PurelySuri Winter 2013

Message from the President

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Welcome to the Winter 2013 edition of PurelySuri! The editorial board puts a lot of thought and consideration into the selection of articles for each issue of PurelySuri and we think that this issue has something for everyone – from fiber to photography to charitable work in Peru.

Did you know that PurelySuri is the only magazine in the world totally focused on the Suri Alpaca? We pride ourselves in producing a quality publication that our membership and other readers can hold in their hands, flip through the pages and really appreciate the relevant editorial content. We’ve debated cutting costs by producing a smaller issue with lighter weight paper and a less glossy cover. We’ve even talked about going to an all-online edition. But in the end, we believe that a quality printed publication is the best way to showcase the Suri alpacas that we love.

Our members believe this too. In the membership survey from earlier this year, 78% of the responders found the magazine to be above average value or excellent value. Some of the members comments were: Great value in the articles; Highly professional; I like the overall appearance of the magazine; Great information and great for marketing; Greatest concentration of educational articles; Excellent example of a well-organized industry; Full of relevant information, Something you can get your teeth into; The BEST publication I receive out of the standard six.

So we will continue to publish PurelySuri in a printed format just as it is today. In fact for 2014 our goal is to have the issue published in August in time for the Summer Symposium. As you might have guessed, this is the place in this letter that I ask you for help. As you know, producing a magazine of this quality is expensive. We try to pay for all the costs through selling advertising. But in the past few years, advertising support for PurelySuri has dropped considerably. We have had to repeatedly delay the publication dates while trying to solicit more advertising.

We realize that today’s economy makes it difficult to budget marketing money when you have expensive feed bills for your herd. But when you consider the many benefits, it just makes good sense to invest in PurelySuri. Consider these advantages of advertising: • A target audience of Suri breeders and enthusiasts • PurelySuri is the professional face of the Suri industry and your Suri business • A world-wide online audience with a hyperlink to your website • “Get the Word Out” program where members can have back issues of PurelySuri placed in waiting rooms of doctor’s offices and veterinary clinics of your choosing with your farm info stickered on the cover • Back issues available to purchase for use as promotional pieces for your farm or ranch Advertising costs are very reasonable and start at just $35 for a business card ad. I think you will agree that most members can afford that amount for the benefits they receive. So as you are budgeting your farm/ranch expenses for 2014, I would ask you to consider an ad in PurelySuri and commit to it early. You can find an application form on the website at www.surinetwork.org. I think you will be satisfied with the results.

Warm Regards, Tim Sheets, President Suri Network

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Suri Network Board of Trustees Tim Sheets, President — My wife, Beth, and I own Heritage Farm Suri Alpacas in central Indiana. We have two adult children, Michael and Jennifer, and two beautiful granddaughters. We have been raising Suri alpacas for nine years and have been active members of the Suri Network from our beginning. Raising alpacas is a real passion of ours and has been more exciting than we would have ever anticipated. Beth and I are living out a dream of owning a small farm and raising livestock that gives back so much. I feel strongly that a bright future of the alpaca industry depends on how well we engage the youth of today. To this point, I have been involved in local 4-H and FFA groups in encouraging an interest and involvement with alpacas. I am very confident of the future of the Suri alpaca industry and look forward to what the next few years bring. As your elected member of the Suri Network Board of Trustees, I represent the membership’s interests to the best of my ability. My commitment is to use my skills and influence to help shape the future of our incredible industry.

Kristie Smoker, Vice President — Before starting Sweet Valley Suris, I held management and executive positions in private industry for more than 20 years. I spent 18 years with The Hershey Company before co-founding Turning Point Enterprises, a human resources consultancy. I own and manage more than 40 Suri alpacas and currently serve on the Suri Network Board of Trustees. I am the former President of the Mid-Atlantic Alpaca Association, a seven-state affiliate to AOBA. In 2010, I coordinated the largest alpaca show in the eastern United States. I received my A.S. from Pennsylvania State University and my B.S. from Albright College.

Patty Hasselbring, Treasurer — Along with my husband Britt Hasselbring, I own Hasselbring’s Harmony Ranch just outside Concordia, Missouri. Since purchasing our first Suris in 2009, we have built a herd of around 115 Suri alpacas. Before starting our alpaca venture, we visited alpaca farms and, early on, fell in love with the exquisite Suri. Prior to alpaca farming, I spent my professional life as a non-profit executive, focusing primarily on juvenile justice and children’s issues. In 1994, I opened my own consulting practice, Grants and Beyond. I continue my consulting business, providing training and other services for non-profit organizations and helping them effectively meet their missions.

Cindy Harris, Secretary — I grew up in California and developed a passion for Suri alpacas that began in 2000 while I was teaching fourth grade. I had 13 acres and was deciding what to do with the rest of the property when I met my first alpacas. Suris were visual poetry to me, with their locks shining and swinging in the breeze! My husband, Doug Fieg, and I own Alpacas at Windy Hill in Somis, California. We practice intensive Californiastyle management of a herd of 350 alpacas on 25 acres of Bermuda grass for our own herd and several boarders.

We emphasize education, particularly providing a “safety net” for new owners. We host a variety of classes and events during the year to introduce the public to alpacas. We breed for excellent Suri traits across colors and origins. Showing is a large part of our marketing. We shear our Suris annually, and have been extremely pleased with the results, feeling strongly that the proof of a Suri is in the regrowth. We would like to see more emphasis nationwide on the “process-ability” of Suri shorn annually.

Joyce White, Trustee at Large — Joyce White has been raising Suri alpacas for 13 years along with her husband, Greg, and daughters. They own Tinkers Creek Alpacas and started with just three alpacas. They now have a herd of 57 Suris, along with a herd of 23 Suris that they board. Over the years they’ve been in business, they have delivered over 100 cria, trained them for alpaca shows, and helped new breeders learn about breeding, birthing, and showmanship. For Joyce, the alpaca industry is not just a business – it is also a lifestyle. An active member of AOBA, OABA, and the Suri Network, Joyce spent this year on the AOBA Show Rules Committee.

She re-wrote the Suri Network 4-H Handbook in 2011. She believes that having the ability to actively impact this industry is essential to its evolution, and looks forward to contributing to the Suri Network to help keep it going strong. As a member of the Suri Network Board, she is ready, willing, and able to listen to members’ ideas on ways to make the Suri Network improve and grow as an organization.

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Table of Contents

Features 10 Three Deadly Sins (photographically speaking)

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by Jennifer Clark

Ten Reasons to Raise Suri Alpacas by the Suri Network

The Perspectives of a Newbie or “Swagging by the Seat of our Pants!”

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by Grace Stach

24 Getting the Most out of Your Suri Alpaca Fiber

by Deb Christner and Alvina Maynard

30 What is Fibershed?

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by Cindy Harris

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The Suri Alpaca: Beauty that Needs No Enhancement

by Cindy Harris

46 Silky Suri Tunisian Crochet Baby Afghan

by Cindy Harris

50 The Nunoa Project: Update July 2013

by Stephen R. Purdy, D.V.M. 56 Nunoa Project Works Directly with Alpaca

Farmers in Peru

by Stephen R. Purdy, DVM

59 Surface Scanning Electron Microscopy of Suri

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Alpaca Fiber

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by Andy Tillman

68 Get on Board SHIP to Improve the Quality of

your Suri Breeding Program

by Linda Kondris

Departments 4 Message from the President 5 Board of Directors 9 Statement of Purpose 74 Advertising Index

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Suri Network Statement of Purpose

Dedicated to the preservation of the Suri Alpaca.

The purpose of the Suri Network shall include, but 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 interest.

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.

PURELYSURI

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Winter 2013 • $10 PurelySuriTM magazine is a publication of 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 matter.

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 permission 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. ©2013 by Suri Network, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.

Publisher: Suri Network Design & Production: Julianna Farresta Managing Editor: Cindy Harris & Linda Kondris Editor: Patricia Hess Marketing Consultants: Marsha and Ken Hobert Contributing Writers:.

Deb Christner Jennifer Clark Cindy Harris Linda Kondris Alvina Maynard Stephen R. Purdy, D.V.M Gail Stach Andy Tillman

©2013 Amber Isaac

Printer: Able Publishing Cover Photo: Amber Isaac, Silken Suri Alpaca Ranch

Suri Network, Inc. P.O. Box 1984 Estes Park, CO 80517-1984 Phone: (970) 586-5876 Fax: (970) 586-6685 Email: office@surinetwork.org Website: www.surinetwork.org www.surinetwork.org

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Three Deadly Sins (photographically speaking)

by Jennifer Clark

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If Alpaca Show Judges used photographs to pick their winners, would your alpaca win a ribbon? That is what you need to ask yourself when taking pictures of your herd.

Your photographs need to point out the positive (and saleable) aspects of your alpaca. Unfortunately, many amateur photographs do the exact opposite. In this article, I identify three common mistakes people make when photographing their animals, and offer some simple remedies to overcome the problems.

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Shooting at eye level.

1) Avoid aiming down on your alpaca One reason why an exceptional animal can look “off” or merely ordinary in your pictures is because the natural tendency is for people to aim the camera from where they are standing. When taking pictures of alpacas, this often means you will be shooting at a downward angle, which causes distortion. This distortion may be subtle, but it does detract from your alpaca’s natural beauty, especially in close-up photos like headshots. The taller you are, the more severe the angle and greater the distortion.

Shooting down on your animal.

Remedy Place your camera lens at your animal’s eye level or aim up from a squatting position. This will preserve proper perspective and maintain the proportion that flatters your animal.

Shooting upwards, especially with close-ups, helps capture a sense of dignity or majesty from your animal. continued on next page

© 2013 Photos by Jennifer Clark

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An ideal shot.

2) Proper posture is often overlooked It seems obvious, doesn’t it, that a properly posed animal is the object of your photos.

Yet, time and again, I see pictures of animals that look nervous or distracted, or are twisting, leaning or stretching, or display an angry attitude. These photos lack eye-appeal and do nothing to show off your animal or its superior conformation. Ideally, you want to see all four feet planted squarely on the ground, and have the alpacas looking toward the camera with their ears up.

Appearing slightly off balance.

Remedy

This animal appears shy and the stance is slightly twisted.

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Once more, think like a judge, and visualize “the pose.” Have your camera ready on auto focus with an aperture (lens opening) of 5.6 or less. Using a low aperture number helps to blur the background and focus attention on the animal. Then bolster up your patience (much more important than the most expensive camera) and find a way to turn your alpaca into a super model. Move slowly and calmly to gain the alpaca’s trust. Do not rush the shoot, but don’t hesitate to pull the trigger and take lots of shots. Often it helps to provide visual props to focus their attention. Dogs and cats work well, as do toys that make funny sounds. Sometimes you can use an assistant out of the camera view to make a sound like barking or by knocking on a barn wall. The important thing to remember is that you won’t get the shot you want if you give up too easily. It’s entirely up to you, not your camera. continued on page 14

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3) About those Ears and Feet Another common error is to clip off the top (ears) or bottom (feet) of your subject. This is just not acceptable, and those who see the photo may feel that something is wrong. Maybe they think that you don’t really value that animal (so why should they?), or maybe they suspect that you are hiding some defect. Obviously, “clipping” your photos can ultimately clip your pocketbook.

