliable but easiest and most inexpensive method of pregnancy confirmation. If the female is nonreceptive, she will spit at the male. This could mean she is pregnant, or it could be that she has a retained CL making her think she is pregnant. A truly receptive female will kush within about 30 seconds.

Behaviors will vary with timid females, aggressive males, or fertility issues.

This article has been adapted from the Breeding chapter of an upcoming publication co-authored by Dr. Norm Evans and Amanda VandenBosch, expected to be available by the fall of 2019. No parts may be reproduced without the express written permission of the author. Photographs courtesy of the author except where indicated.

Dr. Norm Evans, DVM, has been involved in extensive Camelid research involving nutrition and health issues for many years. Dr. Evans’ LAMA Wellness Service started camelid practice in 1986. He has a mobile practice that involves clients in over forty states, Canada, Japan, and the UK. Since 1998 he has experimented with the effect of different nutrients and levels of nutrients on alpaca fiber, and has been actively biopsying alpacas to document his findings. Dr. Evans was the 2015 recipient of the Suri Network Jim Barker Award.

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A New Perspective: Alpaca Shows by Grade and End Use

By Amanda VandenBosch

Are you looking for a new perspective, taking the assessment of fleece and the live alpaca and applying it to genetic potential and end use? Are you interested in energizing the industry, the show ring and our fleece shows? Do you want to add value to a healthy sound alpaca by relating its fleece qualities to their end use? Do you want to develop the attention of wool buyers, fashion and end use, promoting both seed stock and production stock?

Objectives A. Increase demand for US alpaca product and encourage all breeders to utilize fleece to end product B. Attract new breeders - all levels of alpaca and fleece can compete C. Recognize the genetic value of each alpaca D. Provide education and incentive for breeders to improve characteristics and offer value in all grades

towards end product E. Provide a showcase for existing and potential processors, designers and buyers to inspect and purchase

all grades of alpaca fiber F. Provide a major opportunity to showcase breeding stock and production, of benefit to all breeders G. Promote success for ALL breeders and growth of the Alpaca Industry

Introduction

After years of judging fleece in halter shows, evaluating thousands of fleeces in fleece shows, being an alpaca breeder of both huacayas and suris, along with having a partnership in a fiber mill, being tremendously involved in the alpaca industry worldwide, studying genetics and production from live alpaca to end-product, it became evident that the time for change had come. Everything pointed to a new direction of “education through innovation,” “value to all grades of alpaca fiber,” “diversity of genetics,” and “end use”.

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Concept

To provide breeders with an updated fleece show or halter show experience that includes a more comprehensive report on fleece characteristics, grade, and end use along with the halter show recognizing “fit for function traits” and “health and soundness” of the alpaca. This has been developed to provide the breeder with an evaluation of their entry, scoring each trait with the additional perspective of the production value of each fleece and genetic potential of each alpaca.

Fleece Competition

With some modifications of the fleece competition, we can make gains as breeders and as an industry by breeding with knowledge of the genetic gain of each alpaca, recognizing that all grades have value and are suited for different end uses. Judging by grade and end use highlights the positive traits and degree of excellence within those traits and within that grade. It identifies all characteristics that are essential in making good breeding decisions and harvesting with a thought toward final product. In this system, all micron ranges of fiber are recognized and valued. Degrees of excellence are recognized within the grade assessed. Every breeder could sort their herd accordingly and value each alpaca for the fiber it is producing, and the value of each alpaca fleece relative to best end use.

The score card provides multiple elements that provide feedback relative to processing. For instance, one judging criterion is “End Use”; assessing the degree to which the fleece is ready for processing. This provides the exhibitor with information regarding processability and how many more steps are required to get there. Because length is another important factor relating to annual production, each fleece is measured and evaluated for actual length of fleece grown over that period. Another important component to this show format is a greater emphasis on uniformity of micron, making it a quarter of the total score. Selecting, preparing, and breeding for greater evenness of micron within the fleece will improve both yield and finished products.

All images courtesy of Amanda VandenBosch @2019

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Fleece Show Procedure

A fleece is opened up, fiber samples are selected and then tested on site with a FiberLux micron machine or OFDA 2000 (if using the FiberLux, two machines calibrated to capture all fineness grades may be needed, example: 12-22, 22-32+) The results are recorded in the appropriate section of the scorecard and the actual tested sample is taped on top of the score card so the owner of the fleece sees exactly what the judge sees. The four samples are taken uniformly from the same areas of every fleece; one each from the shoulder, mid-side, rump and lower mid-side and an average of the four sites is calculated. This average score of the actual measured data is the number used to assign the entry to its respective grade for judging. Depending on the total number of entries, classes could also be further subdivided by color and age.

Uniformity of micron is scored based on a 25-point possible score and incorporates the micron values assessed by histogram from across the blanket, the differences in the primary and secondary fiber diameters, and an estimate of the standard deviation of micron variance across the blanket. A score is also assigned for the absence of guard hair throughout the fleece.

Brightness or luster, density, handle, and style are also assessed and scored. Fleece weight is measured and scored, with points awarded based on skirted fleece weight. Length refers to the measured length of fibers for the growing period, including both relaxed and stretched values, and scores are based on optimums for processing.

Every part of the scorecard is related to processing, end use, and “fitness for function”. The scorecard also includes a summary section where comments are made relative to the best end use for the fleece.

Feedback and Data

Each category of the scorecard provides an explanation of the points awarded, so the breeder receives a detailed report on each entry, along with all of the fiber samples that were measured. The completed scorecard, with its additional information, helps inform the exhibitor about the strengths and weaknesses of every fleece and provides education about alpaca fiber grades and end use. The scorecard can also become part of the record for each alpaca. The fleece can be assessed each year as the alpaca ages which would offer the breeder valuable information and comparison regarding how the alpaca is performing over time based on actual data.

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Everyone asks about ribbons and awards

All age groups could be represented in a single grade or split out according to total numbers at the event. Championships, reserve championships, and placements would be awarded within grade. The degree of excellence is acknowledged in each grade.

Special awards can be given within grades. For example; an award can be given to the oldest fleece in a grade that has the highest overall score, this would be a wonderful acknowledgment of an exemplary fleece from an animal that exhibits longevity across valued traits. Other special awards might be greatest uniformity by grade, length for age, combined score of fineness and uniformity, color, get of sire, breeders best three, produce of dam, most valuable fleece, most successful exhibitor and so on.

Moving forward

The feedback from the judging process clearly defines each trait and its assigned score with a description. It is a critical look at what is important as a breeder producing fiber and genetic value. It is also a way to start narrowing selection traits in all grades.

We have taken valued input from many fiber experts and breeders and have collected actual data from fleece shows judged using this format; we have studied the results and value of the information and advancement this innovation offers. As we are developing the halter show format, we will offer classes based on grade and excellence within grade along with “conformation assessment,” valued “fit for function” traits and “breeding soundness.”

Support for this initiative demonstrates that together we can move forward and make gains within the industry as a whole.

Amanda VandenBosch is a Senior AOA Halter and Fleece Judge and an Alpaca Judge Trainer and Instructor in the United States. Amanda qualified as an International Alpaca Judge trained in Peru at the International Alpaca Judging School (IAJS) in 2000. She has judged shows in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, and Peru gaining an international perspective and true love for the art and science of alpaca judging. Amanda is also a co-author of the book “The Art & Science of Alpaca Judging” published by AOBA and used as a training tool.

Cheryl Gehly assisted with the production of this article.

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Brand New...

The Suri Network continues the rollout of the Suri Simply Stunning brand with multiple events in summer 2019, including educational webinars for members and discussions at the Suri Symposium. I was privileged to be part of its early development and am excited about the opportunities it represents. The following flawed account is my own. Names are omitted to protect the guilty, not to negate the well-earned praise for your hard work and patience. You know who you are.

by Ted Ritschard

jour·ney | \ ˈjər-nē

1. an occasion when you travel from one place to another, especially when there is a long distance between the places 2. any course or passage from one stage or experience to another

Sometimes we seek out life’s journeys and sometimes they find us. A common vision may unite many in shared purpose that eases the burden when the journey or the mood becomes heavy. Chance meetings well timed may be the only spark needed to energize a movement to achieve a worthy goal. The journey required to develop the Suri Simply Stunning brand began before me and will likely be completed when my part on the path ends. For my traveling companions and those who follow, I would like to share some of the journey with you.

Almost three years ago, my personal journey as an Alpaca Breeder and member of the Suri Network took an unexpected turn. It began at the 2016 Suri Symposium, where an innocent conversation in the back of the conference room turned into a multiple year commitment as a volunteer.

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The discussion that August day was about fiber and products, a topic where my wife’s interest (maybe not surprisingly) and talent (as with most things) far outweighed my own. However, this specific conversation was about the branding and promotion of Suri alpaca fiber – a clear vision of Suri as a highly desired natural fiber with a brand as familiar as wool or cotton. The Suri Network was embarking on a journey to create a brand promise for consumers on the inherent natural qualities of Suri fiber and a trademark to demonstrate a commitment to the brand. I was definitely on board with that. While a new cria’s first steps or a curious look from the anime eyes of a Suri alpaca may warm your heart, the inherent qualities of their unique fiber has the power to warm your soul. It must be experienced, not just observed.

While not a marketing professional, my career marketing and selling professional planning and engineering services was whispering that I could contribute here and now. After eight plus years in the alpaca industry, I was also feeling a calling to contribute back to the industry that had provided so much to my wife and me.

However, most volunteer opportunities seemed out of my comfort zone as the animals and the industry were still providing hard lessons. My wife from southern California still rolled her eyes when I would ask her during the weekend cleanups if she ever imagined a life shoveling s#@%! on Sunday afternoons.

Over the next three years the lessons continued but were even more rewarding as a volunteer working on the first steps towards branding Suri fiber. I learned the true meaning of volunteering, the persistence and commitment required to continue the journey, and the surprises of obstacles discovered and friendships found. Along the way, I hope I helped create something from which the Suri Network and its members will proudly reap tangible benefits. The Suri Simply Stunning brand is only about step 32 in a thousand step journey to reach the vision for a recognized and sought-after brand commanding premium prices for a premium product. Embrace it, use it, take the next few steps, and encourage others to help with the steps that follow.

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Defining a Destination

The most important step we could take to begin our journey was is in defining our destination. Initial discussions included ambitious goals for a highly recognizable brand rivaling the storied Woolmark logo or the ubiquitous “fabric of our lives” tag line for cotton. We needed a branding campaign to share our grand vision with alpaca breeders, exclusive mills, and designers to the rich and famous. Unfortunately, we were a group of volunteers – a few connections, a little expertise, no big budgets, and no idea about steps 7, 148, or 692.

What we needed was a marketing professional. Again, as a volunteer committee in the membership funded Suri Network, we got only what we had, the passion and experience of those who participated. I had a marketing and sales background, had built new business enterprises, and sold millions of dollars of professional services. No worries! Except I was getting questions about branding, trademarks, and a marketing campaign for something between a natural fiber and the animals themselves, the breeders producing animals, and the products produced from Suri fleece. The Suri Network wanted it all.

Naturally, I turned to my twenty-something son. With a genuine college degree in marketing funded by my wife’s endless support and some of my paycheck, I figured he owed me, right?

Dad, do they want a marketing campaign, a brand, or a trademark?

Yes! What’s the budget?

My time and that of a few other people that are very busy.

OK, we need to start with some definitions.

Like the difference between branding, marketing, and trademarks?

No, like defining what you are paying me.

I am sure glad he went to college and learned the value of helping those in need.

A common language

One of the first tasks of the ever-evolving group working on this initiative was to create a common language. After all, what would we call our committee? Is it our task to focus on fiber branding, to develop a trademark, or the marketing campaign that will advance both? The initial discussions wandered back and forth with

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bold ideas covering all these topics but advancing any specific priority was being overwhelmed. Each new idea created some new conflict with others.

After (a lot of) discussion, we understood these interwoven tasks could happen in phases. However, we needed a common language to discuss each in its own right and to communicate with our peers in the larger Suri Network. Otherwise, conversations about wonderful marketing ideas missed the purpose of a trademark, or the requirements of managing a trademark bogged down the creative needs of developing a logo to communicate the brand.

Many of us alpaca breeders brand and market our own businesses instinctually, with a marketing team of one or two who are also the owners. It is an integrated process of communication and action. When that team includes a dynamic number of individual volunteers and a separate group of approvers, the process can overwhelm the progress, as creative discussions go down rabbit holes that block focused action.

This is why there are marketing professionals. A little research and guidance reveal that the marketing industry has its own language. Like most professions, I am sure this language is designed to make their collaborations more efficient. It also helped us parcel out our daunting task into manageable loads. For our purposes, we adopted a range of marketing terms to define our areas of interest. This information was presented to the Suri Network at the 2018 Symposium Branding A brand is the immediate image, emotion, or message that people experience when they think of a company or product. Association with a brand is defined by people’s reaction when they hear or see a brand name. Brand names create positive first impressions and lasting associations.

Brand positioning is where a company or product fits in the marketplace, the benefits it provides to consumers and society, and the advantages it has over its competition. Brands have personality that further characterize their purpose and are communicated

by Brand Marks (brand aware logos) that visually identify a company or product. A brand tag line is memorable while further describing the company or product brand.

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Marketing Marketing is the act or program of activities used to promote the brand and enhance its association with a product’s inherent qualities and its positive comparison to competitors. It is advanced through the promotion and selling of the services, stock, and products that carry the brand.

Trademark A trademark is a quality assurance indicator to a consumer that a product (fiber, finished) possesses the unique attributes desired. It can be part of a branding strategy.

It must be backed by a quality program to enhance consistency and conformance. As an indicator of quality, a trademark program requires organization and process for compliance, it must be managed.

A Brand Mark

Once we agreed on the language of our challenge, our immediate mission was clarified: any potential future marketing campaign or trademark program was dependent on creation of a brand mark. The brand mark would need to communicate the personality and inherent qualities of Suri alpaca fiber. The genesis of Simply Stunning evolved from the key qualities of Suri fiber that we identified as inherent traits that provided value to consumers.

Details, details, details Now that the brand mark and tag line were taking shape, the discussion turned to all the critical details that would need addressed before it becomes a usable investment.

There were hundreds of ideas and draft logos and tag lines that resolved into the clarity and simplicity of “Suri Simply Stunning”. Catchy I know, but what does it look like? How do we use it? How might it become a trademark?

The colors, fonts, sizes, orientation that define the character of the brand are only effective if the brand is used in a consistent and purposeful manner.

This is why our task then moved into a phase of developing the guidelines and rules for how we administer, share, and use the brand. The outcome of these discussions is reflected in the “Application for Use” on the Suri Network website. I believe that this application is likely accurate for only

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the first year of the program and will evolve as there are many more steps in the journey towards our purpose.

Next Steps

As we begin using the brand mark, I hope that it inspires us to think about those next steps.

There are legal steps that need to be taken to protect the brand.

There is also the topic of a trademark and the program of quality assurance that is required to support it. How will we fund and manage such a program? How do we ensure the fiber and products carrying the mark consistently represent Suri fiber? How do we support development of the products that will generate market demand?

These questions are also our next steps. As we address them, we should be reminded of one of our early guiding principles in developing the Suri Simply Stunning Brand Mark. We need to be inclusive in our thinking and collaboration to promote the innovation required to find the market and the message that will demand exclusive prices for our fiber and products.

Unexpected Outcomes The investment of our team of volunteers is about a vision for Suri fiber, a market that demands it, and a national Suri Alpaca herd that produces it. I am not sure if my time on the journey of the Suri Simply Stunning brand is nearing an end or just entering another phase. I know there are more steps and more miles to cover before our aspirations are met. The brand and its mark are not the outcomes, just one of the milestones.

This journey has also produced outcomes as unexpected as they are encouraging.

Please forgive me – they told me I could write about any topic I wanted.

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The power of volunteering Never underestimate the value you bring to the Suri Network. Your life experiences and your passion are the minimum qualifications. Volunteering is what makes this whole thing work. Membership in your own vacuum – sucks. Get in, get involved. If the brand mark or tag line that was produced is not your cup of tea, we missed your involvement. You have over 900 steps remaining to make a difference. The absolute worst case is that you will find new energy from shared passions and lifelong friends you meet for the first time.

The power of shared enthusiasm We may not yet have a brand and trademark perfected, but we have moved it forward at least 32 steps. It took the efforts of many including you. Strong disagreements and friction were used to sharpen our resolve and provide a finer path forward.

Participating in a volunteer organization is about speaking up, listening before speaking, and remembering what brings you to the same three-hour conference call for the third week in a row in the first place.

New friends, well met The most outstanding outcome I was not All images courtesy of Ted Ritschard @2019 expecting in this years-long endeavor was not about glory, alpaca sales, or shameless promotion of my great grandfather’s livestock brand. By simply volunteering my time and energy to a larger goal, I found something more valuable. For those who devoted time and pride to meet under bleachers at alpaca shows, in hotels traveling on your own time, and over bribes of drinks and dinner to advance this initiative, you have my respect and gratitude. Your perspectives sharpened those that became ours, and only those outside our friendship would categorize our creative discussions as arguments.

Come inside, your friends are waiting.

Ted is a Civil Engineer by education and has spent much of his 30 plus year career marketing professional services and starting new enterprises for planning and engineering firms. His biggest success is marrying his wife Julie and being blessed with kids Ethan and Susannah. Ted and Julie got their first Suri alpacas in 2008 in pursuit of quality animals, fiber, and products. Their B I Bar Ranch is named for the livestock brand that has represented the Ritschard family for over 100 years

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INTEGRATING MALES PRACTICES AND METHODS FROM MEMBER FARMS

Whether you are a new Suri owner, or you’ve been in the business for many years, whether you have a large acreage for your Suris, or you reserve only a few acres for them, everyone has to tackle a similar issue - how to manage and integrate males as they grow from crias to adults. To address this question, the Suri Network spoke with a few of its members, with a variety of backgrounds and farm set-ups, to see how they manage their males.

Alpacas of El Dorado - California Owner: Scott and Laurie Findlay Acreage Reserved for Alpacas: 3 Number of Alpacas Owned: 20 males 33 females Years in Alpaca Industry: 18 Dakini Suri Alpacas - Oregon Owner: Michelle Alexander Acreage Reserved for Alpacas: 11 Number of Alpacas Owned: 12 males 30 females Years in Alpaca Industry: 14 Hasselbrings Harmony Ranch - Missouri Owners: Patty and Britt Hasselbring Acreage Reserved for Alpacas: 30 Number of Alpacas Owned: 57 males 103 females Years in Alpaca Industry: 10 RayNay Alpaca Farm - North Carolina Owners: Ray and Candy McMahan Acreage Reserved for Alpacas: 17 Number of Alpacas Owned: 32 males 49 females Years in Alpaca Industry: 11 Wild Rose Suri Alpacas - Maryland Owner: Patti and Alan Anderson Acreage Reserved for Alpacas: 17 Number of Alpacas Owned: 25 males 45 females Years in Alpaca Industry: 23 Male fighting can be minimized by proper management. (photograph courtesy of Bag End Suri Alpacas, ©2019)

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INTO YOUR HERD Compiled by Liz Vahlkamp

At what age do you introduce young males into the adult herd?