Remedy This one is easy. When you look through your viewfinder, pay attention to the lines that mark out your camera’s frame. Don’t push the envelope. Allow a little safety margin when you sight in on your subject. If you need to, back up a little or zoom out a bit. It won’t take long before “framing” your pictures becomes second nature. l This alpaca’s feet are missing

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AUTHOR Jennifer Clark Jennifer Clark is one of the premiere animal photographers in the camelid industry.

Educated at Eastern Michigan University in Photography and Painting, she majored in Llamas at Tunitas Creek Llamas (TCL) in Half Moon Bay, CA. As herd manager at TCL, she combined her photographic skills and her intimate understanding of the llama to produce her first camelid portraits and archival records. Through the ensuing years she has grown in experience and understanding, not only of the elements of good animal photography, but also of the llama and alpaca industry as a whole.

Ten Reasons to Raise

Suri Alpacas

by the Suri Network

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© 2013 Tim Sheets

When people in the U.S. think of alpacas, they typically picture a small, docile creature with dense springy fiber—like a big sheep with a long neck. This breed is called a Huacaya. A less familiar breed is the Suri. The most obvious difference between Suri and Huacaya alpacas is their coats. Instead of the sheep-like coat of the Huacaya, the Suri’s coat—or fiber—consists of long, distinctive locks that drape down the sides of their body.

Suri fiber has a cool, slick feel that combines cashmere’s softness, wool’s warmth, and silk’s luster.

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The U.S. history of Suri alpacas began with the importation of 100 of the white animals in 1991.

Previously, the breed was unknown in this country, even among the handful of breeders who had imported Huacayas. The Suri remains a mystery to many, little known outside its native Andean high plains of South America.

© 2013 Amber Isaac

Here are few reasons why you might consider raising them: Rarity – It’s estimated that the worldwide Suri alpaca population is only around 100,000–less than 10 percent of the total alpaca population. In the U.S., there are currently 32,000 registered Suri alpacas, representing about 24 percent of the entire U.S. population.

In demand – Suri fiber is currently coveted by the fashion industry and cherished by hand-spinners.

Along with its strength and feel, Suri fiber’s ability to accept color dyes makes it a favorite. Suri fiber blends well with other natural fibers and can be knitted, crocheted, or woven.

Style – Few animals are more beautiful than a Suri running through the pasture, locks swaying while catching the sun with their brilliant luster.

Adaptable – Suri locks form a part and lay flat along the back of the animal, exposing the skin. This is a plus in hot climates because it allows for better evaporative cooling. While this same area can lose heat in the winter, proper management techniques enable Suri alpacas to breed successfully in northern climates.

A rescued breed – Although Suri alpacas have been a distinct breed in South America for thousands of years, commercial fiber mills aren’t geared toward processing their fiber. For this reason, many Suris were culled from South American alpaca herds, making them extremely rare. Fortunately, the Suri’s numbers have grown steadily in the U.S. over the past 20 years.

Unique fiber – One large advantage Suri has over cashmere, camel, and vicuña is the longer staple length, meaning Suri fiber doesn’t pill as easily. It also has an unusually high tensile strength, making it ideal for industrial processing.

The Suri Network – Members can take advantage of marketing, research, and educational opportunities – for both alpaca breeders and the general public – which are all designed to increase knowledge and awareness of this wonderful breed.

Breed standard – In 2006, U.S. breeders adopted a standard to help the Suri achieve recognition as a production livestock breed. Written with input from breeders from all over the country, this standard will help guide future development of the Suri breed. continued on next page

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Research support – The Suri Network Product Development Committee actively seeks to identify, fund, and conduct research projects that will help the North American Suri industry compete in the world market.

We’re number one – The U.S. is positioned to surpass South America’s total Suri fiber production in 5 to 10 years. This gives breeders a tremendous opportunity in shaping future demand of Suri fiber. l

One of the biggest challenges of the industry is to expand the numbers of Suri alpacas in order to produce a consistent amount of high-quality fiber for commercial yarn production. The best way to overcome this obstacle is to attract more breeders into this market. Alpacas are ideal for both small- and large-scale farms and ranches. Easy to raise, the Suri is a great breed for those with existing livestock operations or first-timers.

© 2013 Marsha Hobert

© 2013 Amber Isaac

To learn more, visit:

www.surinetwork.org

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r o e i b w e N a !” s f t o n a s P e tiv ur c o e f p o s r t The Pe by the Seah g n e Stac i c a g r g G y a b “Sw

the h t i w iliar m a had f I s a d w n I r a pen e o e n o o t i auct ame g it, n e w e e b n k s alway Before I d bids, . con e s a bid y as. an c a t p u l o a with our f d e !

I own PACAS??!

AL

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© 2013 Grace Stach

A False Start

My partner, Rick, and I enjoy attending farm/estate auctions as a hobby. Previewing an upcoming sales catalog, I noticed livestock panels we could use for our two horses. With map in hand, for the first time I went to a sale solo. Low on funds, Rick reminded me: only bid on the panels.

I was familiar with the auctioneer and I had always been game to open a bid. Before I knew it, without any second bids, I owned four alpacas. ALPACAS??!!

The only time I recalled seeing an alpaca was at the Detroit Zoo. Damage done. I made arrangements to continued on next page

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© 2013 BarryLynn Woods

transport my new animals. We did not have a horse trailer. My little shopping spree did NOT go over well when I got home.

Undaunted, forward and onward! I read every piece of alpaca information I could find. I read and read until my brain hurt. “Hmmm, there are two types of alpacas…who knew?” “I have Huacaya alpacas.”

“Hmmmm, adorable, but these are not quality alpacas.” I sold them.

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Starting for Real — Meet “the Boys”

During my quest for information, I met a wonderful alpaca breeder with both types of alpacas. I absolutely fell in love with one of her Suris. Dreadlocks are me!

Further information was needed. I tried to assimilate 15 years worth of genetics. I know that is NOT happening, but “dang it,” I tried. Based on the breeder’s reputation, successes and the wonder of “terms available,” I selected and bought a Suri package, sight unseen.

The story of “the boys” began: Roosevelt (reverse appy), Sterling (white), and Tavion (white). Part of the package included a dam/cria pair. She will need a companion! Again, sight unseen, I bought a black female. The Suris won Rick over!

Our First Show

For three months we simply loved our new “boys.”

Then, in April, I learned there would be an alpaca show in May. Why not? I decided to register.

I was stumped by the first line on the entry: farm name. I must have given the show contact person ulcers with my endless questions. Entry sent (no farm name needed). Next paragraph on the show website: we needed a vet inspection. What was that?

Off I went to the local feed store to see the llama lady who worked there. “Help! I entered a show and have no idea what to do!” With her kind and patient – I mean really patient – help, the boys are given a pedicure, are vetted, and halter-trained.

We were making progress, but… we didn’t have any way to get “the boys” to the show. Craigslist R Us! We bought a cheap, ancient, very ugly, but serviceable, two-horse trailer. Scrambling for money, we bought the trailer license plate two days before the show.

Early May. It rained and rained and rained the three days preceeding the show. It never occurred to me to lock the boys inside their shelter. On a Friday, we loaded three, black-mud-covered, wet-to-the-skin boys into our eyesore of a trailer. Having tried so hard, I was heartbroken loading those filthy boys.

First stop at the show grounds was the thing called a “color check.” Why? Isn’t the color on the registration form? I must have appeared to be a sad, lost soul.

Two show volunteers greeted me with warm reassurances. “It will be all right.” “Everything will be okay.”

Not able to afford a hotel, we drove home that evening. Arrived to an unbelievable paca-mess early Saturday morning. “The boys” had apparently had one heck of a party! There were paca beans flung over 10 feet from their pen in every direction. I cleaned up the party remains.

Time to give “the boys” some attention. After

© 2013 Grace Stach

© 2013 Grace Stach

© 2013 Grace Stach

continued on next page

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The boys, the boys, the boys We left the ring in complete shock.

Somehow, we had been given two blues, one red (to his brothers’ blues), and a purple! Later, Rick and I could only shake our heads, wondering how that had happened.

all, they had greeted my arrival with sweet hums. I touched “the boys” and promptly lost control of myself. I guess I had expected them to be dry. I cried and cried, could not stop crying as I wandered my way to the Saturday meeting. I will never forget how the same show volunteers that I met the day before, saw my face, and just hugged me. The most important thing that I got from the meeting was that the Suris did not show until Sunday. Maybe they would dry out after all!

“The boys” and I spent the day going on walkabout, and watching all the goings-on. During one walk-about, I thought I saw a Huacaya I had seen in an ad. I inquired; wrong animal, right farm. They mentioned that they were considering adding a Suri exhibit to their farm expo.

On Sunday, the boys were dry. Wonderful! Now what? A dear, kind alpaca owner showed me how to use the “nubby thing” to finish removing VM from the boys’ fleece.

Rick, “the boys,” and I stumbled through being judged. We left the ring in complete shock. Somehow, we had been given two blues, one red (to his brothers’ blues), and a purple! Later, Rick and I could only shake our heads wondering how that had happened.

Fleece Shows and More Adventures

A week and a half later, I got a call from the breeder about the black female alpaca I had purchased. “Grace, you have GOT to enter this black fleece in Nationals.”

I looked at the ceiling, knowing that I was so broke.

Further into hock I went; the entry had to be in that day. Somehow it got done. And, the black got a blue!

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After a lousy stand-up shearing job, I got the crazy idea to enter the fleeces in The Suri Network Fleece Show. The Suri Network needed a farm name on my entry. Thus, Angelfire Alpacas was born!

As I read the show site, a word stumped me: skirted. I had no clue what that meant. Off again to the feed store to talk to the llama lady. “Please help!

I’m desperate!” Once again, I heard those reassuring words from another wonderful camelid owner: “It will be okay.”

For two evenings, while I stood around looking pretty stupid, Tina and her recruit, a very experienced fleece artist, skirted three fleeces. Check this out: They did it out of the kindness of their hearts. It was taking a whole CITY, not just a village, to raise me!

The lessons continued. Subject: bags. Who ever heard of “special bags” to enter flber? After what I considered too much ado about nuthin (bags), fleeces went to Colorado.

Incredibly, unbelievably, “the boys” got a blue and pink in white, and the pattern got a second place.

The Triple Diamond Expo

In September 2012, I read the ad for Triple Diamond Alpaca Ranch’s Expo. Bold as brass, I asked the owner if I could exhibit “the boys” there. A ray of sunshine, Kathy, the owner said yes—I could bring my Suri boys to the Huacaya expo!

Problem – with “the boys” having been shorn, it would be difficult for people to see a real difference between a “stringy” and a “fuzzy.”

I had pictures blown up that had been taken the day before shearing. I also had the fleeces back from the Suri Network Show. It did not seem to be enough to exhibit. So, I called the Suri Network. They were wonderful! Suri Network provided Suri information pamphlets to hand out. Our “ain’t got a dime Suri exhibit” was now complete.

Ricky, “the boys,” and I set off for The Triple Diamond Farm. They had a 100-foot artisan vendor tent, business exhibits, photo booth, restaurant vendors, popcorn stand, ice cream vendor, live music, a bounce house, and electro-lights buzzing the grounds. There was something for old and young alike.

We set up about 100 feet from the main tent, near a beautiful Huacaya-filled paddock. The weather was

custom-ordered: blue skies, 78 degrees.

“The boys” live with Rick and me. They had no idea who small people (children) were.

It seemed like entire pre-elementary and elementary schools had been cut loose on “the boys” and their eyes were as large as saucers as the first onslaught approached.

I had one “boy” at a time on a lead to greet the children. No matter where little hands touched, pulled, patted, or ran into them, “the boys” were saints! I had kept looking to see where the REAL “boys” had gone. Of the 1500 visitors, at least 700 were children. The adult attendees’ interest was piqued when they realized that the boys they were petting were the same ones in the pictures. They succumbed to the “dreadlock spell.”

THEN, the fleece intrigued them. All Suri owners know the incredibly cool, silky feel of Suri. To watch the amazed faces, as visitors plunged their hands into the fiber bins, is a special thrill for me.

Ooohs and ahhhhs were heard every time.

A huge surprise to me was how receptive men were to the dreadlock spell. It was the men who inquired, “How fine is fine?” and “How does this compare to human hair?”

Four hours in, “the boys” gave me the “I’m exhausted” looks and hums. I told them that, for once, they were working. Like Olympic athletes, they forged on. Every attendee that we met was polite, well-behaved, and most importantly, smiling as they oohed and ahhhhed over the Suris. I can truly attest to the Suri spell in action!

Suris are for everyone.

Young, old, rich, not rich.

Spread the word! l

AUTHOR Denise “Grace” Stach, Angelfire Alpacas Denise “Grace” Stach and her partner, Rick, own Angelfire Alpacas in Michigan. An avid animal lover, Grace has spent a lifetime raising (and sometimes rescuing) a myriad of animals, including Arabian horses, hogs, goats, chickens, various show dogs, and camelids.

Suri alpacas are her favorite. She is devoted to learning Suri fiber arts, and improving her herd’s fiber statistics and show wins.

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by Deb Christner and Alvina Maynard 24 PURELYSURI

© 2013 North American Suri Co.

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Learn how to connect with businesses creating finished products.

When good ideas and motivated individuals collide, great things happen! The Suri Network (SN) Product Development Committee (PDC) is a group of Suri alpaca breeders and fiber enthusiasts who are committed to the development of a successful and sustainable U.S. Suri fiber industry. The first step in accomplishing this goal is to educate owners and breeders about both the raw commodity (fiber) and how the textile industry operates. The PDC has donated countless hours to share what they know by creating and facilitating seminars throughout the country at host farms that have a similar “share the knowledge” perspective. However, the success of the industry will rely on ALL owners and breeders to be informed on this information and working together in mutually supportive business plans. In order to reach the widest audience possible, the PDC wanted to create an affordable way to share this knowledge without being constrained by travel requirements. They came up with the great idea of developing a reasonably priced reference DVD so alpaca owners can learn how to profit from their fiber harvest by sending it to market.

A motivated new committee member, Alvina Maynard of River Hill Ranch, volunteered to spearhead the project.

The PDC wanted to put together a quality, professional product without draining the organization’s budget. Under the leadership of Debbie Christner, Committee Chairperson and owner of Akuna Matada Alpacas, the PDC began a fundraising campaign using the crowdfunding website Kickstarter. Within just 30 days, the campaign exceeded the funding goal by raising $10,346.

Initially, the concept was to put the in-residence Fiber Seminar on film. Donna Rudd, PDC member and owner of Suri Textiles, donated the instruction for the two-day seminar. This instruction covers the basics of Suri fiber characteristics, the value in evaluating your fleece (demonstrating sorting and grading), and how application of this knowledge impacts the quality of a finished garment.

The vision quickly grew into capturing the content of those lessons in action. Debbie was able to partner with Selle Design Group and Alpaca Culture to conduct several interviews at AOBA Nationals. Gary Truitt of Weather’d T Ranch discussed how to use histograms, skin biopsies, and classification to exponentially advance your herd. Tim Sheets, SN President and owner of Heritage Farm, and Dick Walker, SN Past President and owner of SuperSuris Alpacas, discussed the ins and outs as well as the future of EPDs in the Suri Herd Improvement Program (SHIP). © 2013 Little Gidding Farm

Grow this gorgeous fiber and turn it into money in the bank.

© 2013 Breezy Ridge Alpacas

Understand how to profit in the handcraft market while working to support an emerging commercial industry. continued on next page

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© 2013 Simply Natural Clothing

Grade 2 Suri knitwear breaking into New York Fashion.

Franc Winkley of First Cut Shearing agreed to lend his expertise as both a shearer and having worked with animals in film in his past profession. The film shows the preparation for shearing, shearing alpacas, skirting, sorting, and prepping the fleeces for processing. Diane Watson, PDC member and owner of Sweet Heart Suri Alpacas, drove over 13 hours at her own expense to volunteer her mentorship to Alvina through shearing day and sorting fleeces.

The film crew then headed to a fiber processing mill to see what happens next. Both New Era Fiber and Echoview Fiber Mill graciously donated hours of their time to tour their mills and explain how to overcome processing challenges. The film discusses the products that can be produced from the various grades of fiber and takes us through a mill while they process Suri fiber step by step.

An important aspect the PDC wanted to cover was the future potential of U.S. Suri alpaca in the fashion industry. Holly Henderson of Simply Natural Clothing provided an interview discussing her expanding 26 PURELYSURI

Exciting new products like this woven fabric can be very profitable, but require large quantities of fine, uniform fiber.

success in bringing 100% Suri alpaca to New York high-end fashion with computerized seamless designs. Product outlets for higher grade fiber (including your Grade 6 and ungraded) are highlighted as well.

Other topics intermingled throughout the video are brief segments that help guide folks through the ongoing management of their herd as it relates to growing fiber (including pasture management, nutrition, cria coats, feeders, etc.). It even includes a business planning segment to help individuals examine the right products and price points for their target market.

That is quite a list of topics to be sure! Given the magnitude of information, this DVD is a valuable reference tool for folks interested in making the most from their fiber harvest. It can guide owners throughout the year to make good choices when faced with breeding, feeding, shearing, and processing their fiber harvest. Imagine using this film on your farm with prospective or regular clients—you can stop and start the DVD to have discussions as well as show the specifics of your own animals’ fleeces. What a learn-

© 2013 New Era Fiber

Visit our website at www.surinetwork.org to order the DVD “Pasture to Process, Product to Profit: Getting the Most Out of Your Suri Alpaca Fiber”

Turn even your most coarse fiber into beautiful products.

ing experience by all and a value-added service to provide to your clients!

Given all the detail and volume of information, the hundreds of donated work hours, plus the critical timing that was required to set this project in motion and bring it to a positive conclusion, the Suri Network Board of Trustees owes a debt of gratitude to the Product Development Committee, chaired by Deb Christner, and especially to Alvina Maynard, Project Manager.

As a service to the SN membership, PDC members are available to discuss developing the fiber end of your business. Feel free to contact the members on this page for questions related to this project or your fiber. The PDC is currently seeking volunteers to assist in a number of projects to continue to propel the Suri alpaca fiber industry forward.

If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Debbie Christner. l AUTHORS Deb Christner Deb Christner and her husband, Doug, own Akuna Matada Alpacas. They raise Suris in the fertile North Fork Valley of western Colorado. Deb has taken numerous fiber classes through the University of North Carolina, along with grading and sorting classes. She is the chair for the Suri Network Product Development Committee. Deb is very involved with the Alpaca Breeders of the Western Slope, where she sets up shearing every year for over 25 ranches, consisting of 450-500 alpacas. Deb also sorts and grades Suri fiber for Liz Vahlkamp’s Company, NASCO. Alvina Maynard Alvina Maynard owns River Hill Ranch, a Suri alpaca breeding and fiber farm in Richmond, Kentucky. She was drawn to the unique, curious creatures and the challenge of helping establish the alpaca industry. Formerly a criminal and counterintelligence investigator for the U.S. Air Force, Alvina continues her service to the military as a Captain in the Air Force Reserves. She currently serves the Suri Network on the Product Development Committee.

Product Development Committee Chair: Debbie Christner, Akuna Matada, LLC 28444 Redlands Mesa Rd Hotchkiss, CO 81419 Phone: 970-872-4446 Email: akunamatada@tds.net Beth Brown, Odelia Farms 8349 Old Lebanon Troy Rd Troy, IL 62294 Phone: 618-667-0226 Email: BethBrown@charter.net Donna Rudd, Suri Textiles RR #3 Ponoka, AB CANADA T4J 1R3 Phone: 403-783-3292 Email: donna.rudd070@gmail.com Alvina Maynard, River Hill Ranch 680 River Hill Rd Richmond, Kentucky 40475 Phone: 859-408-5132 RiverHillRanch@rocketmail.com Susan Simonton, Little Gidding Farm Suri Alpacas 17585 Eagle Ave Lester Prairie, MN 55354 Phone: 320-224-4204 Email: lgfsuris@broadband-mn.com Diane Watson, Sweet Heart Suri Alpacas 4813 Church Street Conneaut, OH 44030 Phone: 440-224-1868 www.sweetsurialpacas.com Board Liaison: Kristie Smoker, Sweet Valley Suris 5701 Valley Glen Road Annville, PA 17003 Phone: 717-503-6168 www.surinetwork.org

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what is fibershed?

by Cindy Harris

T

There’s a new Fibershed in Southern California! We’re making a difference by locating and networking with as many local producers, processors, and promoters of natural fibers as we can, starting with the alpaca community. We raise Suri alpacas in Southern California, which may seem counter-intuitive to many Suri breeders, but they actually do quite well here. We have pasture on our 25 acres to keep the fleece in good condition, but even when we operated on dry lot, the Suris did well due to their slick fiber.

You may not be familiar with “fibershed.” That’s ok – neither was I. But now, fibershed is a concept that is near and dear to my heart. It represents all the fiber principles we were already practicing, but now we have a name for it, and a lot of new friends besides!