Scott and Laurie Findlay: Usually by eight months, or when they start to show interest in females. Then they are put in a suitable group based on age and temperament.

Michelle Alexander: I wait until they have reached their full adult weight and emotional maturity, typically two years old. I keep weaned males less than 2 years old together.

Britt and Patty Hasselbring: We integrate young males into adult male groups when 1) they are the same size, and 2) when the younger ones are able to hold their own with the adult males. This is usually when the young ones are between two and three years old. We generally have three groups of boys: weanlings (from weaning until age one or so), yearlings (age one to “adult”) and the “big boys”.

Ray and Candy McMahan: It really depends on how they behave with others their own age. I have had to move up yearling males to three-year-old groups because they were dominating the males closer to their age. They quickly got moved up to the herdsire groups and a pecking order was worked out. I do not tolerate males that are too aggressive and don’t play well with others after several attempts of letting them work it out. I recently re-homed a male and he has settled in well as a PR alpaca, he loves attention and they have farm tours practically every day of the week. It was a good fit for all involved.

Patti Anderson: I keep two groups of males, the first group is my adult males, and the second group is a combination of my weanlings and/or yearlings. I normally introduce yearlings from the previous year with the adult males after I wean my new batch of weanlings that are 4-6 months old, making space for the weanlings in that group. The group size for weanlings is generally five to eight animals. This gives the weanlings time to grow up and mature in their own group before having to establish their hierarchy in the older herd sire group. There is a lot of wrestling and playing that can be misconstrued by the older animals as an attempt to move up the hierarchy. They need to play and develop their skills in a safe group before moving into the larger group.

Do you prefer to introduce them into a large group or small group?

Scott and Laurie Findlay: We prefer to introduce our males into small groups when possible. We have a few older males who will live their lives out at our farm, and for certain situations, we may choose to put those males with really young males to teach and guide them.

Britt and Patty Hasselbring: We will introduce them into any size group. Our methods are the same.

Integration of new boys into an existing group is done carefully. The existing group is moved into a neutral section of our boys’ barn, and then the new male/s are brought in. All are herded into a small corner and we keep them squeezed together for about 20 minutes. When I say squeezed, I mean they are corralled so tight

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by humans that they cannot move. If we have a new pasture to release them into when we are ready to release them, that is great, and we do that. But usually we don’t. So after about 20 minutes of very close quarters in the neutral section of the barn, we release them together into the field. Then we put out fresh hay or, if the weather is warm enough, we water bellies. By this time, they seem to have forgotten that there are new guys in the pen with them. (If any fighting erupts we can also shower heads of fighters.)

Michelle Alexander: In order to begin the transition I put two of the lower ranking adult males in with the young males first for a few months to let them get used to adapting to other adult males. Then I put the entire group in with the adult male herd together and monitor behavior to make sure none of them are being picked on by dominant males. If there are at least two or more they do better transitioning into the adult herd together because they have friends for protection.

Ray and Candy McMahan: Usually they run in small groups based on age, size and behavior. Currently I have 4 groups of males. Two are breeding groups, separated by behavior. One group of breeders has five and the other group has six. Each group is rotated on ½ acre paddocks. They share a barn that has a divider, and they can see each other but do not have contact. I have a group of boys that are similar in size that range from 10 months to 3.5 years - seven males are in this group. All of these boys did show in halter at some point which has made them easy to handle and accustomed to other animals around - they run in a ½ acre paddock. The last group is six males approaching two years of age, all six have been together since birth and just finished showing in halter yearling this past show season. They, too, are on a ½ acre paddock. My crias, whether male or female, are weaned around the six month time frame. I will keep male and female weanlings together until I notice males having interest in the females.

Patti Anderson: I only have two groups of males: one small group with 5 to 8 weanling/yearling males and a larger group of adult males with 15 to 20 animals. I always introduce the new younger males into the larger group. This is done slowly over a time of one to two hours. The first thing I do is to make sure that the smaller group is in a paddock next to the larger group so that they have some time to get used to each other. This is done from the time they are weanlings until I put them together the following year.

A babysitter gelding (white male to left) with a group of weanling males.

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(photograph courtesy of Patti Anderson, ©2019)

When introducing the yearlings into the adult group, I start by moving the yearlings into the older males physical area, i.e. territory, by themselves and make sure there is plenty of new interesting hay in the feeders.

While it also works to introduce them into two neutral areas not established by either group, we sometimes don’t have that available. The older males are previously moved into a pen area next to the new yearlings being introduced, allowing them to smell the yearlings and see who they are. I slowly start to introduce one adult male at a time into the smaller yearling group, using a gate panel between the two pen areas. I monitor it and make sure that the introduced male is not picking on the young boys. Sometimes it can take 10 to 15 minutes before everything settles down.

If the older male is overly aggressive and does not settle down, then he goes into “time out” whereby he is haltered and tied short in the same pen with the yearling boys. You have to make sure that wherever he is tied is very secure, as he may pull very hard on it. It is imperative that you use a quick release knot when tying him so that you can released him quickly if needed. Learn the knot – it is a lifesaver, not just a performance show requirement! Tying up the aggressive male gives the yearling boys time to sniff him and acquaint themselves without being attacked. During this time, you must be in attendance. Don’t make the mistake of walking away and not watching what is happening, as it can be very dangerous for the tied male.

When all is calm and settled, then I release the tied male and monitor the group. If he acts up again, then he goes back on “time out”. When he is calm and has gotten acquainted with the yearling boys, usually witnessed as him no longer chasing them or going over to just eat hay and accepting them as part of the “herd,” then I will introduce the next male. I repeat the process until all 15 to 20 males are good with the new yearling males being introduced and accept them as members of the “herd.” Over the next few days you may have a few instances of some aggression, but the herd will step up and help stop it. “Time outs” a few more times will reduce it. I rarely have any more problems after the first two days.

An aggressive male tied short with a quick release knot during a “time out.”

(photograph courtesy of Patti Anderson, ©2019)

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A herdsire visits with a cria at Bag End (where sires were noticed to be more interested in their own offspring than in those sired by other males).

Do you notice that herdsires tend to treat their own offspring better than others when introduced into the herd?

Scott and Laurie Findlay: No, we have not noticed that.

Michelle Alexander: No, I haven’t noticed that they recognize their own offspring.

Britt and Patty Hasselbring: We have not noticed this.

Ray and Candy McMahan: I haven’t noticed this behavior but I honestly haven’t had any male offspring of age that I have brought up to the herdsire group that would include his sire.

Patti Anderson: I have noticed in some cases that the herd sires are more tolerant of some of their offspring.

Unfortunately, I cannot tell if that is due to the fact that herd sire is in general more tolerant, or that he is demonstrating familial preference. When it comes to food and breeding, none of the herd sires shows tolerance for their offspring. Food and breeding beats out family!

Do you find gelding the males helps in managing a group of males together? If so, at what age do you geld?

Scott and Laurie Findlay: No, we have never had to geld a male, as we keep them together based on temperament, size and age.

Michelle Alexander: If I have decided to geld a male I wait until they have reached their full adult growth, typically at two years old. At that age they will have achieved their full bone and frame development. However, I generally do not geld males in my herd.

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Peace reigns again after a “time out” session on Patti Anderson’s farm.

(photograph courtesy of Patti Anderson, ©2019)

Britt and Patty Hasselbring: We have never gelded nor have we seen any reason to geld. Occasionally fights break out among our boys and if they get serious we will break them up.

Ray and Candy McMahan: I have never had a male gelded.

Patti Anderson: We geld at 18 months old in general and have had mixed results. Once I have had a gelding in a female pen, I have found that my older males try to breed him and have not been able to reintroduce him into the adult male group successfully. I have seen a gelded male help manage more aggressive males, but more often I see the males at the top of the hierarchy stop fights and aggression among the rest of the group.

How do you handle situations when you have only one male weanling in a season that becomes old enough to be separated from his female counterparts, but too young to put in with adult males?

Scott and Laurie Findlay: We find a ranch in the same situation and house them there or bring their male to us.

Michelle Alexander: I keep them with the pregnant girls. By definition those girls can’t be bred and I find the girls do a great job of teaching the males to be respectful because they won’t tolerate aggressive behavior.

Britt and Patty Hasselbring: We have never had this situation. If we did, we would have to either find a new home for him with other males his age, or find a few more males his age to bring to our farm.

Ray and Candy McMahan: I always have a group of young male yearlings to put him with, hence the small groups based not only on age but size and demeanor. If the occasion did arise I would keep him in a smaller paddock sharing the fence line with my more docile smaller males and eventually incorporate him into the group as he aged.

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Patti Anderson: Fortunately for me, I have kept a gelding male for several years now that acts as the weanling babysitter. Not only does he play with the weanlings, but he teaches them manners. This gelding is a small male weighing only about 115 lb, and not so big as to cause damage to the weanling males weighing 70-100 lbs. He performs a very special role on the farm and is equally good with the weanling females if needed. My weanling females are most often moved into an older female group away from their dams rather than using the gelding. Each year the weanling boys go into the small group with this gelding and remain with him until the next batch of weanling males come along the following year.

Can your males see your females from their pasture/barn area?

Scott and Laurie Findlay: All our males can see the females.

Michelle Alexander: Ideally the males would not be able to see the girls but on my small farm that is not always possible. If I have to house girls in sight of the males or on the same fence line I make sure it is my pregnant girl group and weanlings. The fence line is a 5 foot no-climb post and cap fence that the boys cannot jump on or over. For night-time penning I keep the adult males away from the girls.

Britt and Patty Hasselbring: Our males are housed on one side of the farm and the females on the other.

The adult males can see a few of our younger girls, but there is a decent buffer between them and they do not share a fence.

Ray and Candy McMahan: Yes, our males can see the females. Our breeding males have a driveway that separates them from the females. Our younger males 1.5-3 years of age share a 5 foot high no-climb gate under the lean-to of our barn, this is an entirely different barn from where the breeding males are kept.

Patti Anderson: All my breeding males can see the females but are kept separate from them by a sacrifice area between the outside paddocks. I never put the herd sire directly next to the females in the paddocks as they tend to jump on the fence and the girls cush next to the fence and drive them crazy. They look for the females at every chance and like to be able to see them even though they cannot access them. It appears that because they are not right next to them, they don’t get into huge squabbles and shows of aggression.

Do you prefer fewer or more males to keep the peace in your herd?

Scott and Laurie Findlay: Our 20 males are kept in four barns and pastures, at the most five in each. We can open up two extra barns and pastures that we are not using depending on the need. Our males are largely breeding males, but we do have a few older males and we keep them in their own group or with the very young males.

Michelle Alexander: I find it is harder for dominant males to pick on lower ranking males if there is a larger group. They tend to form friendship groups that afford protection from the top males. I have some males that are the same age and raised together and they are life-long friends, always together.

Britt and Patty Hasselbring: We find that more males get along better than just two or three. We see far fewer fights in larger groups of males than in small groups. We would not want only two big boys, particularly if they were within sight or smell of females.

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Ray and Candy McMahan: Currently I am in the process of reducing my number of males between the ages of 3-4. Every birthing season it seems the males are outnumbering the females. I would prefer to have eight go-to herdsires.

Patti Anderson: It has been my experience that 2-3 males in the adult male herd is a bad number. There seems to be more aggression and vying for the top of the hierarchy, generally leaving one male shunned or constantly picked on. I have a client that had three males, with one of them becoming very aggressive toward the other males once he bred a female, to the point of tearing up ears and constantly fighting. I suggested that they get at least two more males to make the “herd effect”. It worked out well when three more males were added, and the fighting and aggressiveness of the one male decreased significantly. I have had as many as 25 breeding age males in one group and they all got along peacefully. I have even introduced solitary males that people have kept alone in pens because of their aggressiveness, using the method I described for introducing yearlings into the larger group in the 2nd question above. The power of the “herd” should be used and is not to be underestimated!

Integrating young males into the adult population can present challenges, but can also be easily managed with consideration for your own farm and pen set up. As Patti Anderson noted, “I do not believe that herd sires need to be kept alone in separate runs and pens.

For us and most farms, we are not physically set up to be able to do that, nor do I want to do that. Setting them up by themselves increases the aggression towards the other males, instead of decreasing it.”

Temperament has also been found to be a heritable trait. If you have a male that just can’t get along with others – even in larger herd sizes – you may want to consider culling that animal. If you are a new alpaca owner, reach out to other alpaca breeders in your area for their tips and suggestions. Thinking about getting into the alpaca industry and still setting up your farm layout? Consider having an alpaca breeder in your area come over to walk the site with you and provide tips. Keeping you and your animals safe and living peacefully will give your best alpaca experience!

Liz Vahlkamp runs Salt River Alpacas in Paris, MO with her husband. They have been owners since 2004. They have participated in the show system for many years, and have pursued a breeding program designed for profitability in fiber production. Liz has served on the Suri Network Board.

Patty and Britt Hasselbring own Hasselbring’s Harmony Ranch just outside of Concordia, Missouri.

They purchased their first Suris in 2009. Before starting their alpaca venture, they visited alpaca farms, and early on, fell in love with the exquisite Suri. Patty has served on the Suri Network and AOA boards.

Michelle Alexander, owner of Dakini Suri Alpacas, has been breeding and raising alpacas since 2003 on a small ranch in central Oregon.

Laurie and Scott Findlay have been involved in the alpaca industry for 17+ years. Alpacas of El Dorado features over 50 suri and huacaya alpacas. Laurie formerly was President of CALPACA and has been involved with South County Large Animal Rescue.

They have participated in every aspect of breeding, showing, fiber and agritourisim with alpacas.

Candy McMahan retired in 2008 and manages the farm while Ray continues as owner of an automobile auction company. We love the lifestyle and can’t imagine life without these majestic creatures. We have 83 alpacas, along with 23 “pasture” chickens, three beehives and a farm store attached to our AirBNB overlooking the alpaca pastures.

Patti Anderson’s adventure with suris began 24 years ago with the purchase of two white Peruvian suris that grew to over 125. She established the Wild Rose Suri Ranch in 1995 with her husband, Alan. Patti has been an AOBA Show Committee member, VP of MAPACA, President of MABA, and received the MAPACA Lifetime Achievement Award.

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MisSuri Stats Class Learns the Ins and Outs of Suri Breeding

by Jennifer Crane

Back in October of 2018, my husband Steven and I visited Hasselbring’s Harmony Ranch, which is owned by Patty and Britt Hasselbring. Their ranch is located near Concordia, Missouri, and is home to a herd of around 180 Suri alpacas. We were interested in the possibility of starting our own small herd of Suris in a few years, so we met with Patty and Britt to learn about the animals and to start the research phase of our endeavor.

After spending two hours with Patty and Britt, we were hooked and fascinated by what we saw. After returning home that evening, I went online and started reading up on their website about how all of their breeding decisions are statistically based using EPD’s, fiber histogram data, and SHIP reports. Then, the wheels started turning…

I am in my twenty-fifth year of teaching high school and dual credit mathematics. I currently teach at Smith-Cotton High School in Sedalia, Missouri and during the fall semester of 2018, I found myself teaching, for the first time, a dual credit basic statistics course through the University of Central Missouri.

One of the course requirements for the students was the completion of a statistics project. The parameters of the project were pretty open, so I approached Patty about the possibility of somehow incorporating the data she has on her herd into a project for my students.

Patty was immediately on board and together we brainstormed and came up with a project that not only gave my students knowledge about the alpacas, but that had them apply their statistical analysis skills in a real life, not contrived, setting.

There were only thirteen students in the class, all seniors, who had taken many advanced, honors, AP, and dual credit courses throughout their high school career. They knew we had to complete a project for the Tornado and Storm promoting statistics in the classroom. (photograph courtesy of Jennifer Crane, ©2019)

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course, but they had no idea what I had come up with. I kept the project under wraps and with my administration’s approval, was able to have Patty and one of her farmhands bring two of her show alpacas into my classroom. They arrived on a Thursday in November to kick off the start of the project. Imagine the student’s surprise when they walked into class and found two Suri alpacas standing in the middle of their classroom! One student named Drake said, “Mrs. Crane, I know you said we had to do a project, but we never would have guessed that it had to do with alpacas!” Another student, Reagan, told me after the project had ended, “On a normal day at school, I definitely did not expect to walk into my stats classroom and see two alpacas. We knew we had a project coming up, but had no idea what it would be about.” Needless to say, the students were enthralled and were all ears. They were enamored with the animals and were just as curious about them as I was that day my husband and I visited the ranch.

Patty introduced the animals, Storm and Tornado, that day and also went through a powerpoint with the students that gave them lots of general information on the animals. Up to this point, the students had only concluded that their project was about Suri alpacas, but they had not yet connected the dots. Patty concluded her presentation with information about how their breeding decisions were all based on hard data. In the powerpoint, she also shared Harmony Ranch’s mission statement, “Outstanding Genetics, Data-Driven Breeding Decisions, Stellar Results,” with the students. It was then that the students started to figure out that their project probably had something to do with using statistics for breeding purposes.

Patty returned to class a few days later and we handed each student a set of data on one of the females in her herd.

She walked them through what each of the numbers mean in terms of the fiber traits, including AFD, SDAFD, SF, %F>30, FW, etc. She also walked them through the Suri Herd Improvement Program (SHIP) report for this particular female and what the numbers meant in terms of a viable alpaca, one that could produce healthy offspring with outstanding fiber, over the course of many years. The students were also handed a packet of information that included the 2016 Suri Network Breed Standard and Glossary of Terms, EPD Trait Descriptions, Yocum-McColl’s Understanding Micron Reports, and the Fowler Body Parts diagrams, which included the bone structures for the alpaca body, tail, legs, and feet. Finally, we passed out histogram fiber data, EPD (Expected Progeny Differences), SHIP report, and a registration certificate, for each of the ten females and ten males from her herd. We ended class

Tornado visits with the students

(photograph courtesy of Bob Satnan, ©2019)

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that day by giving the students the project guidelines.

Pairs of students were to comb through the data, and with thorough analysis, find three ideal breeding pairs and one non-ideal breeding pair based on their histograms, EPD’s, SHIP reports, and registration certificates (we did not want them to cross or inbreed the animals). The students then spent the two weeks that followed working on their project and researching more about the animals.

Patty returned to my classroom at the end of the two weeks and listened to the students’ presentations, which all included a powerpoint that displayed their findings.

Their findings included identifying three best pairs for mating and one mating pair that wasn’t “ideal”. For the most part, the students did an outstanding job of matching up males and females whose traits balanced each other out and that could produce a cria that was genetically better than its parents and one that would produce fiber of a better quality than its parents. Patty and I each evaluated their projects and averaged our scores to give each pair of students their final project grade.