By definition, fibershed is a geographical area whose residents are bound together by the local natural fibers that they grow, dye, process,

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© 2013 Photos by Cindy Harris

ethnic foods. The fibershed movement supports similar practices by encouraging the growth of fibers that do well in any given climate to create regionally inspired clothing.

Why Fibershed?

buy, and wear, supporting the micro economy that these activities create.

The original Fibershed began in Northern California in 2010 as the brainchild of Rebecca Burgess. She had a vision for natural textiles that are grown, processed, marketed, bought, sold, and worn locally—a “bioregional supply chain” supporting communities that employ natural resources and textile arts to produce sustainable, recyclable clothing and other fiber products.

Rebecca modeled her concept after a “foodshed” (the region where food is produced and consumed), and a “watershed” (the area of land where all of the water that is under it or drains off of it goes into the same place), both of which emphasize the importance of being good stewards of local business and resources. Like a foodshed or a watershed, a fibershed is a geographic region where all the fiber, dye plants, and labor for garments can be sourced. Burgess believes that “fiber will follow food” into public awareness.

Fibershed closely parallels the Slow Food movement which has its beginnings as an alternative to fast food. An international movement, Slow Food encourages the preservation of ethnic and regional foods by farming plants, seeds, and livestock traditionally found in local ecosystems and turning them into traditional

Since clothing is one of the basics of life, it behooves us to find ways to grow and manufacture clothing that is friendly to our environment. Natural fibers derived from animals and plants are arguably the most viable fibers in the effort to establish eco-friendly textiles. They can be recycled in hundreds of ways, are biodegradable when they have outlived their use, and every region of the world has a local source of natural fiber.

Textiles are the #2 contributor to water pollution worldwide (Agriculture is #1). In the U.S., textile manufacturing has the fifth greatest carbon footprint.

Chemicals used to prep and dye fibers commercially have been found to contribute to many chronic illnesses, including cancer. Synthetic dye using heavy metals such as cobalt, chrome, copper, and nickel are toxic to the environment even when disposed of carefully.

In order to lower costs, most textile companies have outsourced their labor to countries where wages and conditions are unregulated, where quantity is more important that quality. Less than 5% of clothing sold in the U.S. is made here, and the majority of clothing contains at least some synthetic fibers.

While fibershed is about natural fibers and eco-friendly practices, it is not

continued on next page

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necessarily exclusively handmade and homeproduced. Fibershed supports green mills and commercial manufacturers in the processing of fiber in order to make the most of what we all produce. For instance, one of the deciding factors in defining the physical boundaries of the Gold Coast Fibershed was the desire to include the mini mills in the Southern California region.

Gold Coast Fibershed (GCF)

We began the Gold Coast Fibershed as an affiliate of Fibershed in Northern California.

Because a fibershed is ideally a self-contained region, we are not competitive with other fibersheds that form, and may act cooperatively.

We have grown into a bioregion of farmers, designers, artists, crafters, manufacturers, and interested individuals living in most of Southern California. The following counties are included: Fresno, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Los Angeles, Madera, Monterey, Orange, Riverside, San Benito, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Tulare, and Ventura.

We share the values involved in building a regional textile network dedicated to ecofriendly “Soil-to-Skin” materials and practices. We adhere to basic fibershed tenets: • Our resource base is located within a 250 mile radius of Alpacas at Windy Hill in Somis, California.

• Fibers and botanic dyes used in our products are grown in the region.

• Labor is sourced within the region.

• Until the region has complete local resources, GCF may verify goods from farmers that have been sent out for milling, as well as sewing thread and notions manufactured elsewhere.

Many arts and skills needed for this project are on the verge of extinction in our fastpaced society where the value of “process” is overlooked in the quest for “product,” and the electronic screen has replaced face-to-face interaction and mutual respect in the name of “more” instead of “better.” To address these 32 PURELYSURI

issues, GCF will offer classes and workshops designed to revive traditional fiber arts, including knitting, spinning, crochet, weaving, felting, and sewing.

These classes and workshops will encourage multigenerational learning and family activities, as well as teaching highly-focused skills To help establish the GCF micro economy, we are promoting fibershed festivals, fairs, and other educational and sales opportunities throughout the region.

Members of GCF are encouraged to host fibershed events in their local areas to increase public awareness of fibershed principles and promote the sale of goods, as well as seeking local venues for the sale of fibershed products.

What Are Our Goals for Suri Fiber?

At the national level, our Suri industry is in a stage of defining the role of Suri fiber in the U.S. textile industry. There are Suri “cottage” projects going on from coast to coast. Suri Network’s Product Development Committee has put together a dynamite video about all aspects of growing and processing Suri fiber.

Despite the recession, Suri numbers are increasing,

and are producing finer and more lustrous fiber every year.

While we are growing our industry, fibershed makes a great deal of sense for the luxurious Suri fiber we produce. As Suri breeders, we want to raise awareness about the wonders of Suri as the “ultimate” in natural fiber. Building local markets for fiber and products raises awareness of Suri farms in the area, which should lead to more Suri sales based on the bedrock of the end use. The more we promote the end use of Suri fiber, the more confidence we will engender in the minds of potential Suri buyers.

Fibershed as a Local Marketplace

Fibershed builds community among all proponents of natural fiber. It extends our marketing reach.

Fibershed encourages a collaborative business model, similar to the approach we already find among Suri breeders. A broader spectrum of the public is drawn to the overarching concepts of local, sustainable, renewable products than we might ever draw with our Suri breeding programs alone. continued on next page

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The marketing possibilities are almost endless with fibershed as a unifying body. Fibershed can offer many types of workshops and classes throughout the year, and members are encouraged to promote their own fibershed events. Buyers of products made according to approved guidelines can carry a fibershed tag made available to members. Fibershed brochures and flyers also guide the reader to the common website giving all members great marketing exposure.

The GCF is planning its premier event in November 2013 at Alpacas at Windy Hill. We will have exhibitors from all over Southern California with their fibers—alpacas, sheep, goats, rabbits, cotton, flax— and the products they make from them. This expanded number of participants mean that multiple marketing entities will be employed in an effort to draw visitors to the event. There will be displays and exhibits, fiber-related demonstrations, workshops, and products provided by a wide range of ranches, farms, mills, and individuals for the public to enjoy. And each and every one of those visitors will find their way to Alpacas at Windy Hill, and we imagine that many of them will fall in love with our Suris as well as the fleece they produce. It is a wonderful way to increase traffic through our farm.

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Start a Fibershed in Your Region • The process of starting a local fibershed is simple and can reap great rewards for your business and for natural fibers in your area.

• Decide on a project that suits your region. Perhaps a project to create a local wardrobe, or create a local marketplace for natural fibers. There are as many ideas as there are minds to conceive of them.

• Define a specific geographical area that encompasses growers and processors, with the potential to source all labor and materials locally.

• Structure your organization to meet the needs of the project such as an association, a 501c3, or a corporation.

• Maintain the ideals of fibershed in all phases of your project.

• Enlist the membership and efforts of local fiber enthusiasts on all levels.

• Coop your marketing efforts for education, workshops, sales opportunities, and community fairs.

• Fibershed builds community by working together to support local fiber businesses. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to bring more of the manufacturing of our clothing home in an eco-friendly manner?

If fibershed can become a global concept in our industry, all fiber would be: • renewable • sustainable • natural • organic • local Fiber would be powered by: • solar • wind • water It would be made to: • last • recycle • replenish the micro-economy of a defined bioregion.

As Suri breeders, we can do our part to promote this timely movement that will pay big dividends in the suri industry, in the alpaca industry in general, and in the quality of our lives in the fragile ecosystems of our planet.

For more information about the Gold Coast Fibershed, see www.alpacalink.com/GFC For articles chronicling the beginnings of Fibershed in Northern California, here are some links: • www.slowfashioned.com/archives/7880 • www.etsy.com/blog/en/2011/grow-your-ownclothes-the-fibershed-project/?ref=fp_blog_title • ucanr.edu/sites/Grown_in_Marin/Grown_In_ Marin_News/GIM_News_Spring_2013_601/ Fibershed_aims_to_increase_income_for_fiber_ farmers_and_ranchers/ l

AUTHOR Cindy Harris Cindy Harris and her husband, Doug Fieg, own and operate Alpacas at Windy Hill, a 25-acre Suri breeding ranch in Southern California she began in 2000. They raise champion Suri alpacas, board over 100 alpacas for other breeders, and specialize in education for new and experienced breeders in all aspects of husbandry and fleece production. Windy Hill is also home to the newly organized Gold Coast Fibershed.

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The Suri Alpaca:

Beauty That Needs No Enhancement

I

by Cindy Harris

Introduction

I once asked pioneer Suri breeder Andy Tillman why he chose to raise Suris. I expected an answer about economic advantage or niche marketing. Instead he looked me directly in the eye and replied, “For Art.” I’ve never forgotten that. In retrospect, that may be the main reason any of us raise Suris – for Art... for Beauty... for that breathless moment when an almost-two-year-old Suri crossed the show ring, locks swinging and glittering like a movie star, stepping out onto the red carpet into flashing lights at the Oscars. Visual Poetry.

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© 2013 Amber Isaac

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But what about now, in post-recession 2013?

While we may still hold that vision of loveliness in our mind’s eye, there is increasing controversy over the definition of what a “good” Suri is. Is the Show System sufficient to define a good Suri? Are Expected Progeny Differences (EPDs) and histograms the answer? Will there be a commercial use for U.S. Suri fleece, or will it remain confined to the cottage and craft markets? What is “good” Suri? Opinions are many, and agreement is elusive.

One of the major available sources of validation in defining “good” is the Alpaca Owners and Breeders Associations (AOBA) Show System. The AOBA show system even gives limited recognition to the Breed Standard created by the Suri Network. The Judges’ Training and Certification Committee (JTCC) has adopted an Emphasis Guide for training new judges in which traits are prioritized as they affect judging shows. continued on next page

© 2013 Kim Taha

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© 2013 Randy Coleman

Fleece in its natural state, no enhancement.

What Do the Rules Say? Suri locks after ‘stripping

Winning in the show ring provides the owner with far-reaching marketing opportunities, often resulting in sales of alpacas and breedings. The show system goes a long way toward shaping the direction the industry takes by rewarding certain traits, and providing an opportunity for breeders to measure how their breeding programs compare to one another. Competition becomes tougher with each passing year, and it is in that competition we find a growing division.

The drive to win has led humankind to take unfair advantage of competitors from time immemorial, and the alpaca industry is no exception. In the Suri ring, fleece enhancement is the unfair advantage of choice.

The Show Rules Committee has put rules in place to govern this issue, but just as in any other area of human endeavor, there are those who seek to bypass the rules to put themselves ahead.

Section 5 of the Show Rules Book says: “Alpaca fleece should be shown in a naturally clean pasture condition with as little disruption to the fleece architecture as possible.”

It’s simple, really. If the judge is to be able to determine the true quality of a Suri, he or she must see the fleece in its natural, unadulterated state. In most cases, alpacas compete at shows in their geographical and climatic region, so environmental influences on the fleece are somewhat similar. This factor changes as breeders travel farther afield to compete in larger shows, requiring that judging become even more discerning.

What do the rules allow for in preparing an alpaca’s fleece for a show?

• Grooming shall be limited to the removal of vegetable matter and dung.

• Superficial (outside of the fleece) rinsing with water to eliminate residue is allowed.

That’s it. Period.

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© 2013 Cindy Harris

Yearling showing in 2nd fleece, no enhancement

Next we see what is not allowed. It is a much longer list and reveals the aberrations of the rules that are seen in competition: • Chemical cosmetic enhancements; shampoos, conditioners, luster enhancers, silicone-based products, dyes, color dressings, oil dressings, any enhancing agent, and toenail painting; • Artificial enhancement or alteration of an alpaca to gain advantage in the show ring; • Twisting, curling, or other enhancing practices (i.e., the removal/stripping of matted, cotted, felted, dead fiber) that will alter or enhance the fleece/lock structure in any way.

There are also some gray areas that are not directly addressed in the show rules, but certainly affect the outcome in the ring, and can affect the health and mental state of the alpaca: confining show animals in a barn or in closed stalls with an unnatural flooring, free of debris, away from wind and weather, to avoid any outside influence on the fleece; subjecting Suris to daily picking and “cleaning” of the fleece, spraying with hoses or spray bottles, and manipulations of the locks to maintain independence – a trait that is the subject of much abuse.

The rules concerning fiber enhancement, for the most part, rely on the “honor system” for compliance. Exhibitors are asked to sign a form as part of their registration packet stating that their alpacas are free of any grooming, trimming, or other violations of the show rules. The job of further enforcement of the rules governing enhancement falls on the judge.

Judges have been trained to detect evidence of these violations. The show rules state: • The use of any shampoos, conditioners, luster enhancers, silicone based products, dyes, color dressings, oil dressings, and any enhancing agent shall be basis for reduced placement or disqualification by the Judge.

Judges, however, often feel that it should not be their job to “police” enhancement due to the lack of a reliable method of definitive proof. They make strong statements at the beginning of the show, then proceed to judge the show “as is.” The lack of enforcement emboldens those who enhance their fleeces, and so it goes.

Why the Perceived Need for Enhancement?

Alpacas are animals. They live outside, they roll in dirt, the wind blows their fiber around, they sleep on their fiber, they sweat because the fiber is really warm, and if the fleece has a fine micron, it mats. Over time Suri fleece can be a real mess. We once had a juvenile female with an AFD of 13. Her fleece was felted right on her body by the time she was five months old! Pastures are full of booby-traps: dirt, dust bowls, burrs, mud, high winds, desert conditions, and ponds. None of these things are conducive to clean, pristine fleece.

The show ring rewards an ideal: independence of lock, good organization throughout the blanket, luster from the skin to the tip, a fleece that “breaks open cleanly,” solidity of lock, a lack of cross-fibers. While there are some Suris who exhibit these traits naturally, they are the exception to the rule. The vast majority of Suri fleeces get to the mill in reasonable condition continued on next page

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© 2013 Cindy Harris

Suris in natural condition on their way to a show.

to be processed, but not many make it to a show in ideal condition without artificial enhancement.

What Is the Point?

So, what are we trying to accomplish as a Suri industry? What is the point of raising Suris? If we as a livestock industry can come to consensus on this question, it will guide our future. Here are some things that we hear spoken of at Suri gatherings: • Improvement of the national herd • Creation of a viable fleece market for Suri fiber • Increase the number of Suri sales and Suri breeders • Increase the Suri presence at shows across the country • Promote Suri breeding as a lifestyle that enjoys interacting with beautiful animals

These are wildly different goals, each of which would lead to wildly different conclusions about enhancement. Let’s look at each one.

How Does Enhancement Affect the Future of Suris in the U.S.?

Keeping in mind our five industry goals listed above, let’s evaluate the long-range effect of grooming and enhancement on those desired outcomes.

Improvement of the national herd If this is the goal, then, clearly, enhancement is a bad thing. Enhancement skews the value of individual Suris that will be sold as breeding stock. It makes them appear to be something they are not. Ribbons continued on page 42

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public feels that they cannot tell what a “good” Suri is, or that cheating is so rampant that they cannot trust what they see, they will not buy Suris. Many huacaya breeders can be heard to say that they like the look of Suris, but that they are too “complicated,” “too much work,” and “too hard to maintain.” The perception is that grooming is necessary to compete successfully, and they do not want to do it.

© 2013 Cindy Harris

Fresh from the pasture, on the way to shearing

are won on false pretenses, and when the new owner inserts that alpaca into their breeding program, they are unable to achieve the improvements they hoped for when they purchased the alpaca.

Enhancement cannot influence all of the traits the rules point to as deserving emphasis, but they can influence luster, hand, lock style, and independence, and an illusion of fineness and consistency through chemicals and lock manipulation. What you see is not necessarily what you get. When these show winners are bred extensively based on their show reputation, they have the ability to downgrade the whole Suri population.

Increase the number of Suri sales and Suri breeders Whereas enhancing in the show ring can trigger sales for the breeders engaging in this practice, the overall effect of enhancing discourages many “newbies” from choosing Suris over huacayas. The problem is, if the

Increase the Suri presence at shows across the country Due to the controversy over grooming and enhancement, many Suri breeders have stopped showing, even before the onset of the recession. Alpacas at Windy Hill began an organization several years ago called “Naturally Suri” in an attempt to combat the issue through positive reinforcement. Our members wrote opinions which we published on the Naturally Suri website and forwarded to the Show Rules Committee.

There is a strong public sentiment against cheating in the Suri ring among Suri breeders. Many of those people have stopped showing altogether because of discouragement in the face of continued grooming.

Because they chose to follow the rules, they felt that they were being unfairly discriminated against when groomed and manipulated Suris continued to win.

The Suri presence at shows has continued to fall, resulting in most small shows having an overabundance of single-entry Suri classes and no championships.

Creation of a viable fleece market for Suri fiber In order to have a viable fleece market, there needs to be consensus on what is “good” Suri fleece. Fineness, consistency of micron and length, good tensile strength (often sacrificed in two-year fleeces), high natural luster and smooth handle, and a lock style that does not tear in the equipment are at odds with what is rewarded at a show, and masked by enhancement. If show winning fleeces and what is needed in the mills continue to conflict, there will be a derth of Suri fleeces to be processed. Every year that passes without reaching consensus on what we need to be breeding as

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Unenhanced 7th fleece

an industry is one year further from having a national product that makes Suri a viable breeding investment.

Promote the Suri breeding as a lifestyle that enjoys interacting with beautiful animals This is the only goal that seems to be served by the practice of enhancement. Let’s face it: An enhanced Suri is a beautiful thing to behold. Suris catch the eye of interested individuals. “You mean, I can raise these beautiful animals?” When the most breathtaking Suri wins the prize based on the aesthetics that are more typical of dog shows than livestock shows, it creates an attractive draw to new breeders. And, if those breeders are dedicated enough to work hard on their enhancement chores, they will have a rewarding experience with Suris and will have no trouble selling to like-minded individuals. Certainly, there are many alpaca breeders who promote alpaca breeding as a

© 2013 Cindy Harris

lifestyle market, and not one that will ever seriously compete in the world market for alpaca fiber sales.

Whereas this approach worked quite well when the economy was good, it had no staying power once the recession hit the US. When money is tight, the number of people who can devote the manpower to enhance Suris decreases. Furthermore, hard economic times make it difficult for people to see the wisdom of investing in alpacas purely for the fun of winning at a show, if there is no actual sellable product in demand by the mills at the end of the process.

How Do We Determine What is “Good”?

Up to now, the Suri side of the alpaca industry has relied heavily on the Show System to determine the value of a Suri. There are fiber artists who have followed their own beliefs about what is good, which usually continued on next page

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Naturally independent locks in a 2nd fleece--no enhancement needed

do not match up the shows. After we reach consensus on what is “good” Suri, we also need objective data to evaluate the national Suri herd. There are many tools available now to begin this process: • Histograms (long ignored by Suri breeders) • Pedigree • Expected Progeny Differences (EPDs) • Skin biopsies to identify density as well as several other traits that contribute to fleece that is ideal for processing • Classification of a wide variety of traits by industry experts who are not involved in selling or showing Suris ARI has made great strides in its EPD program in the last couple of years. It is refreshing to have hard data being made public by the registry. The Suri Network is in the process of developing its own EPD program, called the Suri Herd Improvement Program (SHIP). SHIP plans to incorporate more traits than are presently available through ARI through unbiased herd classifications in accordance with the Suri Breed Standard. The Breed Standard gives Suri breeders a measuring stick that is concrete and outside of the comparative method of judging used in the show system. These are all pieces of the puzzle.

© 2013 Linda Kondris

A Tale of Two Suris

Julienne Gelber – Australian judge, long-time breeder of merino sheep and Suri alpacas, and a pioneer in the field of manufacturing Suri fabric for international markets – gave me a tour of Bumble Hill, her alpaca farm in Australia. Her hospitality extended to lessons in fleece characteristics. She showed me an example of the exquisite Suri fleece she was breeding for commercial sale, then commented: “Every now and then we have a cria born with those glorious twisted, ropey locks, and I shake my head and say ‘Oh well... put him in the show string.’”

The South Americans keep a few magnificent, non-breeding Suris with fleece that reaches the ground and are breath-taking, while their fleece herds are elsewhere. The “Wasi” holds a special place in their culture – an alpaca they raise for exhibition, and celebrate as the spiritual guardian of the herd. Most alpacas are shorn every year, producing a product that is in demand around the world.

Do we want a divided industry in the United States? Can we afford to divide our resources when we have such a relatively small number of Suris in the world? Or perhaps we can unite in our love of both kinds of beauty...

Imagine a Suri industry that produces the maxi-

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mum possible amount of the finest, most luxurious Suri fleece, while attracting new buyers and breeders through the exhibition of the magic of the twoyear Suri fleece. Can we narrow the ever-widening gap between the two approaches? Can we meet in the middle, complementing each other rather than dividing further?

The Judges Training and Certification Committee teaches new judge candidates to value alpacas with the following priorities: 1. Form and Function of Conformation 2. Textile Value of the Fleece 3. Heritability of the traits involved in each The textile value of the fleece is incompatible with the enhanced and managed fleeces we see in the ring.