Tornado and Storm listening closely to Patty explain EPDs (photograph courtesy of Bob Satnan, ©2019)

One of the goals I had for my students when Patty and I sat down to create the project was to show the students that the study of statistics is far reaching and can be found in many real world settings outside of what they gained from our curriculum and textbook. In the days after the presentations ended, three students, Akaycia, Vlad, and Alex, came to me with their thoughts on the project. Akaycia said, “The alpaca project allowed me to learn more about alpacas than I ever thought I would while simultaneously demonstrating how statistics can be applied in a real-world situation. Statistics, in particular, is often seen as rigid and complex, and, although the project certainly did include tedious number analysis, it also showed how such information is not included trivially but provides an important basis for future decisions. I enjoyed learning about all the factors alpacas are judged on, especially when I had never thought about how important elements like the head or tail could be from a breeding perspective. After examining the data given to us, my group and I quickly discovered that some alpacas are less fortunate than others, but they all have their advantages even if it is just for companionship. Perhaps most importantly, the project helped me gain insight into how organized and dedicated one must be to raise and breed alpacas; so much thought and effort goes into making a good pair not simply for the immediate offspring, but also for the future lineage.” Vlad said, “This project showed me how much statistics and science are involved in things seemingly devoid of these academic disciplines. I enjoyed the thrill of finding two alpacas with near perfect fiber and conformation traits to only later discover they are related.’ Finally, Alex summed it up the best when he said, “I enjoyed the experience of having real world application. You don’t always get that in math classes. It was interesting searching through the different alpaca and comparing traits that they each had. You wonder if the descendants will have the anticipated characteristics. This was a super fun project to end the class.”

After hearing these comments from my students, it was confirmed that this project had become one of the highlights of my teaching career. As an educator though, I am always reflecting and trying to make even great things better.

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What went well? What didn’t go well? What would I change in the future if I did the project again? Patty and I recently sat down over breakfast and chatted about the project. We both agreed that the project served a couple of purposes - the students got to tie their knowledge of histograms, mean, standard deviation, and percentiles, with analysis to a real-life setting and they got to be exposed to a side of agriculture that they knew nothing about. All of these students had no farm experience and knew nothing about EPD’s and how they are used for breeding purposes.

These students were not involved in 4-H or FFA. They had basic knowledge of genetics from their previous science courses, but they had not been exposed to how to tie together genetics with statistics.

The students were enthusiastic about their project and were very proud of their results. They are begging for me to plan a field trip during the spring semester to Patty’s ranch so they can see the animals that they featured in their pairings. They want to know if Patty will be actually breeding the animals they paired up. They want to see the results if she does. Their curiosity has been peaked and as a result of this project, I have had the best teaching experience ever.

Patty and I plan to do the project again with my next class of statistics students. We are also planning on presenting our project at a few math and science education conferences across the state of Missouri in the future.

Jennifer Crane resides on about 47 acres in central Missouri with her husband Steven and son Gage, age 16, and pups Slick and Dozer. Their oldest son Zachary, age 19, is a student at the University of Central Missouri. She and her husband hope to start a small herd of Suri alpacas in the next few years and they look forward to spending their retirement years caring for their herd. Jennifer was recently awarded the 2018-2019 Missouri Council of Teachers of Mathematics Secondary Educator Award.

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Persian Knotted Rugs Made with Hand Spun Suri Yarn A Stunning Collaboration of Rare Fiber and Ancient Craftsmanship

by Deb Christner

Skilled weavers in India began thinking about making rare rugs from alpaca fiber back in 2012. In 2015, after experimenting with huacaya fiber, the weavers discovered suri alpaca. They soon fell in love with suri fiber, as it has the luster and straight silky locks they were looking for and so many natural colors to work with.

The rugs use suri fiber of 29 microns and above and a length of at least four inches, in all colors. The fiber is supplied by Liz Vahlkamp’s North American Suri Company to the rug manufacturing company, which is fittingly located in Bhadohi, known as the carpet city of India.

Upon its arrival in Bhadohi, the suri fiber is inspected and then divided and mixed to create different shades. The natural color white is used as the base and then blended with the remaining 22 natural colors to create well over 100 shade options. These new blends are then re-packed and start their journey to becoming a luxury area rug. Their next stop will be close to 600 miles away in Bikaner, a district in the state of Rajasthan, where the fiber will be washed, carded, and spun.

While the fiber is being prepared, a map of the rug is created to determine how much of any one color is needed for each rug and to create a pattern. The map is similar to graph paper and consists of small squares. Each square represents a knot. In one inch there are 11 square blocks for a total of 121 blocks per square inch.

These maps are either printed or hand painted by brush block by block. The weavers follow the map and the rug is woven block by block or knot by knot to get the desired design.

50-100 spinners from different neighboring villages, usually women, go the Bikaner factory to collect the fleece on weekday mornings. Each spinner gets between 5-10 lbs of fiber to take home to spin. They return back within a week with finished yarn.

Washed fiber awaiting spinning (photograph courtesy of Deb Christner, Š2019)

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Spinning the fiber

(photograph courtesy of Deb Christner, ©2019)

This has been happening for decades in the same manner. The spinners are accomplished at spinning wool but since suri is a little different, those who have mastered spinning suri are paid more.

Shahab Brothers Industries, a family business consisting of Shahabuddin Ansari and his six sons, has been creating rugs for over 80 years for four generations. The art of weaving is passed from father to son. Since this area of India is the “carpet city,” most houses have looms and the environment surrounding children is weaving. The children spend time on the loom, learn to knit, and the art of weaving then follows.

Shahab Brothers has over 200 employees that work in their campus, with another 300 working indirectly outside of the campus. Most men weave, but 30-40% of women also weave. Women are more involved in the spinning and sometimes coloring of the maps. This allows the women to work from home.

Weaving is done on a vertical loom. Before the weaving begins, the warp is done outside the loom: weavers put two sturdy metal rods in ground spaced 20-30 feet apart, and one small rod in the middle to make the warp, something like the infinity symbol ∞. It is then put on vertical loom and the weaving begins, knot by knot (block by block), picking each color one by one. It takes approximately six months to complete weaving a 120 knot per square inch rug. Experienced weavers weave 6,000 knots surinetwork.org

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per day. If the rug is large, more than one weaver will work on the rug.

The Persian knot or Senneh knot is a single, asymmetrical knot technique allowing a more rounded elegant design, as well as a higher knot density and heavier carpet. Knots are measured per square inch, expressed as KPSI. Once the weaving is done, the rug is inspected for any broken patterns, quality, and straightened, if needed. The rug is washed twice to get the perfect shine and feel.

To wash one 8 x 10 rug, it takes two to three washers four to five hours.

The rug is then rolled and put vertical overnight, and the next day it is opened in the sun to dry. This process takes two to three days of sun to dry a rug.

Washing a finished rug

(photograph courtesy of Deb Christner, Š2019)

After the drying, the rug is stretched and straightened to make sure the rug motifs and lines are straight and aligned. After stretching, the rug pile is clipped to give it a nice even look. Twenty years ago, the clipping was mostly done by hand with scissors. These days most of the trimming is by machine, but scissors are used also. After the clipping is complete, the rugs are bound or the warp strings are tied into fringe. The rugs also have a label stating care description, materials used, year it came off the loom, size, and KPSI. A line of modern designs is currently being developed, along with the beautiful, more traditional designs currently offered.

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Machine trimming a finished rug

(photograph courtesy of Deb Christner, Š2019)

Binding the edge of a finished rug

(photograph courtesy of Deb Christner, Š2019)

Deb Christner and her husband raise suri alpacas in the fertile North Fork Valley of Western Colorado. They purchased their first Alpaca in 2004 and agisted for four years, until finally moving to their ranch in 2008.

As chair of the Suri Network Product Development for three years, Deb was involved in creating the P2P Educational DVD, the Suri Strut Fashion show, and several educational and promotional events and publications. She has taken numerous fiber classes through The University of North Carolina, along with grading and sorting classes.

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SURI FIBER

IMPORTANT CHARACTERISTICS IN SORTING & GRADING

By Wini Labrecque, SWF Fiber Innovations The quality of fiber from the North American suri alpaca herd has improved significantly over the past ten years. Are these improvements enough to create an industry around it? I think we have already.

The continued improvement of suri alpaca fiber production through better breeding practices that take into account fiber characteristics, along with conformation, are the key to being able to provide quality fiber in quantities sufficient to sustain a manufacturing process. Sound fiber with uniformity across the blanket in micron, length, color and with minimal guard hair are the primary characteristics utilized in most textile production. Breeding practices that strive for these characteristics make the fiber more valuable since less handling in sorting and grading is required. Breed practices should also include efforts to Ensure fiber remains free of impurities such as hay, chaff, dust, seed heads, etc.

Sorting and grading is a very labor intensive, hands-on requirement for alpaca fiber today. Much of the fiber being put into production must be sorted and graded due to inconsistencies across the blanket and contamination from environmental impurities. As breeding improvements continue to be made, companies who utilize suri fiber in their products will be able to take advantage of those improvements in reduced labor and costs in production.

The importance placed on specific suri fiber characteristics may vary from end user to end user depending upon their production needs. The following traits discussed are those of importance to the author in production of quality, high end textiles. A survey of other production companies utilizing suri fiber in their end products show these traits to be important to them as well but they may have additional, specific requirements in sorting that meet their production standards.

Soundness is probably the most obvious but often most missed fiber characteristic in the sorting, grading, or even purchasing process. A batch of fiber that breaks due to tenderness, brittleness, cria tip dryness, or general poor fiber nourishment will cause a high degree of variation in length within the batch. This variability affects the integrity and durability of the yarn, reduces yield, affects blending opportunities, causes pilling and fiber migration in finished fabrics as well as affects hand. In a commercial grade textile, all of these are unacceptable as they also should be in an artisan or small producer product.

Color and uniformity of that color across the blanket is stressed in the show ring and is a major issue in textile production. When creating fabrics, off color fibers show up in knitwear, crocheted items and woven fabrics as flaws. End purchasers will usually refuse to purchase yarn, fabric and/or products with flaws or demand heavy discounts which may not cover production costs. These flaws cause loss not only in materials but in production costs and labor expenses across the entire chain from raw fiber purchase, shipping, yarn production, knitting or weaving process and end product construction.

Length is a critical characteristic in production. Length determines the best processing method for the fiber and will affect yarn production. Varied lengths within a processing batch will lead to poor yarn integrity,

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fiber migration out of spun yarn and poor hand. Suri fiber that is excessively long will be difficult for mills to process into yarn. Longer fiber winds around the drums during the carding process and may get torn apart in the carding process as the equipment rips at the fibers to get them to process through. This causes additional issues such as pilling, shedding and blending problems. In addition, many times the extra-long suri fiber (which is usually a result of allowing two year’s growth) will show weakening of the fibers in the locks. That weakening will be affected during the carding/combing process and will break those fibers into varied lengths. The effect of varied lengths in weaving can be noticed in the fuzzy appearance of the finished textile as opposed to the smooth, silky appearance one would expect to see in suri fabric. In sorting, length should be kept within 1 to 1 ½ inch variation. Any wider spread will start to show the degrading effects in the finished products.

(photograph courtesy of Liz Vahlkamp, Š2019)

Impurities in just one blanket can contaminate an entire batch or bale of suri fiber. Cleanliness of fiber for processing helps keep down costs in scouring (washing), carding/combing and spinning. Impurities cause a reduced yield and high waste in spinning as well as causing flaws in finished textiles. In sorting and grading suri fleece with a high degree of impurities, the fleece will likely have no commercial value and be discarded.

As with off color fibers, fiber that has been spun with impurities in it result in end fabric loss of sales which in turn create production loss and excess expense that is unable to be recouped. For high end fiber production demanding high pricing for finished product, we must strive for clean suri fiber 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 suri yarn will be diminished by a high variation of micron within the run. High variation of micron may require the batch to go through a dehairing process to help remove some of the heavier fibers.

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. This also creates repeatability in quality for future runs. Suri fiber is sorted and graded into three micron spread grades based upon industry standard. Some applications may have different tolerances for the micron spread either lower or higher.

Those requiring a different range from standard grades sort their suri fiber to their own specs.

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Guard hairs (strong primary fibers) are present in all alpaca fiber. Guard hairs are the stiffer fibers within the fleece that don’t readily bend or conform to those fibers around them. They generally present with a duller appearance than other fibers and don’t process in the same manner as the rest of the fleece. Excessive guard hair must go through the dehairing 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 fibers 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 fibers pull out of the fabric. The also cause a prickle effect which reduces the textile quality and value. Breeding or less guard hair and finer 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 fibers. Even if guard hairs are reduced in micron to be similar to other fibers present, they will still react the same when it comes to stiffness and dye uptake.

Primary to secondary fiber ratio can also affect final textile production if that ratio exhibits a high degree of variation in micron between the two. This fiber 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 fibers to primaries will lead to better consistency of fleece, higher yields and less variation. Breeding for primary and secondary fibers that exhibit a closer micron range, staying within 3-4 microns of each other will also lead to more uniform, higher yielding suri fleece.

While there are more fiber characteristics not discussed here, it is the author’s experience that those listed are currently the most necessary in the sorting/grading process to give us repeatable, quality products we strive for. As the North American suri alpaca herds continue to improve by better breeding decisions, genetic predisposition to lingering fineness, uniformity of fiber across the blanket and reduced and/or finer guard hairs, the need for intensive sorting/grading of suri alpaca fiber will be reduced thus bringing down costs and yielding a more uniform quality textile that will maintain the high value it deserves.

Current Sorting/Grading Standards for Suri Fiber From the North American Suri Company Colors: White (white and beige) Fawn (light and medium fawn, white with fawn spots) Brown (dark fawn, all browns, bay black) Black (true black) Rose Grey (includes white with brown spots and brown with white fibers) Silver Grey (includes black with white fibers) Lengths: Microns: < 3.5” Grade 1 <20 3.5”-4.75” Grade 2 20-22.9 5”-6.25” Grade 3 23-25.9 6.5”-7.5” Grade 4 26-28.9 >7.5” Grade 5 29+

Wini Labrecque is a weaver, hand spinner, felter, knitter, crocheter, and dyer. She is an AOA Certified Alpaca Fleece judge, Certified Camelid Fiber Grader/Sorter/Classer through Olds College in Canada, Trained Grader/ Sorter of cashmere. Wini is currently involved in the SUNY/Cobleskill Certificate Training Program in Sorting, Grading and Classing of Fiber as administrator and trainer. A retired Veterinary Assistant, Wini and her husband John have raised alpacas, cashmere producing goats, angora goats, sheep, and angora rabbits over the years.

Wini’s background gives her the unique opportunity to share her knowledge with others to help enhance their own livestock programs.

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by Jill McElderry-Maxwell

Why you should keep male and female alpacas separate

Geldings aren’t always good guys

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Every alpaca owner will eventually be asked if male and female alpacas can be kept together. It’s my opinion that your answer should always be “no,” even if the male is gelded - and here are the reasons why.

Let’s start with reproductive anatomy. Many new owners will counter that geldings and wethers are kept with females in other livestock species like horses, sheep, and goats. What needs to be understood, however, is that llamas and alpacas breed like no other traditional livestock.

Alpacas and llamas have a hard, cartilaginous tip to their penis, a penis that actually penetrates into the uterus doing coitus.

During intercourse, the corkscrewing penis rakes the lining of the tract, opening it to infection. If a female alpaca is pregnant, penile penetration into Fibrocartilaginous tip of alpaca penis the uterus can cause her to (photograph courtesy of Dr. Jane Vaughan @2019) abort. Photographs of the female reproductive tract taken after a breeding show that it looks like raw hamburger - females often bleed even after a single, planned breeding. In other species, the penis is shorter and/or softer, and does not damage the female.

Add to this that intromission can easily exceed thirty minutes without owner intervention. In other small ruminants, if you blink, you’ll miss the breeding - which also happens while the animals are standing. There’s less chance of dirt and other materials being carried into the reproductive tract. Since alpacas breed while cushed - and males can take substantial time to find the appropriate opening - breedings on dirt or less savory substrates can introduce a significant amount of debris into the female.

Now imagine a gelding sneaking breedings night after night. The female doesn’t refuse because she’s not pregnant and she’s sleepy - and so her reproductive tract never has a chance to heal. Overbreeding is the number one cause of infertility in alpacas and llamas.

But my gelding never breeds my girls, some owners will exclaim - I would see it! Except alpacas really do prefer to breed under cover of darkness.

One owner’s eyes were opened dramatically the summer her home was right next to the alpaca paddock; my thanks to Jennifer Freundlich for allowing me to reprint her words: “Here is a cautionary tale from my lived experience: Several years ago, I lived in a camper on the farm where I worked, close enough to the alpaca pasture for ‘pacas to stick their heads in my window. It was a huge eye-opener (literally): geldings that we believed were living peaceably with females WERE in fact attempting to breed them relentlessly in the wee hours of the night. I observed these animals pretty much all day, every day and would have had NO idea this was going on if I hadn’t slept beside the pasture. One nearly killed his half sister. We separated them, of course, and she recovered with supportive care. I will never house gelded alpacas with females since, for any length of time or reason. It’s simply not worth the risk to the girls!”

Sometimes potential owners will counter that even intact males and females run together in “the wild” in South America - why can’t they do the same here? For one thing, llamas and alpacas are receptive and fertile all year around: there is no rut, estrus, or true breeding season like in some other livestock. Mature females have a follicular cycle that produces ripe eggs on a regular basis, and this cycle is generally only interrupted by pregnancy. This is why owners can have spring cria, fall cria, or accidental cria at any time. In their native altiplano, alpacas are forced into a single breeding season not by their anatomy, but by the available forage. There is only enough food to support pregnancy and lactation in the spring - severe nutritional limitations typically prevent out of season cria.

Genetic and morphological studies confirm that alpacas are essentially domesticated vicuña, whose behavior is well studied.

Successful vicuña males maintain harems of four to six females, which they defend vigorously. Once his females are pregnant, a macho’s energies are devoted to this energetically expensive defense against rival males and predators - he doesn’t have the time or the energy to pursue females that spit him off. Females are not overbred simply because the males can’t afford to.

Inbreeding is avoided by the dams and harem macho combining to drive young females out of the herd once they reach reproductive maturity. Mature females generally remain with the harem macho in a stable group, Jenny’s adorable sex fiend (photo courtesy of Jennifer Freundlich)

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unless a rival ousts the breeding male. The unsuccessful vicuña males live together in bachelor herds, which is in part why we can keep groups of intact males together with minimal fighting they are evolutionarily programmed for it.

But of course, there are no wild alpacas, and so we have human intervention making out of season breeding even more difficult in South America. Most farms or groups of owners keep the males and females separate by using human shepherds, who only bring breeding pairs together for limited times. Hand breeding is common, and pasture breeding mimics male harems, with females being introduced into breeding groups controlled by a specific macho. Supplemental feed is not typically offered, so the females face the same nutritional restraints as their wild ancestors. There is evidence of significant human intervention in alpaca breeding dating back 4000 before present in South America.

Here in the US, our alpacas are spoiled. Males and females both are kept on a much higher nutritional plane, meaning that pregnancies can be maintained at any time of year (it’s also why so many more alpacas are producing twins - they have the energy and nutrition to do so). An intact male kept in with females will be anxious and able to rebreed them if a pregnancy slips.

Females can therefore end up with poorly timed cria. When alpacas are kept as pairs or in small groups, a breeding male’s libido may be strong enough that he will attempt to breed the female as she is birthing, killing the cria (just before birthing, pregnant females will smell similar to open females).

Likewise, strongly sexed males may try to breed very young females, even their own daughters, either impregnating, injuring, or killing them. Many owners assume that young males won’t breed their mothers, or older males their daughters, but alpacas have no incest taboos. The youngest sire on record was only between seven and eight months old - male cria need to be safely weaned and separated from the female herd before their sex drive kicks in.

Surgical castration is the removal of the male’s testicles, which only removes the ability to impregnate, but not the ability to penetrate. While many males will experience a significant drop in testosterone levels after gelding, breeding is also a learned behavior which does not require sex hormones to be present. Castration should not be performed before a male alpaca reaches 18 months of age (24 months in llamas) to avoid future skeletal problems. This means that on many farms, males will have been exposed to breeding behaviors long before they are gelded.

Breeding remains a pleasurable experience for even gelded males. Many gelded males are happy to breed at any time, and since they can’t impregnate a female, she will remain receptive and not spit the gelding off. This can lead to uterine infections, injury, and infertility.

In short, all alpaca and llama males may have the urge to breed, whether gelded or not. Given the unique sexual anatomy of the male camelid, and the unusual breeding behavior of the species, repeated, prolonged breedings can do significant damage to the female reproductive

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tract. Overbreeding is the most common cause of infertility in female camelids. There are no benefits to running male and female camelids together, and many, many potential drawbacks, including female injury, infection, and death.

References

Davies, Jennifer, 2003, Population Ecology of the Vicuña (Vicugna vicugna) at the Salinas y Aguada Blanca National Reserve, Areuipa, Peru: Baseline Data for Successful Management, A Thesis Presented to the Graduate School of the University of Florida in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts, University of Florida Franklin, William, 1971, The Social Behavior of the Vicuña, Paper No. 24 in Volume 1 of The Behaviour of Ungulates and its relation to management, The Papers of an International Symposium held at THE UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY, ALBERTA, CANADA 2-5 November 1971, International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, Morges, Switzerland, 1974 Mengoni Goñalons, Guillermo and Hugo Yacobaccio, 2006, The Domestication of South American Camelids A View from the South-Central Andes, Chapter 16 in Documenting Domestication: New Genetic and Archaeological Paradigms, edited by Melinda A. Zeder, et al., published by the University of California Press Tibary, Ahmed and Abdelhaq Anouassi, 2001, Uterine Infections in Camelidae, Veterinary Sciences Tomorrow, Issue 3, August 2001 Wheeler, Jane C., Lounès Chikhi, and Michael W. Bruford, 2006, Genetic Analysis of the Origins of Domestic South American Camelids, Chapter 23 in New Genetic and Archaeological Paradigms, edited by Melinda A Zeder, et al., published by the University of California Press

Jill owns Bag End Suri Alpacas of Maine, where she raises suri alpacas and various breeds of wool sheep, along with a zoo of not nearly as useful other livestock. Retired from breeding and showing, Jill focuses on promoting suri fiber through her home grown and hand dyed yarns. She is a past member of the Suri Network and Maine Alpaca Association boards.

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Suri Network Summer Symposium Suri Simply Stunning

™

by Sue King, Suri Network President

The Suri Network’s 15th Annual Suri Network Symposium and All Suri Fleece Show was held in beautiful Loveland, Colorado on August 9-10, 2019. Our theme this year was our new brand: Suri Simply Stunning™, which celebrates the rare and beautiful Suri alpaca and its stunning fiber.

The two-day Symposium was packed with educational presentations, lots of hands-on learning and updates on Suri Network projects and plans. Our worldrenowned industry leading speakers included Amanda VandenBosch, Jude Anderson, Wini Labrecque, Cheryl Gehly, Dr. Tim Holt and special guest speaker, Amy Hall, VP of Social Consciousness at EILEEN FISHER. The All Suri Fleece show offered the best competition in the world for Suri fleeces in a level III competition with separate championships by gender in nearly all color groups.

Last year at the 2018 Symposium the Suri Network introduced our brand mark initiative, Suri Simply Stunning™. The objective of the branding program is to create recognition of Suri as a luxurious natural fiber with specific characteristics of softness, luster, warmth and adaptability in a wide variety of products.

This year we expanded the use of the mark to promote awareness of the unique qualities that distinguish Suri alpacas and Suri fiber products as Suri Simply Stunning™.

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The 2019 Symposium topics focused on Suri fiber and the US and global developments in the Suri industry. Topics included developing trends in the US and global markets, accelerating quality in Suri products, hands-on Suri sorting and classifying, hands-on Suri fiber evaluations, and sustainability in the fashion world. There were some consistent themes throughout the presentations, including the challenges of growing the industry by increasing the national Suri herd; focusing on full fiber utilization including all fiber grades; and focusing on uniformity of micron, staple length and other factors that impact conversion of fiber into products. While the alpaca industry in general has seen consolidation in recent years, the future is bright and full of opportunities for those who desire to work towards a full fiber utilization model, particularly with the advantages that “Suri Simply Stunning™” fiber has to offer.

The 2019 All Suri Fleece Show was better than ever, with the addition of separate Breeder Cup awards for Cottage Fleece in addition to the Breeder Cup awards for Commercial Fleece. This year the show was open to international entries for the first time, and AOA’s new Advanced Fleece Certificates were issued to those fleeces with a score of 80 points or more.

In addition to the Fleece show, including Cottage and Spin-off, we had many entries in the Fiber Arts and Skeins competition. Our Fleece Show Judges this year were Cheryl Gehly and Amanda VandenBosch, ourSpinoff Judge was Gabrielle Menn and our Fiber Arts and Skeins Judge was Wini Labrecque. All in all, there were a beautiful array of Suri fleeces and fiber art/ skeins for our attendees to observe, touch and learn from.

Congratulations to the following winners of the Suri Network 2019 Breeder Cup Awards: Commercial Division Diamond Cup (large entry) Sapphire Cup (medium entry) Emerald Cup (small entry)

Big Timber Alpacas, Sue King iMpress Alpacas, William Ward and Michelle Pressler Knolveston Farm, Richard Bohannon and Jim Owens

Cottage Division Diamond Cup (large entry) Sapphire Cup (medium entry) Emerald Cup (small entry)

Derwydd Alpacas, Dale Davis Zinnia Fields Alpaca Farm, Myndee Ebbers Memory M-Acres Farm, Bob Figular and Lisa Collura

Once again, this year we hosted our successful annual live auction and our online auction that offered many beautiful Suri alpaca products and services. The live auction was held Friday night with an all-star lineup of 15 auction lots. Some of the highlighted items included in the auction were breedings to three top Suri herdsires, hand knitted Suri shawls, Judy Steele pottery, registrations for Education with a Destination, and a gorgeous stained-glass Suri art piece by Kim Bisceglia. The live and online auctions were a resounding success, surinetwork.org

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raising over $18,000 for the benefit of Suri Network programs.

On Saturday, Suri Network held its annual meeting to provide an update to our members. Our Treasurer presented our financial statements. Others presented updates on the organizationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s activities including our branding initiative and strategic plan update.

In addition to our business meeting, Suri Network presented the annual Judy Steele Creativity Award and the Jim Barker Award at our annual meeting. We were honored to announce Karl and Jan Heinrich as the winner of the Judy Steele award and Jill McElderry-Maxwell as the winner of the Jim Barker award. Please join us in congratulating them for the well-deserved honors.

In addition to the well-received speaker sessions, hands-on fiber evaluation workshops and the fleece show, we hosted a variety of other events including the popular Fiber Fun Happy Hour where attendees could learn about spinning, felting, weaving, knitting, and crocheting, all while sipping their beverages of choice. We also offered two pre-Symposium workshops on Thursday, including a Suri dye class taught by Dan Corley and a skirting class taught by Wini Labreque. In addition to these interesting events, all attendees also had many opportunities to meet and network with other Suri breeders, vendors, mills, and fiber enthusiasts during the two-day conference.

The 2019 Symposium and All Suri Fleece Show was a resounding success and well received by those who attended. The Suri Network Board of Trustees would like to thank all those who made it successful including our members who attended, our generous sponsors, our donors who donated to the live and on-line auctions and our volunteers who planned and worked on the conference and fleece show. We especially want to acknowledge and thank our sponsors who helped make it financially possible.

All photographs courtesy of Margit Korsak @2019

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The Suri NetworkTM gratefully thanks the sponsors, donors and volunteers who made the 2019 Summer Symposium and All Suri Fleece Show possible.

======================================================================================+++++==================================================================================================================================================

GOLD SPONSORS

Sue and Kevin King Big Timber Alpacas

Tim and Beth Sheets Our Heritage Farm

=============================================================================================================================================================================================================================================

SILVER SPONSOR

ROYAL FLEECE SHOW SPONSOR

ROYAL FLEECE SHOW SPONSOR

Karl and Jan Heinrich Long Hollow Suri Alpacas

Ray & Candy McMahan Raynay Alpaca Farm

Nancy Lindemood 2 Point Farm

=============================================================================================================================================================================================================================================

TOTE BAG SPONSOR

Deb & Doug Christner Akuna Matada Suri Alpacas

TOTE BAG SPONSOR

CONFERENCE PEN SPONSOR

FARM TABLE SPONSOR

Ted & Julie Ritschard B I Bar Suri Alpacas

Margit Korsak Boulder Hill Alpacas

Donna Anderson & Dick Walker Seed Stock Suri Alpacas

=============================================================================================================================================================================================================================================

MEAL SPONSOR

Mazuri Exotic Animal Nutrition

MEAL SPONSOR

Tim & Beth Sheets Our Heritage Farm

MEAL SPONSOR

Liz & Chris Vahlkamp Salt River Alpacas

MEAL SPONSOR

Dawn Browning & Susan Feil Sie Sutter Suri Alpacas

MEAL SPONSOR

Don Wingerter, Jr. Mill Creek Alpacas

=============================================================================================================================================================================================================================================

FLEECE TRANSPORT SPONSOR

FLEECE TRANSPORT SPONSOR

CHAMPION BANNER SPONSOR

SPECIALTY RIBBON SPONSOR

JUDGES CHOICE RIBBON SPONSOR

Derwydd Alpacas Leslie Rebtoy, DO Steve & Laura Hall BuzznHumm Alpacas, LLC Healing Springs Suris, LLC

Leslie Rebtoy, DO Healing Springs Suris, LLC

Jan & Dale Davis Derwydd Alpacas

Leslie Rebtoy, DO Healing Springs Suris, LLC

=============================================================================================================================================================================================================================================

VENDOR

VENDOR The Suri Network would like to thank the following individuals who have helped to make the Suri Symposium and All Suri Fleece Show a success: Dawn Chew Browning, Deb Christner, Joy Conwell, Hillary Devin, Cindy Grigg, Jennifer Hack, Sue King, Margit Korsak, Nancy Lindemood, Judy Schroeder, Beth Sheets, Liz Vahlkamp and all of our fleece room volunteers.

Karl & Jan Heinrich New Era Fiber

Stacie Chavez Imperial Yarn

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2019 All Suri Fleece Show Results 183 fleeces, 29 cottage fleeces, level III show split by gender Judges: Cheryl Gehly and Amanda Vandenbosch

Suri Gray Juvenile Male Fleece (6) Amanda VandenBosch 1, 35375470, SLS Guardians Yondu, Silver Lining Suris, Judith Buning 2, 35529637, WRSR Independence by Izod, New Groove Alpacas, Bonnie Bieber 3, 35388784, GVSA GHOST RYDER’S ARMOR, Grandview Suri Alpacas, Lisa & Jeff Haselhorst 4, 35489122, BENTLEY OF HARMONY, Hasselbring’s Harmony Ranch, Britt & Patty Hasselbring 5, 35529644, WRSR Jack-in-the-Box by Fusion, Wild Rose Suri Ranch, Patti & Alan Anderson 6, 35585206, Chelsea Farms’ 50 Shades More, Chelsea Farms, Randy & Beth Brealey Suri Gray Yearling Male Fleece (1) Amanda VandenBosch 1, 35085089, LUMINARY LEGACY OF GIACOMO, Faith and Fleece Alpacas, Don & Tracy Pellegrino Suri Gray 2YO & Adult Male Fleece (3) Amanda VandenBosch 1, 35392637, TASHINA’S QUICK SILVER, Raynay Alpaca Farm LLC, Ray & Candy McMahan 2, 35174332, WRSR JACKKNIFE BY FUSION, Wild Rose Suri Ranch, Patti & Alan Anderson 3, 32425208, RKR’S LITTLE ABE, Healing Springs Suris, Leslie Rebtoy Suri Gray Male Fleece Championship (10) Amanda VandenBosch CH, 35375470, SLS Guardians Yondu, Silver Lining Suris, Judith Buning RES, 35529637, WRSR Independence by Izod, New Groove Alpacas, Bonnie Bieber Best B&O Gray Male, 35375470, SLS Guardians Yondu, Silver Lining Suris, Judith Buning Suri Black Juvenile Male Fleece (5) Amanda VandenBosch 1, 35372837, IAF Solomon, iMpress Alpacas, Michelle A Pressler & William Ward 2, 35372387, ROCKORO’S KINGSTON OF M&MNC, M & M Alpaca Farm of NC, Marty Raynor 3, 35593072, BIG TIMBER’s ICED KOLA, Big Timber Alpacas LLC, Susan King 4, 35464310, DKN Dakini Icy Hot, Dakini Suri Alpacas, Michelle Alexander 5, 35374091, LHSA SCORPIO BY MOAB, Long Hollow Suri Alpacas/New Era Fiber, Karl & Jan Heinrich Suri Black Yearling Male Fleece (3) Amanda VandenBosch 1, 35183846,VADER’S UPROAR OF PINES EDGE, Wilkins Ranch, Pines Edge Alpacas, Mike & Janet Wilkins, Linda Kondris 2, 35426776, WLK STRYKER, Wilkins Ranch, Mike & Janet Wilkins 3, 35359425, RDE’S OSO’S DOLAN, Little River Alpaca Ranch, Janice & Michael Chambers Suri Black 2YO Male Fleece (2) Amanda VandenBosch 1, 35174356, WRSR MANNIX BY AVANTI, Wild Rose Suri Ranch, Patti & Alan Anderson 2, 35216186, BEAUTY’S MAJESTIC ENCORE, Symphony Fibers, Karen Kovisto Suri Black Male Fleece Championship (10) Amanda VandenBosch CH, 35372837, IAF Solomon, iMpress Alpacas, Michelle A Pressler & William Ward RES, 35372387, ROCKORO’S KINGSTON OF M&MNC, M & M Alpaca Farm of NC, Marty Raynor Best B&O Black Male, 35372837, IAF Solomon, iMpress Alpacas, Michelle A Pressler & William Ward surinetwork.org

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Suri Brown Juvenile Male Fleece (4) Amanda VandenBosch 1, 35529668, WRSR Lorenzo by Avanti, Wild Rose Suri Ranch, Patti & Alan Anderson 2, 35568599, Bronx’s Boaz of SILVERFIELD, Silverfield Farms, Brian Barfield & Katie Silver 3, 35584179, RANGER LEGACY OF SAMSON, Alpaca Abode, Jessica Andrews 4, 35585145, Daydream’s Dash, Daydream Alpacas, Cathie Berger

Suri Brown Yearling Male Fleece (4) Amanda VandenBosch 1, 35392644, RAYNAY’S MOONSHINE, Raynay Alpaca Farm LLC, Ray & Candy McMahan 2, 35136361, RAYNAY’S QUICK TO JUDGE, Raynay Alpaca Farm LLC Ray & Candy McMahan 3, 35136309, SPIRIT DANCER’S DEACON BLUES, Shambalah Alpaca Ranch, Hillary Devin & Scott Phillips 4, 35400141, WHITE KNIGHT’S MAUI OF THR, Triple H Ranch, Jennifer Hack Suri Brown Male Fleece Championship (8) Amanda VandenBosch CH, 35529668, WRSR Lorenzo by Avanti, Wild Rose Suri Ranch, Patti & Alan Anderson RES, 35392644, RAYNAY’S MOONSHINE, Raynay Alpaca Farm LLC, Ray & Candy McMahan Best B&O Brown Male, 35529668, WRSR Lorenzo by Avanti, Wild Rose Suri Ranch, Patti & Alan Anderson Suri Fawn Juvenile Male Fleece (8) Amanda VandenBosch 1, 35173380, IAF Tanner, iMpress Alpacas, Michelle A Pressler & William Ward 2, 32524086, RRAF PVM’S Independence 1776, Rodgers’ Reserve Alpaca Farm, Janet & Bob Rodgers 3, 35074946, Bodacious Britches, Black Horse Hill, Mary Seay 4, 35513513, ZHF JBEAR, Zephyr Hill Farm, Denise Johnson 5, 35388517, ELDORA’S YUKON BY TEMPO, Briarwood Acres, Robert & Kolette Newman 6, 35374107, LHSA CRAZY MONEY, Long Hollow Suri Alpacas/New Era Fiber, Karl & Jan Heinrich

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Suri Fawn Yearling Male Fleece (5) Amanda VandenBosch 1, 35480181, WPR SEABISCUIT, Whistling Pines Ranch, Chris & Jess Fredericks 2, 32721768, GLR LIMA, Halo Ranch Alpacas, Zach Hackett & Jessica Kramer-Hackett 3, 35431282, ANAKIN SKYWALKER OF THR, Triple H Ranch, Jennifer Hack 4, 35491125, BRAVO’S DRAGO OF SILVERFIELD, Silverfield Farms, Brian Barfield & Katie Silver 5, 35426721, SSSA THE COUNT OF GOLDSTAR, Sweet Blossom Alpaca Farm, Debbie Pettis Suri Fawn 2YO & Adult Male Fleece (5) Amanda VandenBosch 1, 35095644, H & S INDEPENDENCE, Heart & Soul Alpacas and Spinnery, Russell Ratti & Karen Ball 2, 32704846, LOVE ME COOL HAND LUKE, Love Me Alpacas, Victoria & Evelyn Telesko 3, 35391999, EL DORADO BLUES TROUBLEMAKER, Alpacas of El Dorado, Scott & Laurie Findlay 4, 35404613, WRSR ZEPPELIN BY KING COAL, Wild Rose Suri Ranch, Patti & Alan Anderson 5, 35351276, EL DORADO GOLDEN THUNDER, Alpacas of El Dorado, Scott & Laurie Findlay Suri Fawn Male Fleece Championship (18) Amanda VandenBosch CH, 35173380, IAF Tanner, iMpress Alpacas, Michelle A Pressler & William Ward RES, 32524086, RRAF PVM’S INDEPENDENCE 1776, Rodgers’ Reserve Alpaca Farm, Janet & Bob Rodgers Best B&O Fawn Male, 35173380, IAF Tanner, iMpress Alpacas, Michelle A Pressler & William Ward Suri Light Juvenile Male Fleece (8) Amanda VandenBosch 1, 35372400, M&MNC Aristos’ Charlemagne, M & M Alpaca Farm of NC, Marty Raynor 2, 35290940, Odin of Halo, Halo Ranch Alpacas, Zach Hackett & Jessica Kramer- Hackett 3, 35411994, SHAMBALAH Cisco Kid By White Knight, Shambalah Alpaca Ranch, Hillary Devin & Scott Phillips 4, 35380689, IAF Voyager, iMpress Alpacas, Michelle A Pressler & William Ward 5, 35503583, LITTLE DUDE OF WHM, Whisper Meadows Alpacas, Christine Rogers 6, 35121176, BIG DUDE OF WHM, Whisper Meadows Alpacas, Christine Rogers