There is a veneer “painted” over the top of the fleece and a desire to present a “perfect” phenotype to the public, even though that “perfect” appearance fades quickly when the Suri is returned to normal life in the pasture. Like the supermodel who subsists on watercress and butterfly wings in order to present a certain image in public, Suri breeders in search of the “perfect look” may dress their animals in silicon, mink oil, lock manipulation, and unnatural living conditions to create an animal that does not exist under normal conditions.

When it comes to the livestock goals of the Suri industry, it’s time for the “real” Suri to show up in fair competition. No more guilt or hard-hearted denial about what we do to make our alpacas competitive.

No more discouragement after a show where we are trounced by someone using grooming to gain an advantage. No more deception of buyers, selling them an alpaca that cannot replicate itself in a breeding program. Just Suris in “naturally clean pasture condition” competing on a level field so that the winner truly is the best we can breed, rather than the best we can groom.

When it comes to the “art” of Suri alpacas that Andy Tillman spoke of so long ago, there is still room for the magic of the Wasi, an exhibition of what the full-fleeced Suri can look like in all its glory, enhanced to create all the sparkle and flow that a Suri is capable of. We can have Art and Fleece.

The future lies in sound breeding practices informed by hard data and ruthless evaluation, producing both the quality and quantity of Suri fleece

© 2013 Linda Kondris

The ‘Wasi’ in South America is a gelded male kept in full fleece to embody the spirit of the Suri alpaca. He is not shown but serves as an inspiration to the viewer.

necessary to put the U.S. Suri market on the international map. Those who want to compete in something economically meaningful for the long haul need to create the ideal Suri fleece and make the U.S. a major power in international fiber production. It is within our grasp, but we have to want it badly enough to drop our pretenses and facades, shake hands, and become a united Suri industry. l

AUTHOR Cindy Harris Cindy Harris and her husband, Doug Fieg, own and operate Alpacas at Windy Hill, a 25-acre Suri breeding ranch in Southern California she began in 2000. They raise champion Suri alpacas, board over 100 alpacas for other breeders, and specialize in education for new and experienced breeders in all aspects of husbandry and fleece production. Windy Hill is also home to the newly organized Gold Coast Fibershed.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz www.surinetwork.org 45

Silky Suri Tunisian Crochet Baby Afghan

M

by Cindy Harris

My first grandbaby is due soon, and I’m so excited!

Knitting and I have never come to a meeting of the minds, but I love to crochet and have recently learned the Tunisian simple stitch. I was delighted by the thick, knit-like pattern it creates, so I set out to make a Baby Afghan with some super-silky 100% baby Suri yarn I had. I’ve also been experimenting with dyes, so it was a natural to want to dye this afghan with fun colors. With a bit of trepidation, since I’ve not done this before, I decided to share this pattern with you, the PurelySuri readership. I hope you find it easy and fun.

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Materials: Medium weight light fawn baby Suri yarn Tunisian crochet hook, size K Regular crochet hook, size K Large-eyed embroidery needle Food coloring, vinegar and water Stitches: Tunisian Simple Stitch Single Crochet Slip stitch Chain

© 2013 Photos by Cindy Harris

Pattern:

1. Start with a slip knot on the end of your Tunisian hook. Chain 13, counting the stitch on your hook as 1, making 14 in all. This was the size I chose to make. Yours might be larger or smaller, depending on your needs.

2. Putting your hook through the 1st chain next to the hook, pull a loop through, leaving the stitch on your hook. Continue going through each stitch and pulling a loop through until the hook has all the stitches on it, almost like a knitting needle (this is why you need the long-handled afghan hook).

3. Without turning your work, pull a loop through the last stitch.

4. Now pull a loop through 2 stitches, and continue pulling a loop through 2 stitches all the way back to the beginning. You should now have only 1 loop on your hook. This completes the 1st row. Each Tunisian row has 2 steps.

5. To begin the 2nd row, put your hook through the first vertical bar and pull a loop through.

Continue to the end of the row. When you get to the last bar, put your hook through 2 strands instead of only one, then pull your loop through.

6. To begin your journey back to the other end, pull a loop through 1 stitch only, then pull a loop through 2 stitches back to the beginning. This return stitch is the same in all Tunisian crochet stitches. continued on next page

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10. Arrange the squares next to each other, and using the embroidery needle, sew together 2 sets of 3 squares, then join the 2 sets together. Leave a 4-inch tail when you finish sewing each section.

7. Continue making rows in like manner until you have a square. You can test to see if your piece is a square by folding it diagonally. If all the sides line up to make a right triangle, you have a square! Fasten off, leaving a 4-inch tail. Make as many squares as you need for your afghan. I chose to make 6 since mine was designed to be baby-size.

8. At this time, prepare your dyes if you decide to use them. This pattern looks equally lovely in natural colors. I chose to use dye because I wanted it to be colorful for my new granddaughter. I used food coloring because it was easy, as well as non-toxic for the baby. Dyeing at this stage also allows you to block the squares. I found good dye instructions for food coloring here: www.dyeyouryarn.com.

9. Using a slip stitch, join the contrasting yarn to one corner of the 1st square. Single crochet (sc) in each stitch along the first side. When you come to the corner, sc, chain (ch) 1, sc in that corner stitch to create a square corner. Continue in like manner around the square at least twice— more if you like—and fasten off, leaving a 4-inch tail. Do the same with each square.

11. At 1 corner of the large rectangle formed by the squares, join the contrasting yarn (leaving a 4-inch tail) and single crochet in each stitch around the edge. Slip stitch in your original stitch. Chain 1. In the same corner stitch, sc, ch 1, sc to create a square corner.

12. Edge-stitch: Starting in the 1st stitch after the corner, sc-chain 1 (skipping the stitch under the chain)-sc. Continue for the remainder of the edging, alternating sc and ch 1, skipping the stitch under the chain, and making square corners as described above. You may choose to do more than the 2 rows of edging that I did. At the end, leave a 4-inch tail of yarn.

Finishing: Using the embroidery needle, work each tail of yarn into the surrounding stitches to make them inconspicuous. Trim any tips.

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Hand wash your afghan in cool water and simple shampoo, being careful to squeeze-not-wring with no agitation.

Lay flat to dry, blocking the corners and edges to make them uniform.

Optional: I am still debating whether to attempt a simple (I’m really into simple!) cross-stitch on the squares. The Tunisian pattern makes that an inviting idea. Please let me know how you did, and post your results on the Suri Network Members Group on Facebook so we can all enjoy them! https://www.facebook. com/groups/surinetwork/ (If you haven’t joined the FB group, just send a request and we’ll get you signed up). l AUTHOR Cindy Harris Cindy Harris and her husband, Doug Fieg, own and operate Alpacas at Windy Hill, a 25-acre Suri breeding ranch in Southern California she began in 2000. They raise champion Suri alpacas, board over 100 alpacas for other breeders, and specialize in education for new and experienced breeders in all aspects of husbandry and fleece production. Windy Hill is also home to the newly organized Gold Coast Fibershed.

Visit our website for more great patterns for sale:

www.surinetwork.org/knitting_patterns.aspx

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The Nunoa Project: Update July 2013

by Stephen R. Purdy, DVM

I

The Nunoa Project is a non-profit organization with alpaca teaching and research programs in the U.S. and Peru. Both the North American and South American projects are funded solely by private donations from U.S. alpaca farmers.

In the U.S. we provide courses for undergraduate students in Camelid Management and Alpaca and Donkey Reproduction. We maintain a teaching and research herd of 20 alpacas and 6 donkeys. Students are also able to gain experience in laboratory and field investigation techniques and problem solving while being involved in practical research programs in reproduction and infectious diseases. Many students take advantage of these programs during their undergraduate years before veterinary school. They become the camelid veterinarians and researchers for U.S. alpaca farmers.

The North American Camelid Studies Program provides intensive camelid practice courses for veterinarians and veterinary students at multiple times during the year in the U.S. Nunoa Project veterinarians and students also work in Peru in July and during the breeding season from January through April to help improve alpaca production in the Nunoa district in the southern Peruvian altiplano.

There are approximately 145,000 alpacas in the Nunoa District in the southern Peruvian highlands.

Most of the farmers are living under extreme eco-

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Nunoa farmers herd animals into a corral for ultrasound examination for pregnancy in July 2013.

nomic hardship with alpaca fiber and meat as their only cash crop. It is our hope that the project we have started will spread throughout the district as farmers see the positive results in animal production. It is based on improved breeding management, including record keeping, critical evaluation of breeding animals, and an introduction of superior genetics into breeding herds. These are the same goals of farmers everywhere. Economic hardship has prevented this from happening in most herds in Nunoa in the past.

The farmers and local workers are always interested in learning more to help improve production as they depend on alpaca fiber and meat production for their livelihood.

The Nunoa Project veterinary team spent 2 weeks working in Peru in July 2013. The people involved included 3 veterinary students: Jett Eder and Kimberly Hoefert from Kansas State University, and Yvette Chretien from Ohio State University (also a former student in the North American Camelid Studies Program). Nunoa Project pre-vet student Christina Baker (who spent 4 months working with alpaca farmers in the beginning of 2013) also returned to see firsthand the results of her work with improving pregnancy rates in local herds. The team was led by Nunoa Project veterinarians Steve Purdy from the U.S. and

Three generations of a Nunoa Alpaca herding family working with Dr. Steve Purdy and Dr. Gisela Marcoppido from the Nunoa Project.

Gisela Marcoppido from Argentina. Dr. Purdy and Dr. Marcoppido take part in each work trip in Nunoa.

The Nunoa Project Alpaca Herd Improvement Project is a collaboration with local veterinarians and technicians from the Proyecto Alpacas Nunoa (PAN).

Together we held two seminars while in Nunoa: one on alpaca health and breeding with the local farmers which attracted 60 attendees, and another with the PAN workers on alpaca semen evaluation. The farmers and local workers are always interested in learn-

ing more to help improve production as they depend on alpaca fiber and meat production for their livelihood. We distributed our partner CONOPA’s (www. conopa.org) alpaca adult and cria health manuals to all attendees.

In the 2013 breeding season, 10 groups of farmers and 200 females used 10 of our Nunoa Project breeding males. For the 2014 breeding season (January through March), one more farmer has been added and 290 females will be involved in the program with all 14 superior males. We performed pregnancy ultrasound examinations in July on all of the herd improvement project females. The positive results of the program were obvious as pregnancy rates in these females were increased from the typical 30 to 50% in Peruvian herds to 65 to 90% (average of 79.5%).

Extending the male exposure to a full 90 days in all groups in 2014 should increase those percentages even more. The crias produced from these breedings to superior males become the breeding stock for the farmers. Females are usually started into breeding at 2 years of age and males at 3 years of age. The cria group born in 2013 from the first Nunoa Project males introduced in 2012 was excellent. These animals exhibit uniform distribution of superior fiber throughout the blanket which will result in increased quality and quantity of fiber, and thus more income for the farm families. Female production is also being monitored and those animals which are unable to produce a cria after two breeding seasons will be removed from the select breeding herd.

We implemented programs in reproduction management and record keeping with these farmers as none existed at the start of the project. This is not because of a lack of desire to improve but more due to a lack of money to upgrade the herd genetics by introducing new males and to purchase identification tags.

Most farmers in the area and all of those involved in our project do not keep track of breeding success with males or females. Everyday life there is very difficult for farmers and their families with marginal nutrition, continued on next page

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Nunoa Project Macho Number

Macho Age (years)

Number of Days Exposed to Hembras

Number of Hembras in Group

Pregnancy Rate (%)

5

2-3

60

24

67

12

4

90

20

65

13

2-5

77

20

70

8

2-3

64

19

79

11

4

78

20

80

9

2-3

62

19

84

3 and 4

6 and 6

90

40

85

10 and 14

4 and 4

90

40

90

1

6

Not used in 2013

2

6

Not used in 2013

6

2-3

Not used in 2013

7

2-3

Not used in 2013

Pregnancy data for 2013 breedings with Nunoa Project males.

medicine, and shelter for the people, and they do not have the resources or incentive like farmers in some other parts of the world.

In 2014, we will have a Peruvian veterinarian supervising the team of U.S. and Peruvian students working in Nunoa during the breeding season. Our collaborators from CONOPA in Peru select the Peruvian members of the team. We will continue to work with the local PAN team, and identification tags for all 2014 crias will be provided to participating farmers.

Some farmers are interested in a workshop on post breeding semen evaluation and it will be held in January 2014 with actively breeding males and females.

The techniques we use in Peru are those we developed in the U.S. in our North American Camelid Studies Program. Post breeding samples are collected from the vagina of the females immediately after the male dismounts. The samples are evaluated for semen color and viscosity, and sperm concentration, activity, percentage live, and morphology. This is done in the field just as we do in our teaching and research herd and in local breeding herd studies in the U.S. It will also be introduced in Argentina by Dr. Marcoppido in 2014. This allows farmers to quickly determine if their males are producing adequate sperm during the breeding season to maximize pregnancy rates. Males may need to be rested to allow for sperm reserves to be replenished before resuming breeding. If males are overloaded with too many females in too short a time period (some farmers in Nunoa were using 1 male to 80 to 100 females for only 2 months), then low preg52 PURELYSURI

U.S. veterinary students Kimberly Hoefert and Yvette Chretien examine one of the Nunoa Project’s breeding males.

nancy rates and low cria production are the result.

Here are some observations from our work in the U.S. and Peru which have applicability to the rest of the world as well: 1. When 2 males are put in a small corral with 40 females to breed, they concentrate on fighting instead of breeding.

2. If they are on pasture with the same number of females with more breeding space, this decreases.

3. If males have large numbers of females to breed, then there is less fighting.

4. Males will breed the same female repeatedly in one day in a corral.

5. Semen evaluations performed over 2 days (6 breedings) with one male with 20 females re-

vealed no sperm in any post breeding samples.

This might have worked out over the 3 months breeding season since when all of the receptive females are bred, the male gets a forced rest to enable sperm reserves to replenish. Four days of sexual rest corrected the problem, as sperm were found from the first and second breedings after that time period.

6. Some males are more aggressive towards breeding females when moved to a small corral than they are on pasture.

7. Breeding occurs both during the day and after dark if males and females are housed together.

8. To improve reproductive management: a. Use animal identification tags and evaluate production records. b. Cull or remove low fertility animals to fiber or meat herds. c. Sell poor wool animals for meat. d. Decrease female/male ratio to 30:1 maximum to increase pregnancy rates. e. Perform semen evaluations, watch for repeat breeding, and perform pregnancy ultrasounds to make sure males are effective.

9. Superior males improve herd production; new males should be introduced based on fertility and cria production results.

10. Low fertility males and females should not be bred; they lower herd production and may pass on this bad characteristic in their offspring.

11. Males and females with low disease resistance should not be used as breeding animals.

12. Overcrowding leads to increased disease, increased mortality, and low production in a herd.

13. Overuse of drugs quickly leads to emergence of drug-resistant GI and skin parasites.

14. Management of parasites is the best practice, not attempts to eliminate them which will only serve to worsen the problem.

Economic support for our work in Peru and the U.S. comes from a few U.S. alpaca farmers. We need to expand our financial support to be able to continue these important programs which benefit students and farmers in both countries. Many U.S. veterinary students and pre-vet students have been positively affected by education programs and working in both the U.S. and Peru. Our expansion into working with

U.S. veterinary students Kimberly Hoefert and Yvette Chretien examine one of the Nunoa Project’s breeding males.

Peruvian veterinarians and students started in 2013 and will continue in 2014. We are in need of increased funding to continue this important work. We are getting ready for another academic semester of courses and are continuing research in the U.S. We are in need of funding for the U.S. teaching herd and academic and research programs and for the 2014 work in Peru. Please see our website at www.nunoaproject. org and consider making a tax-deductible contribution now. You may contact the Nunoa Project at any time through Dr. Steve Purdy at srpurdy@nunoa project.org. l

Future herd sire: one of the outstanding male crias produced in 2013 from breeding with Nunoa Project males in 2012.

AUTHOR Stephen R. Purdy, DVM Dr. Purdy is a veterinarian and associate professor in the Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He specializes in large animal veterinary medicine, with an emphasis on alpacas, donkeys, horses, and llamas. Dr. Purdy is President of the Nunoa Project in Peru, a non-profit humanitarian organization that helps children and animals. He graduated with a B.S. degree from the U.S. Naval Academy and received his DVM at Cornell University. He is also a Stemtech scientific advisor for clinical studies on animals.

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Nunoa Project Works Directly with Alpaca Farmers in Peru

by Stephen R. Purdy, DVM

T

The Nunoa Project was developed by a group of alpaca owners, veterinarians, anthropologists, and others connected with alpacas who saw a need to help the alpaca farmers in Peru. The support we give is to establish sustainable programs in farming communities in the southern altiplano where alpaca farming is the primary way of life. Over the past 5 years we have been working with local farmers and the local government to identify the needs of the farmers, and to determine how we can help them meet those needs.

A few of our pilot programs have been adopted by the local government and others are in progress. After we introduced and used a Peruvian vaccine to eradicate cria deaths from enterotoxemia on one farm in the Nunoa district, the municipality started a widespread vaccination program for farmers there. We identified the need for farmers there to introduce new genetics to improve wool and meat production. They do not have the financial resources to purchase outside males, and the males they have in use are overworked resulting in 56 PURELYSURI

low pregnancy rates of 30 to 40%. We purchased 14 superior males locally and are loaning them to farmers for the current breeding season. A pilot project on one farm increased the pregnancy rate from 35 to 95% in 2012. The goal to develop a select herd of breeding animals from these males which will then be selected for use in the farmers’ herds when males reach 3 years of age and females reach 2 years of age. If birthing rates are increased, then farmers will have more animals from which to select breeding stock and they can sell more poor producing animals for meat.

Another critical need is to teach farmers to track animal production using identification and recordkeeping systems. These are currently not being used on the great majority of farms due to costs and illiteracy. We are working with the local government to get these systems in place and currently provide ongoing training in animal selection and breeding management.

We have a veterinary team of two American and

We feel that this work is vital to the financial prospects for Peruvian farmers and also feel strongly that North American farmers should give financial support to improving the lives of Peruvian farmers and their families for the gift of having these beautiful animals here. Please consider a tax-deductible contribution to Nunoa Project. Please contact Dr. Steve Purdy at srpurdy@nunoaproject.org to discuss any aspect of your interest in helping.

Your financial contribution will make a difference!

two Peruvian students working directly with Nunoa farmers. The progress is steady in Peru. Many people want to take part but their difficult way of life gets in the way at times. Families suffer from poor diet, inconsistent crops, and sporadic income from wool and meat sales. The team has already made a huge impact in Nunoa this year. Other projects include observing breeding behavior and collecting semen samples for analysis. So far they show a variety of male behaviors in herd breeding situations and also variation in semen analyses among males and sequentially in those males.

Other current projects include identifying causes of cria mortality in conjunction with CONOPA (www. conopa.org) in Lima, Peru. The goal is to minimize cria deaths. CONOPA is working on a pneumonia vaccine at the present time. The data the students are collecting will be used to identify the causative organisms so that the vaccine components will be determined and a vaccine can be put into use. Other current projects include a cria growth rate study and a gastrointestinal parasite study. It is particularly noteworthy that Peruvian veterinary students are involved and we look forward to continued collaboration with Peruvian veterinarians and researchers. We hope to be able to fund exchange programs for them to receive training with us in the U.S. soon. l

Become a Proud Supporter of Nunoa Project Peru today!

AUTHOR Stephen R. Purdy, DVM Dr. Purdy is a veterinarian and associate professor in the Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He specializes in large animal veterinary medicine, with an emphasis on alpacas, donkeys, horses, and llamas. Dr. Purdy is President of the Nunoa Project in Peru, a non-profit humanitarian organization that helps children and animals. He graduated with a B.S. degree from the U.S. Naval Academy and received his DVM at Cornell University. He is also a Stemtech scientific advisor for clinical studies on animals.

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SURFACE SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY OF SURI ALPACA FIBER Preliminary Report, Phase 1

By Andy Tillman

Introduction Andy and Dr. Cheryl Tillman’s study of Suri alpaca fiber was first published in the Spring 2006 issue of Alpacas Magazine. The Tillman’s use of Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) to study Camelid fiber characteristics had far reaching influence on the alpaca industry. For the first time, Suri breeders were able to scientifically verify that luster, rather than fineness or density, was the defining characteristic of Suri fiber. The Tillman’s study introduced the concept of Mean Scale Frequency (MSF) and scale length and height to Suri breeders.

Even Huacaya breeders benefited from this study, since their MSF was so much lower than Merino wool.

Andy twice presented his findings at the AOBA national conference in Louisville, KY and at the Suri Symposium in Estes Park, Colorado.

The Tillman’s use of SEM to study fiber characteristics was responsible for the Suri Network’s pursuit of measuring luster by other means, including the SAMBA Hair System and Near-Infrared reflective spectrum.

The Suri Network, in cooperation with the Tillmans, now offer a PDF file of this influential article to all Suri Network members via a download from the SN website library. continued on next page

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SEM scanning demonstrates that the cuticular cell length, height, and scale edge angle of Suri alpaca fiber is measurably different from Huacaya alpaca, cashmere, wool, and other members of the Camel Family.

Chris Davitt, Ph.D., from the Electron Microscopy Center in Pullman, Washington, conducted this study for the author. Dr. Davitt is wearing an alpaca sweater and holding the SEM sample dishes used for this study.