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Suri Light Yearling Male Fleece (5) Amanda VandenBosch 1, 35383253, GOLDSTAR’S ZOLTAR, Whistling Pines Ranch, Anderson Acres Alpacas LLC, Chris & Jess Fredericks, Rex & Roy Anderson 2, 35585268, Chelsea Farms’ Rowdy, Chelsea Farms, Randy & Beth Brealey 3, 35175476, SLS GUARDIANS QUIL STARLORD, Silver Lining Suris, Judith Buning 4, 35411864, SHAMBALAH’S MIGHTY MIGHTY, Shambalah Alpaca Ranch, Hillary Devin & Scott Phillips 5, 35486565, SKYES THE LIMIT OF LOVE ME, Love Me Alpacas, Victoria & Evelyn Telesko Suri Light 2YO & Adult Male Fleece (2) Amanda VandenBosch 1, 35421023, JET’S DOMINION, Healing Springs Suris, Leslie Rebtoy 2, 32573510, BIG TIMBER LOCKE’S KRISTOFF, Big Timber Alpacas LLC, Susan King Suri Light Mature Male Fleece (2) Amanda VandenBosch 1, 31697576, WHFNC LEGENDARY ACCOYO CONSTANTINO, Windy Hill Farm NC, Mary Bell 2, 30892668, AUGUSTUS OF BELMONTE, Healing Springs Suris, Leslie Rebtoy Suri Light Male Fleece Championship (15) Amanda VandenBosch CH, 35383253, GOLDSTAR’S ZOLTAR, Whistling Pines Ranch, Anderson Acres Alpacas LLC, Chris & Jess Fredericks, Rex & Roy Anderson RES, 35372400, M&MNC Aristos’ Charlemagne, M & M Alpaca Farm of NC, Marty Raynor Best B&O Light Male, GOLDSTAR’S ZOLTAR, Whistling Pines Ranch, Anderson Acres Alpacas LLC, Chris & Jess Fredericks, Rex & Roy Anderson Suri White Juvenile Male Fleece (12) Amanda VandenBosch 1, 35595113, TASA’S Accoyo Karlos by King, The Alpacas of Spring Acres, Albert & Rebecca Camma 2, 35595090, TASA’S Accoyo Jasper by Heat Wave, Alpacas of Spring Acres, Albert & Rebecca Camma 3, 35593089, BIG TIMBER TAHITI’S KAURI, Big Timber Alpacas LLC, Susan King 4, 35373445, MONT EVEREST, Hasselbring’s Harmony Ranch, Britt & Patty Hasselbring 5, 35595106, TASA’S Accoyo Murphy by King, The Alpacas of Spring Acres, Albert & Rebecca Camma 6, 35074953, Freedom’s Firecracker, Black Horse Hill, Mary Seay Suri White Yearling Male Fleece (13) Amanda VandenBosch 1, 35077732, WAP NORTHSTAR BY COMMANDOR, Heart & Soul Alpacas and Spinnery, Wings & a Prayer, Russell Ratti & Karen Ball, Randy & Barbara Coleman 2, 35122180, BIG TIMBER TAHITI’S FYRE DANCER, Big Timber Alpacas LLC, Susan King 3, 35205753, LITTLE PROVIDENCE JOSEFS EPHRAIM, Little Providence Alpacas, Russ & Wendi James 4, 35363156, Chelsea Farms’ Outlaw, Chelsea Farms, Randy & Beth Brealey 5, 35136408, SONATAS MAJOR THEME BY ELECTROFYRE, Sie Sutter Suri Alpaca LLC, Raynay Alpaca Farm LLC, Dawn C Browning & Susan S Feil, Ray & Candy McMahan 6, 35136392, SILK’S MESSENGER OF THE GODS, Raynay Alpaca Farm LLC, Ray & Candy McMahan Suri White 2 Year Old Male Fleece (5) Amanda VandenBosch 1, 32832440, TASA’S Accoyo Merlin by King, The Alpacas of Spring Acres, Albert & Rebecca Camma 2, 32832419, TASA’S Accoyo Romeo by King, The Alpacas of Spring Acres, Albert & Rebecca Camma 3, 35082699, TSSS ICE MAN, Hasselbring’s Harmony Ranch, Pucara International, Britt & Patty Hasselbring, Al Cousil & Jude Anderson 4, 32741544, CCALPACAFARMS JEREMIAH’S NEVADA, D’Lux Meadow Alpacas, Beth Lee Cripe 5, 35190417, HSS RUMOR HAS IT, Healing Springs Suris, Leslie Rebtoy

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Suri White Adult Male Fleece (3) Amanda VandenBosch 1, 32750133, TASA’S ASHTON, The Alpacas of Spring Acres, Albert J & Rebecca A Camma 2, 35072393, MRN ACCOYO BRACERO, Alpacas of Marin, Sandra Wallace 3, 32786750, LOVE ME MONTY Z, Love Me Alpacas, Victoria & Evelyn Telesko Suri White Mature Male Fleece (5) Amanda VandenBosch 1, 32727760, BIG TIMBER KAHUNA’S JOSEF, Big Timber Alpacas LLC, Susan King 2, 32516395SBS MONT BLANC’S ANTOINE, The Alpacas of Spring Acres, Albert J & Rebecca A Camma 3, 31793315, SSILKEN’S ACCOYO VIVEZ, iMpress Alpacas, Michelle A Pressler & William Ward 4, 1216639, HHSF ACCOYO LAFITE’S MONT BLANC, Healing Springs Suris, Leslie Rebtoy 5, 32378597, LONE STAR OF NSKY, Love Me Alpacas, Victoria & Evelyn Telesko Suri White Male Fleece Championship (38) Amanda VandenBosch CH, 35077732, WAP NORTHSTAR BY COMMANDOR, Heart & Soul Alpacas and Spinnery, Wings & a Prayer, Russell Ratti & Karen Ball, Randy & Barbara Coleman RES, 35122180, BIG TIMBER TAHITI’S FYRE DANCER, Big Timber Alpacas LLC, Susan King Best B&O White Male, 35122180, BIG TIMBER TAHITI’S FYRE DANCER, Big Timber Alpacas LLC, Susan King Suri Gray Juvenile Female Fleece (1) Cheryl Gehly 1, 35124542, Kamikaze’s Kaiten, Rainbow Mountain Alpacas, Charles & Diane Sheesley Suri Gray Yearling Female Fleece (4) Cheryl Gehly 1, 35529743, WRSR Karina’s Memory by Fusion, Wild Rose Suri Ranch, Patti & Alan Anderson 2, 35183815, PINES EDGE MOONSTRUCK, Healing Springs Suris, Leslie Rebtoy 3, 35085010, MARQUIS’ LILAC ROSE, Faith and Fleece Alpacas, Don & Tracy Pellegrino 4, 35305170, SYMFI’S TESSITURA, Symphony Fibers, Karen Kovisto Suri Gray 2 Years & Older Female Fleece (4) Cheryl Gehly 1, 35404576 WRSR VANITY FAIR BY FUSION, Wild Rose Suri Ranch, Patti & Alan Anderson 2, 32530148, SD Silver Stone’s Silver Dollar, Memory M-Acres Farm, Robert Figular & Lisa Collura 3, 35130093, SHAMBALAH’S SANTANA, Shambalah Alpaca Ranch, Hillary Devin & Scott Phillips 4, 1113624, AMETHYST ROSE OF AAP&P, Awesome Acres ‘Pacas & Pyrs, Michael & Sherry Alpert Suri Gray Female Fleece Championship (9) Cheryl Gehly CH, 35529743, WRSR Karina’s Memory by Fusion, Wild Rose Suri Ranch, Patti & Alan Anderson RES, 35124542, Kamikaze’s Kaiten, Rainbow Mountain Alpacas, Charles & Diane Sheesley Best B&O Gray Female, 35529743, WRSR Karina’s Memory by Fusion, Wild Rose Suri Ranch, Patti & Alan Anderson Suri Black Juvenile Female Fleece (5) Cheryl Gehly 1, 35491132, SILVERFIELD’s Brooklyn by Bronx, Silverfield Farms, Brian Barfield & Katie Silver 2, 35372820, IAF Lasina, iMpress Alpacas, Michelle A Pressler & William Ward 3, 35503330, Spooky Little Girl of AAP&P, Awesome Acres ‘Pacas & Pyrs, Michael & Sherry Alpert 4, 35359401, Vader’s Chiquita of RDE, Long Hollow Suri Alpacas/New Era Fiber, Karl & Jan Heinrich 5, 35403661, BALBOA’S HERA OF M&MNC, M & M Alpaca Farm of NC, Marty Raynor surinetwork.org

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Suri Black Yearling Female Fleece (3) Cheryl Gehly 1, 35359364, RDE’S MIDNIGHTSTAR, Wilkins Ranch, Mike & Janet Wilkins 2, 32721737, GLR ECHOE, Halo Ranch Alpacas, Zach Hackett & Jessica Kramer-Hackett 3, 35305132, SYMFI’S MADRIGAL, Symphony Fibers, Karen Kovisto Suri Black 2 Year Old Female Fleece (1) Cheryl Gehly 2, 35309611, ELDORA’S COOKIES & CREAM, 2 Point Farm LLC, Nancy Lindemood Suri Black Female Fleece Championship (9) Cheryl Gehly CH, 35359364, RDE’S MIDNIGHTSTAR, Wilkins Ranch, Mike & Janet Wilkins RES, 35491132, SILVERFIELD’s Brooklyn by Bronx, Silverfield Farms, Brian Barfield & Katie Silver Best B&O Black Female, 35491132, SILVERFIELD’s Brooklyn by Bronx, Silverfield Farms, Brian Barfield & Katie Silver Suri Brown Juvenile Female Fleece (3) Cheryl Gehly 1, 35372417, Titan’s Coco Chanel of M&MNC, M & M Alpaca Farm of NC, Marty Raynor 2, 35309642, ELDORA’S CHERRY BLOSSOM BY BRAVO, Country Cottage Alpacas, Janell Weeks & Michael Smith 3, 32721683, Tillamook of Halo, Halo Ranch Alpacas, Zach Hackett & Jessica Kramer-Hackett Suri Brown Yearling Female Fleece (4) Cheryl Gehly 1, 35183822, LIMERICK OF PINES EDGE, Pines Edge Suri Alpacas, Linda Kondris 2, 32721317, JEMMA OF HALO, Halo Ranch Alpacas, Zach Hackett & Jessica Kramer-Hackett 3, 32721782, GLR KILO, Halo Ranch Alpacas, Zach Hackett & Jessica Kramer-Hackett 4, 32721379, VIRGO OF HALO, Halo Ranch Alpacas, Zach Hackett & Jessica Kramer-Hackett Suri Brown 2YO & Adult Female Fleece (3) Cheryl Gehly 1, 35218647, GLR SLOAN, Halo Ranch Alpacas, Zach Hackett & Jessica Kramer-Hackett 2, 32453195, MMALP BEAU’S AVA, Supaca Farms LLC, SueLynne Childers 3, 35274391, MMALP GOLDSTAR’S MISSY, Love Me Alpacas, Victoria & Evelyn Telesko Suri Brown Female Fleece Championship (10) Cheryl Gehly CH, 35183822, LIMERICK OF PINES EDGE, Pines Edge Suri Alpacas, Linda Kondris RES, 32721317, JEMMA OF HALO, Halo Ranch Alpacas, Zach Hackett & Jessica Kramer-Hackett Best B&O Brown Female, 35183822, LIMERICK OF PINES EDGE, Pines Edge Suri Alpacas, Linda Kondris

Suri Fawn Juvenile Female Fleece (5) Cheryl Gehly 1, 35388746, DKN Dakini Breath of Snow & Ice, Dakini Suri Alpacas, Michelle Alexander 2, 35173373, IAF Fonterra, iMpress Alpacas, Michelle A Pressler & William Ward 3, 35480204, WHISTLING PINES Rocky Mountain High, Whistling Pines Ranch, Chris & Jess Fredericks 4, 35585176, Chelsea Farms’ Goldie Fawn, Chelsea Farms, Randy & Beth Brealey 5, 35567073, MOMENT’S GRACE, The Barbara Lee Farm, Ellen Crabaugh

70 PURELYSURI

Suri Fawn Yearling Female Fleece (4) Cheryl Gehly 1, 35426790, WLK WILD HEART, Wilkins Ranch, Mike & Janet Wilkins 2, 35095866, ANGELDREAMS KISSED BY AN ANGEL, Angel Dreams Alpacas, Tracy DiPippo 3, 32721539, BETTY OF HALO, Halo Ranch Alpacas, Zach Hackett & Jessica Kramer- Hackett 4, 35422815, GOLDSTAR’S ALIA, Healing Springs Suris, Leslie Rebtoy Suri Fawn 2YO & Older Female Fleece (3) Cheryl Gehly 1, 35273653, CHELSEA FARMS’ RICO’S SATIN DOLL, Chelsea Farms, Randy & Beth Brealey 2, 35422006, DERWYDD NICO’S NEWLY MINTED, Derwydd Alpacas, Jan & Dale Davis 3, 32452143, PRINCESS MARTINI, Little River Alpaca Ranch, Janice & Michael Chambers Suri Fawn Female Fleece Championship (12) Cheryl Gehly CH, 35388746, DKN Dakini Breath of Snow & Ice, Dakini Suri Alpacas, Michelle Alexander RES, 35173373, IAF Fonterra, iMpress Alpacas, Michelle A Pressler & William Ward Best B&O Female Fawn, 35388746, DKN Dakini Breath of Snow & Ice, Dakini Suri Alpacas, Michelle Alexander Suri Light Juvenile Female Fleece (8) Cheryl Gehly 1, 35593010, BIG TIMBER JEREMIAH’S MATSUDANA, Big Timber Alpacas LLC, Susan King 2, 35529682, WRSR Honeysuckle by Branagan, Wild Rose Suri Ranch, Patti & Alan Anderson 3, 35374077, LHSA MISS SAVANNAH, Long Hollow Suri Alpacas/New Era Fiber, Karl & Jan Heinrich 4, 35491118, SILVERFIELD’s Eloise by Bravo, Knolveston Farm, Richard Bohannon 5, 35585213, Chelsea Farms’ Lil Darlin, Chelsea Farms, Randy & Beth Brealey 6, 32175080, RRAF ISABEAU OF PERU VIN MAGIC, Rodgers’ Reserve Alpaca Farm, Janet & Bob Rodgers

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Suri Light Yearling Female Fleece (5) Cheryl Gehly 1, 35407928, TULLY’S BARBIE DOLL -ET, Sie Sutter Suri Alpaca LLC, Dawn C Browning & Susan S Feil 2, 35392415, RAYNAY’S LARIE BY MERCURY, Raynay Alpaca Farm LLC, Ray & Candy McMahan 3, 35403852, CAROLINA SILK OF M&MNC, M & M Alpaca Farm of NC, Marty Raynor 4, 35380597, BERRY SWEET SKYLAR ROSE, Anderson Acres Alpacas LLC, Rex & Roy Anderson 5, 35486589, MISS ISADORA SKYE OF LOVE ME, Love Me Alpacas, Victoria & Evelyn Telesko Suri Light 2YO & Older Female Fleece (4) Cheryl Gehly 1, 30720053, PUCARA MADIBA’S LEILANI, Pucara International, Jude Anderson & Alan Cousill 3, 35131427, SILVERFIELD’S STORM BY BRAVO, Silverfield Farms, Brian Barfield & Katie Silver 4, 35104117, GOLDSTAR’S JULZ, Healing Springs Suris, Leslie Rebtoy Suri Light Female Fleece Championship (15) Cheryl Gehly CH, 30720053, PUCARA MADIBA’S LEILANI, Pucara International, Jude Anderson & Alan Cousill RES, 35407928, TULLY’S BARBIE DOLL -ET, Sie Sutter Suri Alpaca LLC, Dawn C Browning & Susan S Feil Best B&O Light Female, 30720053, PUCARA MADIBA’S LEILANI, Pucara International, Jude Anderson & Alan Cousill Suri White Juvenile Female Fleece (9) Cheryl Gehly 1, 35392668, KNOLVESTON’S ASTROFYRE, Knolveston Farm, Richard Bohannon 2, INTL, SURI Peruvian Royal Missouri, Oldenburg Alpacas (Germany), Madeleine Fortmann 3, 35566939, Jolly Rancher’s Allegro, Grandview Suri Alpacas, Lisa & Jeff Haselhorst 4, 35491163, SSSA ACCOYO IVY BY EDAN, Sie Sutter Suri Alpaca LLC, Dawn C Browning & Susan S Feil 5, 35024743, SDAF WAPU’s Heidi Anne, Sandollar Alpacas, Collins & Nikki Griffith 6, 35562139, MACRES Cleo by Firecracker, Memory M-Acres Farm, Robert Figular & Lisa Collura Suri White Yearling Female Fleece (7) Cheryl Gehly 1, 35585237, Chelsea Farms’ Josie, Chelsea Farms, Randy & Beth Brealey 2, 35136347, BERYL’S WISE CHILD BY MERCURY, Knolveston Farm, Richard Bohannon 3, 35548560, Precious Primis, Big Creek Farm and Ranch, Amanda Schoolfield 4, 32721522, GLR CHARLIE, Halo Ranch Alpacas, Zach Hackett & Jessica Kramer-Hackett 5, 35392675, SSSA’S VENUS ANNE MARS BY MERCURY, The Alpacas of Spring Acres, Albert J & Rebecca A Camma 6, 35136378, RAYNAY’S Reflection of Fyre, The Alpacas of Spring Acres, Albert & Rebecca Camma Suri White 2YO & Older Female Fleece (3) Cheryl Gehly 1, 32102727, Electrofyre’s Blanca OF AAP&P, Awesome Acres ‘Pacas & Pyrs, Michael & Sherry Alpert 2, 35074991, SPARKLER OF BLACK HORSE HILL, Black Horse Hill, Mary Seay 3, 30721173, WINTERS SONG HANA BOY’S WHITE ROSE, Big Creek Farm and Ranch, Amanda Schoolfield Suri White Female Fleece Championship (15) Cheryl Gehly CH, 35392668, KNOLVESTON’S ASTROFYRE, Knolveston Farm, Richard Bohannon RES, INTL, SURI Peruvian Royal Missouri, Oldenburg Alpacas (Germany), Madeleine Fortmann Best B&O White Female, 35585237, Chelsea Farms Josie, Chelsea Farms, Randy & Beath Brealey

72 PURELYSURI

Suri Multicolor Juvenile Fleece (4) Cheryl Gehly 1, 35375456, SLS Lightning McQueen, Silver Lining Suris, Judith Buning 2, 35529729, WRSR Sun Spot by Fusion, Wild Rose Suri Ranch, Patti & Alan Anderson 3, 35309659, ELDORA’S KODIAK, Eldora Suri Alpacas, Supaca Farms LLC, Leanne & Richard Nakashima, SueLynne Childers 4, 35529712, WRSR MacTavish by Fusion, New Groove Alpacas, Bonnie Bieber Suri Multicolor 2 Years & Older Fleece (3) Cheryl Gehly 1, 32832402, TASA’S BELLA’S BEAUTY, The Alpacas of Spring Acres, Albert J & Rebecca A Camma 2, 35039730, TALENT’S MONET OF 2POINTFARM, Supaca Farms LLC, SueLynne Childers 3, 32786743, LOVE ME NIKO SAUVE, Love Me Alpacas, Victoria & Evelyn Telesko Suri Multicolor Mature (3) Cheryl Gehly 1, 31167697, WHITE KNIGHT’S SHINING ARMOR, Salt River Alpacas, Elizabeth Vahlkamp 2, 31774642, QUEEN B PERUVAIN THE GREAT SANTINI, Supaca Farms LLC, SueLynne Childers 3, 32811469, SUPACA’S RADICAL PLAYBOY, Supaca Farms LLC, SueLynne Childers Suri Multicolor Fleece Championship (10) Cheryl Gehly CH, 35375456, SLS Lightning McQueen, Silver Lining Suris, Judith Buning RES, 32832402, TASA’S BELLA’S BEAUTY, The Alpacas of Spring Acres, Albert J & Rebecca A Camma Best B&O Multicolor, 35375456, SLS Lightning McQueen, Silver Lining Suris, Judith Buning

Judge’s Choice, 35122180, Big Timber Tahiti’s Fyre Dancer, Big Timber Alpacas, LLC, Sue King Best Hand, 35392668, KNOLVESTON’S ASTROFYRE, Knolveston Farm, Richard Bohannon Best Lock, 35122180, Big Timber Tahiti’s Fyre Dancer, Big Timber Alpacas, LLC, Sue King Best Luster, 35392668, KNOLVESTON’S ASTROFYRE, Knolveston Farm, Richard Bohannon Spirit of the Industry, 32727760, Big Timber’s Kahuna Josef, Big Timber Alpacas, LLC, Sue King Suri Gray Two Year Old Cottage Fleece (1) Cheryl Gehly 1, 35385424, ZENA’S PERUVIAN HENNY PENNY, Zena Suri Alpacas, Kathleen & Tom Callan Suri Black Juvenile Cottage Fleece (2) Cheryl Gehly 1, 35409779 PULITZER’S SIENA, Sweet Valley Suris, Alpaca Bella Suri Farm, Kristie Smoker, Bill & Heather Vonderhaar 2, 35562108, MACRES Kodiak by Black Ice, Memory M-Acres Farm, Robert Figular & Lisa Collura Suri Black Adult Cottage Fleece (1) Cheryl Gehly 1, 35041047, BELLE STAR OF FROGS CREEK, Triple H Ranch, Jennifer Hack Suri Brown Juvenile Cottage Fleece (2) Cheryl Gehly 1, 35218616, MACRES KADY I BY WRSR SERENGETI, Memory M-Acres Farm, Robert Figular & Lisa Collura 2, 35411956, SHAMBALAH’S SWEET EMILY, Shambalah Alpaca Ranch, Hillary Devin & Scott Phillips surinetwork.org

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Suri Brown Yearling Cottage Fleece (2) Cheryl Gehly 1, 35483793, DERWYDD NICO’S PURPLE REIGN, Derwydd Alpacas, Jan & Dale Davis 2, 35136293, SHAMBALAH’S DREAMBOAT ANNIE, Shambalah Alpaca Ranch, Hillary Devin & Scott Phillips Suri Fawn Juvenile Cottage Fleece (1) Cheryl Gehly 1, 35409786, ICE MAN’S COOL HAND, Sweet Valley Suris, Alpaca Bella Suri Farm, Kristie Smoker, Bill & Heather Vonderhaar Suri Fawn Yearling Cottage Fleece (1) Cheryl Gehly 1, 35403630, PURSUIT’S PERUVIAN MIYO, San Rafael Suris, Morris & Celya Singleton Suri Fawn Two Year Old Cottage Fleece (1) Cheryl Gehly 1, 35130185, PRIMROSE OF THR, Triple H Ranch, Jennifer Hack Suri Light Juvenile Cottage Fleece (1) Cheryl Gehly 1, 35392422, RAYNAY’S ELLAMIAH, Zinnia Fields Alpaca Farms LLC, Lauree & Myndee Ebbers Suri Light Yearling Cottage Fleece (2) Cheryl Gehly 1, 35075950, RGSA SHIMMER’S SHAZAAM, Zinnia Fields Alpaca Farms LLC, Lauree & Myndee Ebbers 2, 35392422, RAYNAY’S ELLAMIAH, Zinnia Fields Alpaca Farms LLC, Lauree & Myndee Ebbers Suri Light Two Years & Older Cottage Fleece (3) Cheryl Gehly 1, 35420026, DERWYDD NICO’S SHIMMERNSHINE, Derwydd Alpacas, Jan & Dale Davis 2, 35238812, 2 POINT FARM’S ACCOYO SHANE, 2 Point Farm LLC, Nancy Lindemood 3, 35130017, ESP’S ALADDIN SANE BY YOUNG JOSEF, Shambalah Alpaca Ranch, Wings & A Prayer Alpacas, Hillary Devin & Scott Phillips, Randy & Barbara Coleman

74 PURELYSURI

Suri Light Mature Cottage Fleece (2) Cheryl Gehly 1, 32791129, DERWYDD-GVA ACCOYO LIQUID GOLD, Derwydd Alpacas, Jan & Dale Davis 2, 32735536, GVA ACCOYO SATIN’S KNIGHT, Derwydd Alpacas, Jan & Dale Davis Suri Light Cottage Fleece Championship (8) Cheryl Gehly CH, 35420026, DERWYDD NICO’S SHIMMERNSHINE, Derwydd Alpacas, Jan & Dale Davis RES, 35392422, RAYNAY’S ELLAMIAH, Zinnia Fields Alpaca Farms LLC, Lauree & Myndee Ebbers Suri White Juvenile Cottage Fleece (3) Cheryl Gehly 1, 35122197, BIG TIMBER JOSEF’S SHIROTAE, Zinnia Fields Alpaca Farms LLC, Lauree & Myndee Ebbers 2, 35545996, DERWYDD Knight’s First Lady, Derwydd Alpacas, Jan & Dale Davis 3, 35179979, TALENT’S TOSCANINI OF 2POINTFARM, 2 Point Farm LLC, Nancy Lindemood Suri White Yearling Cottage Fleece (2) Cheryl Gehly 1, 35122197, BIG TIMBER JOSEF’S SHIROTAE, Zinnia Fields Alpaca Farms LLC, Lauree & Myndee Ebbers 2, 35463030, DERWYDD MADIBA’S A GLOW IN THE MIST, Derwydd Alpacas, Jan & Dale Davis Suri White 2 Year & Older Cottage Fleece (2) Cheryl Gehly 1, 35290858, DERWYDD-GVA MAXXD BEAUTY, Derwydd Alpacas, Jan & Dale Davis 2, 35420033, DERWYDD ACCOYO KNIGHT’S CHECKMATE, Derwydd Alpacas, Jan & Dale Davis Suri White Mature Cottage Fleece (2) Cheryl Gehly 1, 31164443, VELVET’S ACCOYO WHITE SATIN, Derwydd Alpacas, Jan & Dale Davis 2, 32791372, DERWYDD CHACHAPOYA’S ACCOYO SULPAY, Derwydd Alpacas, Jan & Dale Davis Suri White Cottage Fleece Championship (9) Cheryl Gehly CH, 35122197, BIG TIMBER JOSEF’S SHIROTAE, Zinnia Fields Alpaca Farms LLC, Lauree & Myndee Ebbers RES, 35122197, BIG TIMBER JOSEF’S SHIROTAE, Zinnia Fields Alpaca Farms LLC, Lauree & Myndee Ebbers Suri Multi Juvenile Cottage Fleece (1) Cheryl Gehly 1, 35218562, MACRES KARMA TGK BY FUSION, Memory M-Acres Farm, Robert Figular & Lisa Collura Best Luster, 35392422, RAYNAY’S ELLAMIAH, Zinnia Fields Alpaca Farms LLC, Lauree & Myndee Ebbers Best Hand, 35392422, RAYNAY’S ELLAMIAH, Zinnia Fields Alpaca Farms LLC, Lauree & Myndee Ebbers Produce of Dam Gehly/VandenBosch 1, 32573497, BIG TIMBER’S TAHITI WHITE PEARL, Big Timber Alpacas LLC, Susan King 2, 35065753, MMALP JAGUAR’S ANIKA, Silverfield Farms, Brian Barfield & Katie Silver 3, 30911338, OBVIOUSLY’S ACCOYO COVER GIRL, Healing Springs Suris, Leslie Rebtoy 4, 32168549, TULOK’S PRINCESS TIANA, Silver Lining Suris, Judith Buning

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Get of Sire Gehly/VandenBosch 1, 32727760, BIG TIMBER KAHUNA’S JOSEF, Big Timber Alpacas LLC, Susan King 2, 32642636, ELDORA’S ACCOYO BRAVO BY ROCKSTAR, Eldora Suri Alpacas, Silverfield Farms Leanne & Richard Nakashima, Brian Barfield & Katie Silver 3, 32632934, HFS JEREMIAH, Big Timber Alpacas LLC, Susan King 4, 35065586, BEAU’S BRONX, Eldora Suri Alpacas, Leanne & Richard Nakashima 5, 32642667 ELDORA’S ACCOYO TALENT BY ROCKSTAR, 2 Point Farm LLC, Nancy Lindemood

2019 All Suri Spin Off Results 53 spin off entries Judge: Gabrielle Menn

Suri Gray Two Year Old Spin-Off (1) 1, 35385424, ZENA’S PERUVIAN HENNY PENNY, Zena Suri Alpacas, Kathleen & Tom Callan Suri Grey Highest Scoring Fleece in Color Group (1) 35385424, ZENA’S PERUVIAN HENNY PENNY, Zena Suri Alpacas, Kathleen & Tom Callan Suri Black Juvenile Spin-Off (2) 1, 35409779, PULITZER’S SIENA, Sweet Valley Suris, Alpaca Bella Suri Farm, Kristie Smoker, Bill & Heather Vonderhaar 2, 35562108, MACRES Kodiak by Black Ice, Memory M-Acres Farm, Robert Figular & Lisa Collura Suri Black Mature Spin-Off (1) 1, 35041047, BELLE STAR OF FROGS CREEK, Triple H Ranch, Jennifer Hack Suri Black Highest Scoring Fleece in Color Group (3) 35409779, PULITZER’S SIENA, Sweet Valley Suris, Alpaca Bella Suri Farm, Kristie Smoker, Bill & Heather Vonderhaar Suri Brown Juvenile Spin-Off (2) 1, 35411956, SHAMBALAH’S SWEET EMILY, Shambalah Alpaca Ranch, Hillary Devin & Scott Phillips 2, 35218616, MACRES KADY I BY WRSR SERENGETI, Memory M-Acres Farm, Robert Figular & Lisa Collura Suri Brown Yearling Spin-Off (2) 1, 35483793, DERWYDD NICO’S PURPLE REIGN, Derwydd Alpacas, Jan & Dale Davis 2, 35136293, SHAMBALAH’S DREAMBOAT ANNIE, Shambalah Alpaca Ranch, Hillary Devin & Scott Phillips Suri Brown Mature Spin-Off (2) 1, 35238843, 2POINTFARM’S REDFORD BY MAESTRO, 2 Point Farm LLC, Nancy Lindemood 2, 31153591, SITGA LADY’S LIBERTY RISING, Tejas Alpacas, Lynn Betts Suri Brown Highest Scoring Fleece in Color Group (6) 35411956, SHAMBALAH’S SWEET EMILY, Shambalah Alpaca Ranch, Hillary Devin & Scott Phillips

76 PURELYSURI

Suri Fawn Juvenile Spin-Off (2) 1, 35513513, ZHF JBEAR, Zephyr Hill Farm, Denise Johnson 2, 35409786, ICE MAN’S COOL HAND, Sweet Valley Suris, Alpaca Bella Suri Farm, Kristie Smoker, Bill & Heather Vonderhaar Suri Fawn Yearling Spin-Off (2) 1, 35557753, SALT RIVER’s Samson, Salt River Alpacas, Elizabeth Vahlkamp 2, 35403630, PURSUIT’S PERUVIAN MIYO, San Rafael Suris, Morris & Celya Singleton Suri Fawn 2 Year Old Spin-Off (2) 1, 35273158, TSSS MADIBA’S NOUGAT, Healing Springs Suris, Leslie Rebtoy 2, 32733525, SILKEN TWIRL, Tejas Alpacas, Lynn Betts Suri Fawn Mature Spin-Off (1) 1, 35206859, OAF COPPER PRETTY PENNY, 2 Point Farm LLC , Nancy Lindemood Suri Fawn Highest Scoring Fleece in Color Group (7) 35273158, TSSS MADIBA’S NOUGAT, Healing Springs Suris, Leslie Rebtoy Suri Light Juvenile Spin-Off (5) 1, 31387200, SALT RIVER’s Lucinda, Salt River Alpacas, Elizabeth Vahlkamp 2, 35503583, LITTLE DUDE OF WHM, Whisper Meadows Alpacas, Christine Rogers 3, 35121176, BIG DUDE OF WHM, Whisper Meadows Alpacas, Christine Rogers 4, 35392422, RAYNAY’S ELLAMIAH, Zinnia Fields Alpaca Farms LLC, Lauree & Myndee Ebbers 5, 35557708, SALT RIVER’s Luna, Salt River Alpacas, Elizabeth Vahlkamp

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Suri Light Yearling Spin-Off (5) 1, 35435976, HSS CARTES SABRE, Healing Springs Suris, Leslie Rebtoy 2, 32838732, SALT RIVER’S SPRITE, Salt River Alpacas, Elizabeth Vahlkamp 3, 35075950, RGSA SHIMMER’S SHAZAAM, Zinnia Fields Alpaca Farms LLC,Lauree & Myndee Ebbers 4, 35392422, RAYNAY’S ELLAMIAH, Zinnia Fields Alpaca Farms LLC, Lauree & Myndee Ebbers 5, 35183853, WI BRIANNA, 2 Point Farm LLC, Nancy Lindemood Class 31, Suri Light 2YO and Older Spin-Off (7) 1, 35130017, ESP’S ALADDIN SANE BY YOUNG JOSEF, Shambalah Alpaca Ranch, Wings & A Prayer Alpacas, Hillary Devin & Scott Phillips, Randy & Barbara Coleman 2, 35238812, 2 POINT FARM’S ACCOYO SHANE, 2 Point Farm LLC, Nancy Lindemood 3, 35130185, PRIMROSE OF THR, Triple H Ranch, Jennifer Hack 4, 35314301, SALT RIVER’S LULU, Salt River Alpacas, Elizabeth Vahlkamp 5, 35420026, DERWYDD NICO’S SHIMMERNSHINE, Derwydd Alpacas, Jan & Dale Davis 6, 35157311, LGF Benjamin, Salt River Alpacas, Elizabeth Vahlkamp Suri Light Mature Spin-Off (7) 1, 35190417, HSS RUMOR HAS IT, Healing Springs Suris, Leslie Rebtoy 2, 32791129 DERWYDD-GVA ACCOYO LIQUID GOLD, Derwydd Alpacas, Jan & Dale Davis 3, 30721104, PUCARA ICE KING’S KALEA, Healing Springs Suris, Leslie Rebtoy 4, 1214048, FLEECEWOOD MAC OF WHM, Whisper Meadows Alpacas, Christine Rogers 5, 32735536, GVA ACCOYO SATIN’S KNIGHT, Derwydd Alpacas, Jan & Dale Davis 6, 32531725, BELMONT’S CROWN, Black Horse Hill, Mary Seay Suri Light Highest Scoring Fleece in Color Group (24) 35190417, HSS RUMOR HAS IT, Healing Springs Suris, Leslie Rebtoy Suri White Juvenile Spin-Off (3) 1, 35545996, DERWYDD Knight’s First Lady, Derwydd Alpacas, Jan & Dale Davis 2, 35179979, TALENT’S TOSCANINI OF 2POINTFARM, 2 Point Farm LLC, Nancy Lindemood 3, 35122197, BIG TIMBER JOSEF’S SHIROTAE, Zinnia Fields Alpaca Farms LLC, Lauree & Myndee Ebbers Suri White Yearling Spin-Off (3) 1, 35435891, PINBALL WIZARD, Healing Springs Suris, Leslie Rebtoy 2, 35463030, DERWYDD MADIBA’S A GLOW IN THE MIST, Derwydd Alpacas, Jan & Dale Davis 3, 35122197, BIG TIMBER Josef’s Shirotae, Zinnia Fields Alpaca Farms LLC, Lauree & Myndee Ebbers Suri White 2 YO Spin-Off (1) 1, 35420033, DERWYDD ACCOYO KNIGHT’S CHECKMATE, Derwydd Alpacas, Jan & Dale Davis Suri White Mature Spin-Off (4) 1, 31164443, VELVET’S ACCOYO WHITE SATIN, Derwydd Alpacas, Jan & Dale Davis 2, 32791372, DERWYDD CHACHAPOYA’S ACCOYO SULPAY, Derwydd Alpacas, Jan & Dale Davis 3, 35290858, DERWYDD-GVA MAXXD BEAUTY, Derwydd Alpacas, Jan & Dale Davis 4, 30911338, OBVIOUSLY’S ACCOYO COVER GIRL, Healing Springs Suris, Leslie Rebtoy Suri White Highest Scoring Fleece in Color Group (11) 31164443, VELVET’S ACCOYO WHITE SATIN, Derwydd Alpacas, Jan & Dale Davis

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Suri Appaloosa Yearling Spin-Off (1) 1, 35218562, MACRES KARMA TGK BY FUSION, Memory M-Acres Farm, Robert Figular & Lisa Collura Suri Multicolor Highest Scoring Fleece in Color Group (1) 35218562, MACRES KARMA TGK BY FUSION, Memory M-Acres Farm, Robert Figular & Lisa Collura

2019 All Suri Fiber Arts and Skeins Results Judge: Wini Labreque

Advanced Crochet Garment 1, Hat and Cowl Set, 2 Point Farm, LLC, Alysha Gaskill Intermediate Knit Accessories 1, Hand Dyed/Hand Spun/Hand Knitted Cowl, Heritage Farm Suri Alpacas, Beth Anne Sheets Advanced Knit Garment 1, Coral short sleeved sweater, Long Hollow Suri Alpacas/New Era Fiber, Jessica Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Eugenio Intermediate Woven Hearth and Home 1, Sweet Louie, Symphony Fibers, Karen Kovisto Intermediate Felt Shawls and Scarves 1, Southwestern Skies, Symphony Fibers, Karen Kovisto Advanced Knit Hearth and Home 1, Bed Runner, Akuna Matada Suri Alpacas, Deb Christiner

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Beginner Youth Knit 1, Wanderer’s Cape, Akuna Matada Suri Alpacas, Abby Reschke Advanced Knit Accessories 1, Boxy Poncho, Akuna Matada Suri Alpacas, Deb Christner 2, Hand Knitted Scarf 50% Suri Alpaca/50%Shetland Wool, Heritage Farm Suri Alpacas, Mary Ann Cripe JUDGE’S CHOICE FIBER ARTS JC, Sweet Louie, Symphony Fibers, Karen Kovisto Intermediate Hand Spun 1, Hand Dyed/Hand Spun 90% Suri Alpaca/10% Silk, Heritage Farm Suri Alpacas, Beth Anne Sheets Mill Spun Novelty Yarn Entered by Farm 1, Suri Silk Noils, 2 Point Farm, LLC, New Era Fiber 2, Suri Sari Silk, 2 Point Farm, LLC, New Era Fiber Mill Spun Light Weight Knitting Entered by Mill 1, Alpaca/cotton blend, Long Hollow Suri Alpacas/New Era Fiber, New Era Fiber 2, ZsaZsa - 10% bamboo, Crooked Fence Alpacas & Mill, Crooked Fence Mill Mill Spun Bulky Entered by Mill 1, Marti - 37% huacaya, Crooked Fence Alpacas & Mill, Crooked Fence Mill Mill Spun Fine Yarn Entered by Mill 1, Alpaca/soft silk blend, Long Hollow Suri Alpacas/New Era Fiber, New Era Fiber 2, Beam, Crooked Fence Alpacas & Mill, Crooked Fence Mill 3, Tika, Crooked Fence Alpacas & Mill, Crooked Fence Mill 4, Cornucopia, Crooked Fence Alpacas & Mill, Crooked Fence Mill Mill Spun- Light Medium Yarn Entered by Farm 1, iMpress Alpacas, iMpress Alpacas, Round Barn Fiber Mill Mill Spum Lace Weight Yarn Entered by Mill 1, iMpress Alpacas, iMpress Alpacas, Round Barn Fiber Mill Judge’s Choice Skein JC, Hand Dyed/Hand Spun 90% Suri Alpaca/10% Silk, Heritage Farm Suri Alpacas, Beth Anne Sheets

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Suri Network Membership Directory John Abrahamsson God’s Little Acres 9470 Glider Loop Colorado Springs, CO 80908 719-495-3720 James and Tanzila Ackerman Door County Alpacas 131 W. Winrowe Dr Appleton, WI 54913 920-538-2750 jackerman.abs@gmail.com https://www.facebook.com/ DoorCountyAlpaca/ Kathy Albert Heartland “Criations” Alpacas 2512 Knox Road 500 East Rio, IL 61472 309-368-7354 kathyj93@hotmail.com www.hcalpacas.com Michelle Alexander Dakini Suri Alpacas 60375 Arnold Market Rd Bend, OR 97702 541-678-3306 info@dakini-alpacas.com http://surimarket.surinetwork.org/ farms/4806 Michael and Sherry Alpert Awesome Acres Pacas & Pyrs 11800 S. Hiwassee Rd Oklahoma City, OK 73165 405-990-8205 awesomealpacas@aol.com www.pacasnpyrs.com Carl and Regina Alvarez Braecroft Suri Alpacas PO Box 26 Mayhill, NM 88339 575-687-3697 carlalvarez3401@yahoo.com surimarket.surinetwork.org/ farms/2928 Patti and Alan Anderson Wild Rose Suri Ranch 3623 Harmony Church Rd Havre de Grace, MD 21078-1015 410-734-7084 anderson@wildrosealpacas.com www.WildRoseAlpacas.com

Jude Anderson and Alan Cousill Pucara International 15204 SW Muddy Valley Rd McMinnville, OR 97128 971-734-7084 jude.pucara@earthlink.net www.pucara-alpacas.com

Mary and John Bell Windy Hill Farm NC 844 Henderson Rd Tryon, NC 28782 828-894-3020 marybell@happyalpacas.com www.happyalpacas.com

Richard Bohannon Knolveston Farms 223 Bartlett Rd Weaverville, NC 28787 828-707-4352 knolvestonfarm@gmail.com http://www.knolvestonfarm.com

Donna Anderson, David Carney and Richard and Nancy Walker Seed Stock Suri Alpacas 2771 Byrnes Rd Touchet, WA 99360 info@seedstocksuris.com 503-888-9712 www.seedstocksuris.com

Cathie and Steve Berger Daydream Alpacas 20417 SE 194th Pl Renton, WA 98058 425-516-3555 cat@daydreamalpacas.com

Amanda Brand and Ed Fincher Suri Downs Farm 2280 Camelback Rd Maidens, VA 23102 804-556-0113 abrand7777@gmail.com http://www.suridownsfarm.com

Roy and Rex Anderson Anderson Acres Alpacas, LLC 8812 S 230 Plaza Circle Gretna, NE 68028 402-740-2711 4randerso@gmail.com www.openherd.com/farms/4899/ anderson-acres-alpacas-llc

Michele Arceneaux Sweet Field Farm 237 Aucilla Rd Monticello, FL 32344 678-614-0130 michele@sweetfieldfarm.com www.sweetfieldfarm.com Linda Bader and Cindy Smith Shady Hollow Suri Alpacas 4810 McMillan Rd Bad Axe, MI 48413 989-658-8629 shsurialpacas@gmail.com http://www.shsurialpacas.com William E. Barnett, DVM Alpacas of America, LLC 16641 Old Highway 99 SE Tenino, WA 98589 360-264-7585 info@americanalpacameat.com www.alpaca1.com

Gerria and John Berryman Berryman Farm 1158 Chrisman Mill Nicholasville, KY 40356 859-333-9414 gerria@emtpky.com Lynn Betts Tejas Alpacas 15353 County Rd 355 Plantersville, TX 77363 281-794-8603 tejasalpacas@gmail.com www.tejas-alpacas.com Bonnie Bieber New Groove Alpacas, LLC 216 Acorn Dr Middletown, DE 19709 302-757-4431 newgroovealpacas@gmail.com http://www.newgroovealpacas.com Karen Biscella Victoria Lane Alpacas 48216 Metz Rd New Waterford, OH 44445 330-503-9561 kbiscella@hotmail.com www.openherd.com/ victorianlanealpacas

Bob and Vicki Blodgett Suri Land Alpaca Ranch 10371 N 2210 Rd Clinton, OK 73601 641-831-3576 alpaca@htswireless.com www.alpacanation.com/suriland. asp

Randy and Beth Brealey Chelsea Farms 19450 208th Ave SE Renton, WA 98058 206-229-8845 randy@thealpacaplace.com www.TheAlpacaPlace.com Beverly and Jason Brehm Rogue Suri Alpacas 4002 Dry Creek Rd Medford, OR 97504 541-292-6844 roguesurialpacas@yahoo.com

surimarket.surinetwork.org/farms/2811

Dawn Browning and Susan Feil Sie Sutter Suri Alpaca, LLC 703 Fort Hill Rd Maysville, KY 41056 859-338-2946 sssalpaca@gmail.com www.openherd.com/farms/3829/ sie-sutter-suri-alpaca-llc Willard Burney Sound of Freedom Farm, LLC 3936 Charity Neck Road Virginia Beach, VA 23457 844-763-3276 will@soundoffreedomfarm.com www.soundoffreedomfarm.com Kathleen and Tom Callan Zena Suri Alpacas 35401 S 580 Rd Jay, OK 74346 804-389-2579 zena.impulse@gmail.com www.zenasurialpacas.com

The Suri Network membership year now runs from June 1 to May 31 of the following year for all members. Members current in their dues as of September 25, 2019 are included in this listing. Members are listed alphabetically by last name. All members have the ability to update their contact information on-line at any time through their account on the Suri Network website. We encourage members to keep their contact information complete and up to date, so that potential clients can easily reach them. Should you need assistance, feel free to contact the office at (970) 586-5876 and they will be happy to assist you. The Suri Network is not responsible for, and expressly disclaims all liability for, damages of any kind arising out of use, reference to, or reliance on any information contained within this directory.

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Suri Network Membership Directory Albert J. and Rebecca A. Camma The Alpacas of Spring Acres 3370 Big B Rd Zanesville, OH 43701 740-796-2195 ajcamma@gmail.com www.thealpacasofspringacres.com Gail Campbell Ameripaca Alpaca Breeding Co. PO Box 256 Galesville, MD 20778 410-867-4204 info@ameripaca.com www.ameripaca.com Robert Cardinale Birds I View Ranch PO Box 156 Lunenberg, MA 01462 978-333-1825 birdsiviewranch@comcast.net http://www.birdsiviewranch.com Deb and Doug Christner Akuna Matada Suri Alpacas 28444 Redlands Mesa Rd Hotchkiss, CO 81419 970-872-4446 akunamatadasuri@gmail.com

surimarket.surinetwork.org/farms/264

Mary Lou Clingan Waywood Farm Alpacas 14136 Township Road 108 Findlay, OH 45840 419-306-2512 mlclingan@aol.com Jan Clingman and Jim Hellenbrand Lodi Alpacas at Whistling Valley Farm W12002 Slack Rd Lodi, IW 53555 608-576-8607 info@lodialpacas.com www.lodialpacas.com Barbara and Randy Coleman Wings & A Prayer Alpacas 18100 S. Hwy. 99W Amity, OR 97101 503-310-9367 wapalpacas@frontier.com www.wingsandaprayeralpacas.com

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Sarah and Warren Collins New Maine Farm 100 Coach Rd Gailford, VT 05301 508-577-4816 wasa1985@gmail.com

Heather Cross Suri Charismahhh Alpacas 18575 Ramah Hwy Ramah, CO 80832 719-541-0321 hcinramah@gmail.com

Lisa Collura and Robert Figular Memory M-Acres 33 New Rd Lambertville, NJ 08530 609-902-3551 lisa@memorymacres.com www.memorymacres.com

R.T. Crowe, II Bar C Ranch 211 Slim Buttes Rd Chadron, NE 69337 775-750-0099 nesuris@bbc.net

Peggy Condon and Mark Neumann Graceful Acres Farm, LLC 1291 NC Hwy 87 N Pittsboro, NC 27312 919-704-8988 peggy@gracefulacres.farm

surimarket.surinetwork.org/farmalpacas/257/bar-c-ranch-suri-alpacas

https://www.openherd.com/ farms/8764/graceful-acres-farm-llc

Lynda Cunningham and Jeff Bennett Serenity Valley Alpacas 2026 Waring St Seaside, CA 93955-3215 831-869-0751 svalpacas@gmail.com www.sv-alpacas.com

Joy Hays Conwell SuperFleece Alpacas, LLC 9360 S. Warhawk Rd Conifer, CO 80433 303-570-7493 joydconwell@gmail.com https://superfleece.com

Dale and Jan Davis Derwydd Alpacas 24485 Derwydd Way Esparto, CA 95627 530-908-3534 dale@derwyddalpacas.com www.derwyddalpacas.com

Dan and Cari Corley Alta Vida Alpacas 9535 E. Parker Rd Parker, CO 80138 303-884-7374

Athena Dawson Rocky Edge Ranch 4687 State Hwy 69 Cotopaxi, CO 81223 719-250-6856 athena@rockyedgeranch.com

qualityalpacas@altavidaalpacas.com

www.altavidaalpacas.com

Ellen and Mike Crabaugh The Barbara Lee Farm 665 CR 511 Eureka Springs, AR 72632 818-231-9310 empcrabaugh@gmail.com

surimarket.surinetwork.org/farms/8714

Fritz and Beth Lee Cripe D’Lux Meadow Alpacas 10892 W 100 S Russiaville, IN 46979 765-883-4722 bethleecripe@msn.com Louise and Dash Crofts Crofts Haven 6943 Cypress Mill Rd Johnson City, TX 78636 512-809-4658 mrsdash1995@gmail.com

Dave DeGroot DDF Alpacas PO Box 510 Odell, OR 97044 541-806-6262 davedg52@gmail.com Hillary Devin and Scott Phillips Shambalah Alpaca Ranch 7157 E Park Dr Franktown, CO 80116 303-588-2076 hillary@shambalahalpaca.com www.shambalahalpaca.com Diane and Bobby Dickerson Rock’n D Enterprises 11550 Hunt Lane Guthrie, OK 73044 405-850-6533 rockndenterprises@yahoo.com www.rockndenterprises.com

Tracy DiPippo Angel Dreams Alpacas 14058 Sun Forest Dr Penn Valley, CA 95946 805-432-9344 tracid318@aol.com www.Alpacasdream.com Evi Dixon Spanish Peaks Alpacas LLC 3180 Curtis Lane Manhattan, MT 59741 406-579-9694 evidixon@littleappletech.com www.sp-surialpacas.net Jack and Miriam Donaldson Alpaca Jack’s Suri Farm Tilly and Katie Dorsey DAFI Alpacas P.O. Box 55 Butler, MD 21023 410-591-0691 dorseytrf@aol.com www.dafi.com Myndee and Lauree Ebbers Zinnia Fields Alpaca Farms, LLC P.O.Box 204 Diller, NE 68343 402-239-3285 zinniafieldsalpacas@gmail.com

https://www.openherd.com/ farms/8504/zinnia-fields-alpaca-farmsllc

Victor Leland Epperson Moon Shine Alpacas 297 Bushnell Rd Douglas, GA 31533 530-518-4094 victorepperson@att.net www.moonshinealpacas.com Norm Evans, DVM Florissant, MO Scott and Laurie Findlay Alpacas of El Dorado 4535 Boo Bear Lane Somerset, CA 95684 530-642-8082 alpacasofeldorado@hughes.net www.alpacasofeldorado.com

Suri Network Membership Directory Ben and Lynda Fisco Humming Hill Suri Farm Ltd. 12100 Pekin Road Newbury, OH 44065-9622 440-564-5114 benfisco@gmail.com

Cheryl Gehly Cria-tivity Alpacas 161 West Shore Road B-11 Warwick, RI 02889 508-404-4373 crgehly@aol.com

June Ford Shady J Ranch P.O. Box 2737 Ramona, CA 92065 858-531-6696 shadyjranch@gmail.com

Denett Goehringer and Cashmere Anderson Moondance Manor 3042 Dillon Ave Cheyenne, WY 82001 307-221-1024 phantom1960@msn.com

Madeleine Fortmann Oldenburg Alpacas Ganderkeseer Weg 17 Ganderkesee GERMANY 27777 +49 1709160388 info@oldenburg-alpacas.de http://www.oldenburg-alpacas.de Eric and Colleen Foster Windy Hill Farm 9616 Phillips Rd Lafayette, CO 80026 970-420-8954 efbrews@gmail.com Lucy Lee and King Fowler LunaSea Alpaca Farm 18810 Lone Dove Ln Clermont, FL 34715 352-223-9457 lunaseafarm@yahoo.com www.lunaseaalpacafarm.com Lona Nelsen Frank and John Frank ALPACAS of Tualatin Valley, LLC 22750 SW Rosedale Rd Beaverton, OR 97007 503-649-2128 lfrank@alpacatv.com www.alpacatv.com

Bob Graf Alpaca Bob 611 S Palm Canyon Dr #7452 Palm Springs, CA 92264 760-327-7980 www.AlpacaBob.com Kathy Graziani Flame Pool Alpacas, Ltd. 486 Stone Rd Westminster, MD 21158 443-812-1102 flamepoolalpacas@verizon.net www.flamepoolalpacas.com Collins and Nikki Griffith Sandollar Farms and Alpacas 2001 S Washington St Kennewick, WA 99337 509-378-5833 info@sandollaralpacas.com www.sandollaralpacas.com Susan Grunger Gray 1801 Red Bud Ln, Ste B - PMB 225 Round Rock, Texas 78664-0225 512-350-5060 sgray@images-heart.com squareup.com/market/images-of-theheart-and-soul

Chris and Jess Fredericks Whistling Pines Ranch 499 4 1/2 Ave Clayton, WI 54004 715-419-0127 whistlingpinesranch@yahoo.com www.whistlingpinesranch.com

Jennifer Hack Triple H Ranch 4098 N Hwy 67 Sedalia, CO 80135 720-733-2672 jennifer@triplehalpacas.net www.triplehalpacas.net

Carol and John Furman Carrageen Alpacas 82 West Gray Road Gray, ME 04039 207-653-1144 carrageens@twc.com www.carrageensurialpacas.com

Steve and Laura Hall BuzznHum Alpacas LLC 15851 NW Willis Road McMinnville, OR 97128 213-280-3101 laura@buzznhumalpacas.com www.buzznhumalpacas.com

Rebecca Hammer Orchard Hill Alpacas PO Box 842 Elkins, WV 26241 304-636-5519 hammerr@cebridge.net

www.alpacanation.com/orchardhill.asp

Cindy Harris Alpacas at Windy Hill 7660 Bradley Road Somis, CA 93066 805-907-5162 cindy@alpacalink.com www.alpacalink.com Britt and Patty Hasselbring Hasselbringâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Harmony Ranch 29049 David Rd Concordia, MO 64020 816-769-3939

patty@hasselbringsharmonyranch.com www.hasselbringsharmonyranch.com

Karl and Janice Heinrich Long Hollow Suri Alpacas 698 Wallace Road Gallatin, TN 37066 615-452-7852 karlh@longhollowalpacas.com www.longhollowalpacas.com Nancy and David Helwig 925 Sterling Alpacas 10451 Valley Drive Plymouth, CA 95669-9515 805-217-5491 sterlingalpacas@yahoo.com www.925suris.com Leslie Herzog Herzog Alpacas, LLC 1762 McCraren Rd Highland Park, IL 60035 847-702-7731 leslie.herzog@yahoo.com

surimarket.surinetwork.org/farmalpacas/4894/herzog-alpacas-llc

Roxann and Jay Hirst Crystal Butte Farm 8330 316th Pl SE Issaquah, WA 98027 703-687-7676 roxannh55@gmail.com Tim Holt 317 Ridgewood Ct Fort Collins, CO 80524 970-596-1470

Jim and Jane Olson-Holzer

Unisource Suri Alpacas & Llamas, LLC

Russell and Wendi James Little Providence Alpacas 300 Rhodes Rd Reno, NV 89521 775-250-3517 wendihair@charter.net Denise and Jeff Johnson Zephyr Hill Farm 10297 7 Mile Rd Evart, MI 49631 248-770-5514 zephyrhillalpacas@aol.com

surimarket.surinetwork.org/farms/7100

Dianna and Jack Jordan Alpacas of Somerset Farm PO Box 190 Somerset, CA 95684 530-620-6033 dljordan@live.com www.alpacasofsomersetfarm.com Ann and Tony Kaminski Break Loose Farm 5233 Hanover Pike Manchester, MD 21102 410-374-4383 annkaminski1@gmail.com www.breakloosefarmalpacas.com Pamela Kelly Bridgetown Suri Alpacas 9875 Bayside Rd Machipongo, VA 23405 757-709-0400 pam_kelly@earthlink.net www.bridgetownsurialpacas.com Jackie King Suri & Company of Fern Creek 6 Clermont Ln Saint Louis, MO 63124 314-306-3348 j.king@charter.net Susan King Big Timber Alpacas 29400 SW Heater Rd Sherwood, OR 97140 503-799-6941 sue@bigtimberalpacas.com www.bigtimberalpacas.com

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Suri Network Membership Directory Steven, Rose Ann and Tasha Knoblock

Knoblock’s Prairie Ranch 179 270th Street Sabetha, KS 66534 785-284-2589 kprpacas@att.net www.knoblocksalpacas.com

Lynne and Carolyn LeJune SHMILY Alpacas 5880 Pin Oak Rd Franklin, TX 77856 713-248-6354 shmilyranch@gmail.com www.shmilyalpacas.com

Linda K. Kondris Pines Edge Suri Alpacas 12245 Melba Rd Black Forest, CO 80106-8966 719-495-9633 pinesedgeranch@gmail.com www.pinesedge.com

Kirk and Julie Lentz Alpine Vista Suri Alpacas LLC 73 Wineglass Loop South Livingston, MT 59047 406-222-0472 julie@jklentz.net www.alpinevistasurialpacas.com

Margit Korsak Boulder Hill Alpacas 315 Merkle Rd Boyertown, PA 19512 267-246-7573 boulderhillalpacas@yahoo.com www.boulderhillalpacas.com

Nancy Lindemood 2 Point Farm, LLC 6330 Warsaw Rd Dry Ridge, KY 41035 859-428-9220 frankemood@aol.com www.2pointfarmalpacas.com

Karen Kovisto Symphony Fibers 6670 Sunset Circle Kiowa, CO 80117 818-326-7393 karenkovi@sbcglobal.net www.SymphonyFibers.com

Barbara Linley Ambleside 42 Wharf St Maclean, Victoria AUSTRALIA 0438897147 barbara.linley@bigpond.com

Morgan Kroll and Ben Hoida N5785 Forestview Ln Luxemburg, WI 54217 920-493-7085

Maureen and Larry Macedo Macedo’s Mini Acre 11175 Golf Link Rd Turlock, CA 95380 209-648-2384 macedosminiacre@gmail.com https://www.macedosminiacre.com

Susie and Wayne Kunzman Green Valley Alpacas 3100 Turner Rd SE Space 306 Salem, OR 97302 503-781-2342 smkunzman306@gmail.com

surimarket.surinetwork.org/farms/365

Lorrie Lake Loving Life Alpacas 34706 Minesinger Trail Polson, MT 59860 406-261-8772 lovinglifealpacas@gmail.com

surimarket.surinetwork.org/farms/4444

Mary-Margaret Lannon Percussion Rock Alpaca Farm P.O. Box 609 Spring Green, WI 53588 773-577-0217 percussionrockalpacas@gmail.com https://www.facebook.com/PRAFWIS/

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http://www.amblesidealpacas.com.au

Anita and Richard Marlin Acappella Junction Alpacas 502 Ostwalt Amity Rd Troutman, NC 28166 919-599-7359 acappellaalpacas@mindspring.com www.accappellajunctionalpacas. com Alison R. Marschewski Two Trees Alpacas 6395 Balcom Canyon Rd Somis, CA 93066 805-216-6022 twotreesalpacas@aol.com http://www.twotreesalpacas.com

Cynthia Masters Rancho de Santo Domingo 27010 Rock Island Rd Hempstead, TX 77445 832-630-7458 buyalpacas@aol.com Jackie Mathieson Alpaca Road, LLC 1135 Camp Road Denton, MD 21629 410-241-4367 jackie_mathiason@yahoo.com www.alpacaroad.com Ann Mayes Alpacas d’Auxvasse 9266 County Rd 1012 Auxvasse, MO 65231 573-386-3462 annmayes85@gmail.com www.alpacasauxvasse.com Candy and Ray McMahan Raynay Alpaca Farm 1897 Ashland Rd Ruffin, NC 27326 336-939-3645 mgbcandy@aol.com www.mmalpacas.com Becky and Tom McMillan Magic Willows Alpacas 6340 Arthur Rd Hartford, WI 53027 414-217-5836 btkk@magicwillowsalpacas.com www.magicwillowsalpacas.com Stephanie Miller Journey of Faith Suri Alpacas 7940 Edison Rd Yoder, CO 80864 870-455-6372 stephanie@jofsa.com

surimarket.surinetwork.org/farms/8994

Bryan and Becky Miltenberger Hidden Creek Alpacas 33347 East Punkin Center Rd Hermiston, OR 97838 541-571-0394 hiddencreekalpacas@gmail.com www.hiddencreekalpacas.com David Moran and Lori Wall Crimson Shamrock Ranch PO Box 7 Eglon, WV 26716 304-735-6413 dddmoran@aol.com www.crimsonshamrockalpacas. com

Jim and Jean Morgan J4 Alpacas 7711 N Valley Hill Road Woodstock, IL 60098 815-759-0247 j4alpacas@earthlink.net www.j4alpacas.com Kent and Sandy Murray Lizard Hill Suri Alpacas 351 Purdy Mesa Road Whitewater, CO 81527 970-243-3520 lhillalpacas@aol.com Richard and Leanne Nakashima Eldora Suri Alpacas 6725 Skyline Rd S Salem, OR 97306 720-840-6585 rna1501@msn.com www.eldorasurialpacas.com Diane and Julian Nicholson Nicholson Alpacas and Llamas P.O. Box 5378 Twin Falls, ID 83303 208-734-5917 Cammie & Craig Nussbaum Alpacas On The Horizon 3535 Jakes Lane Scotts Mills, OR 97375 818-968-8229 alpacasoth@gmail.com www.alpacasonthehorizon.com Brian and Tamara Osterman Suri Serenade Alpacas 313 Edgewood Avenue Stillwater, MN 55082-5363 651-528-2988 info@suriserenadealpacas.com www.suriserenadealpacas.com

Johnna Parker JP’s Alpacas 2510 Brownfield Rd Urbana, IL 61802 217-377-1054 johnna@jpsbackyardfarm.com Narvel and Debbie Pettis Sweet Blossom Alpaca Farm 37543 Pappy Road Dade City, FL 33523 813-335-7387 dpettis11@yahoo.com www.sweetblossomalpacas.com

Suri Network Membership Directory Charlene and Russ Piar Thunder Mile Ranch 10879 State Hwy M Wright City, MO 63390 636-544-2200 cpiar@thundermileranch.com www.thundermileranch.com Karina and Michael Pomroy Peruvian Link Co. 589 Airline Rd Amherst, ME 04605 207-584-3200 info@peruvianlink.com www.peruvianlink.com Julie Power Power Alpacas 1490 Cheviot Hills Ct Westlake Village, CA 91361 805-497-8363 power4julie@gmail.com Michelle Pressler and William Ward

iMpress Alpacas 14036 Clover Rd Rockton, IL 61072 815-713-5234 impressalpacas@gmail.com www.impressalpacas.com

Kraig & Teri Quamme Red Gate Alpaca Farm 11751 Dundas Blvd Dundas, MN 55019 612-919-6903 kquamm@msn.com www.redgatealpacafarm.com Ken and Claudia Raessler SuriPaco LLC PO Box 1477 Yarmouth, ME 04096-2477 207-712-5833 claudia@sacoriverdyehouse.com

surimarket.surinetwork.org/farms/3148

Russell Ratti and Karen Ball Heart & Soul Alpacas 14514 Oak Meadow Rd Penn Valley, CA 95946 530-597-7223 heartandsoulspinnery@gmail.com www.heartandsoulspinnery.com

Marty and Mary Raynor M&M Alpaca Farm of NC 7084 US Hwy 64 West Pittsboro, NC 27312 336-465-8211 mmalpacasofnc@gmail.com

Mandi and Erik Schoolfield Big Creek Farm and Ranch 43300 NE 304th Ave Amboy, WA 98601 360-281-6767 bigcreekfarmandranch@gmail.com

Allen and Becky Rebman and Richard, Carol and Andrew Reed Over Home Alpacas LLC 18 Midway Rd Bethel, PA 19507 610-488-1355 info@overhomealpaca.com www.overhomealpacas.com

Mary Seay Black Horse Hill 8 Old Rte 22 Kutztown, PA 19530 484-951-7405 mseay627@gmail.com

www.mmalpacafarmofnc.openherd. com

Leslie and Scott Rebtoy Healing Springs Suris 73112 S 4720 Rd Westville, OK 74965 918-629-2840 HSSsuris@gmail.com www.Healingspringssuris.com Doug and Julie Rice R&R Suris 11110 Kubon Rd Montague, MI 49437 231-286-1505 rnrsuris@aol.com http://rnrsuris.alpacanation.com Joanna Ritchie 2405 Ramond Ln Bryant, AR 72022 618-570-9668 jcritchie2000@gmail.com Julie and Ted Ritschard B I Bar Ranch 8720 Moss Rock Rd Colorado Springs, CO 80908 719-495-1279 alpacas@bibarranch.com bibarranch.com Janet and Bob Rodgers Rodgersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Reserve Alpaca Farm 400 E Adario W Rd Greenwich, OH 44837 419-895-9922 jzrodgers77@1791.com www.openherd.com/rodgersreserve Christine Rogers Whisper Meadows Alpacas 4451 Whisper Ln DePere, WI 54115 920-337-0646 bapackerfan@aol.com

http://www.openherd.com/farms/8925/ big-creek-farm-and-ranch

Amy and Dave Self Canyon Country Suri Alpaca Ranch 12500 Bostwick Park Rd Montrose, CO 81401 970-765-6744 gunnisonself@yahoo.com

surimarket.surinetwork.org/farms/4970

Tim and Beth Sheets Heritage Farm Suri Alpacas 4175 N 1200 W Flora, IN 46929 765-860-1220 sheets@ourheritagefarm.com www.ourheritagefarm.com Sheryl and Sheldon Shenk Hay Creek Station PO Box 589 Florissant, CO 80816 719-689-6666 sshenk@datawest.net www.yoursuriconnection.com Laurel R. Shouvlin Bluebird Hills Farm 3617 Derr Road Springfield, OH 45503 937-206-3936 bluebirdhills@voyager.net www.bluebirdhills.farm Celya and Morris Singleton San Rafael Suris P.O. Box 788 Ferron, UT 84523 435-201-1748 srsalpacas@gmail.com https://sanrafaelsuri.com

Linda Smith Palmetto Moon Alpacas 1681 Cassidy Mill Rd Chesterfield, SC 29709 501-951-0462 wirelinekid@aol.com Valarie Smith Double Diamond Ranch 215 Quail Ridge Rd Amarillo, TX 79116 806-729-6113 doublediamondranch2@gmail.com https://www.doublediamondranch.org

Michael and Anita Smith The Triple Z Alpaca Farm 9100 N 000 Rd Decatur, IN 46733 260-724-4809 mikeoftriplez@aol.com www.triplezalpacas.com Kristie and Brion Smoker Sweet Valley Suris 5701 Valley Glen Road Annville, PA 17003 717-503-6168 kristie@sweetvalleysuris.com www.sweetvalleysuris.com Robyn Sparks Sparks Ranch, LLC PO Box 16033 Oklahoma City, OK 73113 480-245-6560 sparksroby@gmail.com Brad and Jandy Sprouse Great Lakes Ranch 5718 S Bohemian Rd Maple City, MI 49664 231-228-3859 greatlakesranch@gmail.com Loren and Judy Stevens Stevens Llama Tique & Suri Alpacas 1449 Red Canyon Rd Canon City, CO 81212 800-469-5262 llamatiq@rconnect.com www.stevenstique.com

surinetwork.org

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Suri Network Membership Directory Peter Taborsky and Carolyn Campato The Leisure Ranch 4565 C Hwy 231 Springdale, WA 99173 509-991-8650 theleisureranch@gmail.com

http://www.leisureranchalpacas.com

Keiko Takimoto-Makarczyk and Matt Makarczyk Wisteria Suri Ranch 875 County Road 454 Taylor, TX 76574 512-856-2467 keitaki@gmail.com www.wisteriasuriranch.com Victoria Telesko Love Me Alpacas 23253 Cty Rd X Kiel, WI 53042 920-797-9096 vtelesko@aol.com www.LoveMeAlpacas.com Susan Tellez

Camelid Alliance - Resource Consulting

3195 Dowlen Rd. #101-313 Beaumont, TX 77706 409-656-2140 sztellez@aol.com

David, Nancy and Nick TenHulzen Park View All American Alpacas Andy and Cheryl Tillman Tillman Llamas & Suri Alpacas 6460 NW Atkinson Ave Redmond, OR 97756 541-389-1065 cherlleeblake@gmail.com Susie Townley Crimson Ranch 200 Rangeland Rd Seguin, TX 78155 956-454-4563 crimsonranch18@gmail.com Marcia Traudt M & J Alpaca Farm 32382 Hwy 14 Aurora, NE 68818 402-737-3307 marciatraudt526@gmail.com https://www.openherd.com/ farms/7479

86 PURELYSURI

Kathy and Garry Umscheid Evergreen Acres Alpacas P.O. Box 117 Arden, MB Canada R0J 0B0 204-368-2467 alpaca@evergreenacres.org www.evergreenacres.org

Deb Wellinghoff Northern Prairie Alpacas, LLC 7470 Jakes Prairie Rd Sullivan, MO 63080 618-627-2341 deb@northernprairiealpacas.com www.NorthernPrairieAlpacas.com

Liz and Chris Vahlkamp Salt River Alpacas/North American Suri Co. 7200 Waterman St. Louis, MO 63130 314-440-1627 saltriveralpacas@yahoo.com www.saltriveralpacas.com

Jeannie Wells Wellspring Suri Alpacas 3630 Gunnison Rd Santa Fe, NM 87507 210-557-0929 jeanniek13@me.com https://www.openherd.com/ farms/1253/wellspring-suri-alpacas

Amanda and Vince VandenBosch Flying Dutchman Alpacas 65485 Cline Falls Rd Bend, OR 97703 831-809-1147 amandafda@earthlink.net www.fdaalpacas.com

Mary Wilcox High Country Alpacas LLC 3805 E Equestrian Trail Phoenix, AZ 85044-3008 480-296-8588 mary.wilcox2001@gmail.com www.hcaalpacas.com

Elaine Vandiver Old Homestead Alpacas 5260 Stateline Rd Walla Walla, WA 99362 253-232-2853 oldhomesteadalpacas@gmail.com www.oldhomesteadalpacas.com

Mike and Janet Wilkins Wilkins Livestock LLC P.O. Box 7221 Star Valley Ranch, WY 83127 402-362-9223 janet@wilkinslivestock.com www.wilkinslivestock.com

Bill and Heather Vonderhaar Alpaca Bella Suri Farm - ABF 5455 Belwood Lane Morrow, OH 45152 513-720-8391 alpacabella@gmail.com www.alpacabella.com

Kathy and Joe Williams KJâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Alpaca Ranch 7476 Shepler Church Ave SW Navarre, OH 44662 330-879-2483 kjsalpacas@aol.com www.kjsalpacas.com

Bob Wargowsky Windrider Suri Ranch PO Box 1331 Norwood, CO 81423 505-350-6395 windridersuriranch@juno.com

Doug and Deanna Wilner Daydreamer Ranch Alpacas 16019 Green Road Harvard, IL 60033 815-943-7004 alpacas@daydreamerranch.com

Brett and Donna Weeks Grey Meadows Alpaca Farm 1826 Barn Rd Solomon, KS 67480 301-980-7019 blweeks@comcast.net http://surimarket.surinetwork.org/ farms/4812

Dr. Gary Wilson The Midnight Moon Alpaca Ranch 11110 Kubon Rd Montague, MI 49437 630-921-0414

http://windridersuris.alpacanation.com

www.DaydreamerRanchAlpacas.com

garyw@themidnightmoonalpacaranch. com www.openherd.com/farms/2413/themidnight-moon-alpaca-ranch

Don Wingerter, Jr. Mill Creek Alpacas 2551 Wingerter Lane Chester, IL 62233 618-615-5059 mcalpacas@egyptian.net

http://www.openherd.com/farms/756/ mill-creek-alpacas

Cheryl and Rick Yopp City Girl Alpaca 9 Great Oak Court North Little Rock, AR 72116 501-753-8480 cryopp@yahoo.com https://www.openherd.com/ farms/7362/city-girl-alpaca Norm and Mary Zahn Coldwater Creek Alpacas 5254 Younger Rd Celina, OH 45822 419-678-8621 coldwatercreekalpacas@gmail.com www.ColdwaterCreekAlpacas.com

SURI ENTHUSIAST MEMBERS Frauke Berman New York, NY Jill McElderry-Maxwell Pittsfield, ME Florence Morehead Wellborn, FL Pamela Richards Fresno, CA Corinne Stevens Waitsburg, WA Elizabeth Weeks Fredericksburg, TX Deborah and Craig Weinstein Castle Rock, CO Lucy Yu Gilbert, AZ

Advertising Index

2 Point Farm LLC

7, 33

Akuna Matada Suri Alpacas

50

Alpaca Road LLC

50

Alpaca Owners Association

51

Alpacas at Windy Hill

55

Big Timber Alpacas

10

BuzznHumm Alpacas

80

Boulder Hill Alpacas

45

Choice Alpaca Products

25

Hay Creek Alpacas

3

Healing Springs Suris

51

Heart & Soul Alpacas and Spinnery

64

Heritage Farm Suri Alpacas

11

Love Me Alpacas

3

New Era Fiber, LLC

2

Orchard Hill Alpacas

59

Raynay Alpaca Farm, LLC

33

Salt River Suri Alpacas

8

Sandollar Farms & Alpacas

3

Sie Sutter Suri Alpaca

3

Sound of Freedom Farm, LLC

55

Suri Simply Stunningâ&#x201E;¢

back cover

Photograph courtesy of Bag End Suri Alpacas @2019

surinetwork.org

87

Advertising Index

2 Point Farm LLC

7, 33

Akuna Matada Suri Alpacas

50

Alpaca Road LLC

50

Alpaca Owners Association

51

Alpacas at Windy Hill

55

Big Timber Alpacas

10

BuzznHumm Alpacas

80

Boulder Hill Alpacas

45

Choice Alpaca Products

25

Hay Creek Alpacas

3

Healing Springs Suris

51

Heart & Soul Alpacas and Spinnery

64

Heritage Farm Suri Alpacas

11

Love Me Alpacas

3

New Era Fiber, LLC

2

Orchard Hill Alpacas

59

Raynay Alpaca Farm, LLC

33

Salt River Suri Alpacas

8

Sandollar Farms & Alpacas

3

Sie Sutter Suri Alpaca

3

Sound of Freedom Farm, LLC

55

Suri Simply Stunningâ&#x201E;¢

back cover

Photograph courtesy of Bag End Suri Alpacas @2019

surinetwork.org

87