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T

The Washington State Disease Diagnostic Lab (WADDL) and the Electron Microscopy Center (EMC) in Pullman, Washington, analyzed 14 Suri alpaca fiber samples for surface characteristics with the (SEM) in February of 2005 for the author. The SEM is routinely used to observe surface morphology on many different samples, including bacterial species. The study was supervised by Dr. Chuck Leathers of WADDL. Chris Davitt, Ph.D., Supervisor of the EMC, prepared the samples and took two micrographs of each fiber sample. To provide a base-line to other members of the Camel Family, the author provided 5 Huacaya fiber samples, 4 Llama, and 1 Bactrian Camel. A single Merino sheep, Cashmere, and Silk samples were also analyzed for comparative purposes.

SEM scanning demonstrates that the cuticular cell scale length, frequency, height, and scale edge angle of Suri Alpaca fiber is measurably different from cashmere, Merino wool, and other members of the Camel Family. About 14% of the Suri fiber samples had what appeared to be an elliptical rather than round profile.

Suri samples were collected from 14 Suri Alpacas comprised of 8 males and 6 females. Subjects were 6 white, 2 brown,

2 black, 2 fawn, and 1 each beige and rose gray. Lock types included 8 twisted (independent) locks, 2 with narrow straight locks, 2 relatively straight fleeces that clung closely to the body, a loose lock and a coiled (corkscrew) lock. Two of the donors were overweight, and these had the strongest Average Fiber Diameter (AFD). All of the subject animals were healthy, dewormed, body

Not all of the Suri samples were round. The fiber sample from a well locked Suri appears to be elliptical rather than round. While it has a very long scale length, the scale edge height was the largest in the Suri sample. The combination of relatively high scale height and elliptical fiber made this particular fleece feel less cool and slick than the straighter fleeces. It was also more “chalky� than the brighter fleeces.

score condition 7-9, and relatively free of heat stress at the time of shearing. None of the donors had ever been washed with shampoo or conditioners. A 6-inch wide sample was collected from previously shorn virgin fleece.

An attempt was made to collect samples from the same location in each fleece, approximately 6 inches below the top line and near the third rib. Even though I am an experienced wool sorter, I found this procedure was inherently less precise than cutting a sample from a standing animal and would suggest future research protocol collect samples off the animal at shearing time. All but 3 alpacas ranged in age from 11 to 13 months at the time of shearing. Three males had typically “over-mature” fleeces at 21 to 25 months old.

WHY SEM? The SEM micrographs provide detail not obtainable with a conventional compound microscope. An optical microscope uses visible light of a wavelength of several thousand angstroms (A).

Such an instrument is actually a photon microscope since a ray of light is a beam of photons. An electron microscope uses a beam of electrons instead of a beam of light.

The main advantage of the EM microscope is its potential for very high resolving power. This is based on the possibility of using electrons whose wavelengths are less than 1 A as expressed by

de Broglie’s equation (l=h/mv). h=planck’s consant (6.626x10-23) m=mass of electron v=electron velocity.

Objects as small as 2.3 A have been resolved, a feat forever beyond the capability of a microscope using visible light. (1) Micrographs were taken at an accelerating voltage of 15 Kilo Volt (KV) and 1,000 X. The quality of the micrographs taken by a skilled EM instructor like Dr. Davitt made it possible to accurately measure the length of each scale on a fiber, the height of scale, frequency of scale, angle of scale, and fiber diameter. For the purpose of this article, the relatively simple International Wool Textile Organization (IWTO) DTM-XX-97 methodology was used with the exception of viewing the samples at 1,000 X magnification rather than 600 X. The higher magnification was necessary for accurately measuring Suri scale height which is almost impossible to measure even with digital imaging tools. Wool has a scale height of <8 micron and can easily be measured at 600 X. Measuring scale height is important since scale height is one reason alpaca fiber has a low coefficient of friction and feels finer than it is.

Following this modified IWTO DTM-XX-97 methodology, the author counted the number of cuticular scales in a 100 micron field of view. Scale frequency is expressed as a Mean Scale Frequency (MSF). A lower MSF indicates a longer cuticular scale. A Higher MSF indicates a

series of shorter scales. A literature search revealed that a MSF for wool ranges from 10-12, 6-8 for de-haired cashmere, and 6-7 for de-haired mohair (6). Some care is required to achieve consistent results using IWTO-97 methodology. A variation of 10-30% was possible depending on where you counted the scales. Wool and Huacaya alpaca could easily be counted on the edge of the fiber sample, but Suri which had virtually no scale height was most easily counted down the center of the fiber. Using Adobe® Photoshop® to open the micrographs, Huacaya scale could be counted viewing the micrograph at 50% actual size, while Suri required viewing at 66-100%. I standardized on counting scales on the left edge of the sample viewing it at 66% actual size.

Very precise measurement of fiber diameter, scale length, height, and scale edge angle, can be accomplished using digital imaging software. I tried Scion Corporations Image for Microsoft® Windows®, and ImageJ software which is available as a free download by the National Institute for Health (NIH). The NIH ImageJ was much more stable on my Windows XP platform than the Macintosh-based Scion Image which is an industry standard.

Surface morphology of Suri Alpaca hair, using SEM was first conducted by Suvia Judd and Deborah Berman (2) in the United States in 1998 at the University of Idaho at Moscow. Judd and Berman analyzed two fiber samples and hypothesized a high correlacontinued on next page

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tion between scale length and luster. SEM of South American Camelid (SAC) fiber has been published at least three times prior to Judd and Berman in 1988 (Phan), 1996 (Antonini et al), and 1997 (IWTO). The author’s sample is the largest domestic analysis conducted to date.

SAMPLE PREPARATION Dr. Davitt prepared the fiber sample by cutting the center 13mm (1/2 inch) out of the locks.

Both Dr. Leathers and Dr. Davitt believed using the center of each sample was preferable to one close to the skin or near the tip, and I concurred. The fiber sample is mounted on an aluminum disc with electrically conductive tape.

The fiber samples were then placed in a vacuum chamber and coated with 20-30 angstroms of pure gold. A high voltage is applied in a vacuum chamber to a bar of 99.9% pure gold which coats the fiber samples with a plasma of gold ions. The SEM is actually visualizing the gold ions that coat the sample, not the fiber sample itself. Platinum and gold palladium can also be used to coat the samples.

A 13mm section of fiber was cut from the center of the fiber sample.

The samples were then coated with 20-30 angstroms of 99.9% pure gold in a vacuum chamber.

They are mounted with conductive tape to an aluminum disc and screwed into the sample dishes.

LOCK

LUSTER Luster is the primary reason (and probably the only reason) the textile industry purchases Suri alpaca fiber. Suri is used in many of the same applications as silk and

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cashmere. It is frequently blended with Merino wool and a blend of silk or cashmere to add luster to the fabric used in men’s suits.

“Luster is strongly associated with mohair based on its relatively large surface cuticle scales and low cuticle scale edge height relative to Merino wool.” (3) The end-use of Suri alpaca fiber is substantially different than Baby Huacaya which can compete for fineness with Ultra-Fine Merino wool. At the three Suri Summits, the author has either sponsored or been moderator for in 2001, 2003, and 2004, Suri alpaca breeders concurred that luster was the single most important characteristic of Suri fiber.

This opinion is well supported by the end-use of Suri fiber. Normally reliable sources have told the author that David Letterman of the Late Show frequently wears Italian suits with a Merino wool blend of Suri/silk or Suri/cashmere blend. The fabric is shiny underneath the television lights!

Luster is the primary reason (and probably the only reason) the textile industry purchases Suri alpaca fiber.

It would be premature to assign value to one lock type over another until a more thorough SEM is made of Suri alpaca fiber.

The author had hoped to identify some correlation between lock types which naturally occur in the Suri alpaca and the length of scale which is highly correlated to luster. My sample size was too small to conclusively identify a trend. However a literature search suggests that some lock types

may inhibit luster more or less than others.

A high frequency of crimp in cashmere does adversely affect the perceived luster of the fiber.

“Perceived luster of wool is affected by staple structure and fiber curvature. Low curvature in wool allows the fibers to more closely align. As Khan (1996) reported, if the staple crimp form in wool was ‘planar’ (sinusoidal as opposed to helical), such wool would have a high luster. On this basis, the use of perceived luster as an aid in the classifying of cashmere may be confounded by different cashmere fiber curvature. Thus luster of cashmere should be assessed on manually straightened fiber to minimize any effect of fiber crimp.” (4) Applying McGregor’s findings to Suri alpacas may suggest that a tightly twisted (helical) lock may diffuse light more than a straighter fleece. It may also make the handle feel coarser than it actually is. Analysis of the Baby Camel supports the notion that crimp and/or a twisted lock may reduce luster in SAC fiber.

“Wool with larger fiber crimp amplitude is associated with softer handle. Wools exhibiting a coiled (helical) crimp configuration receive harsher handle scores than wools with sinusoidal (wavy) crimp configurations.” (3) It is probably fair to say that the defacto breed standard in AOBA sanctioned shows puts a much greater emphasis on an “independent lock” than luster.

This SEM study did not identify any correlation between a twisted

It would be premature to assign value to one lock type over another until a more thorough SEM study is made of Suri alpaca fiber.

A good compromise between lock and luster. If you breed exclusively for one characteristic, you will lose many others.

Best compromise.

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lock and luster. If anything, they may be inversely proportional. In this study, the relatively straight fleeces, and those with a narrow straight lock had a longer and lower scale height than animals with twisted locks. Suri breeders, the AOBA show committee, and the Judges Training Committee should keep abreast of SEM technology as it applies to Suri alpaca fleeces. High-luster Suri appears to be most similar to cashmere, though it has an even longer and lower scale height. It would certainly be premature to favor one lock type over another until the results of TSN 100-fleece study is completed.

The relatively straight fleeces like this male had excellent handle.

Their scale length often exceeded 20 micron. Scale height was too low to even measure.

SCALE HEIGHT The height of scale on Suri alpaca fiber was almost impossible to measure, even with digital ImageJ software. The scale height of Huacaya samples was under 3/10 micron. The most highly evolved Soft Rolling Skin (SRS) Merino fiber like that analyzed in this study had a scale height of 3-4 micron.

Most Merino is <8 micron. Bruce McGregor in the Australian Farm Journal, 2003, explained the importance of scale height and length when he wrote: “The greater the directional friction effect due to the wool fiber cuticle scales, the harsher the handle.” (3) This opinion is further enhanced by J.E. Watts and Janie Hicks: “Fine cylindrical fibers have low scale height. When these fibers are also long, the fiber scales will be long as well as flat. The 64 PURELYSURI

There was as much variation in Huacaya fiber samples as Suri. A very bright “elite” fleece on the left has a much longer, smoother scale than the dense, highly crimped fleece on the right.

A

B

C

(A) A “DoubleCoat” llama fleece like this Ccarra type (short wool) llama, actually had more in common with Huacaya samples than with Suri. (B) The large primary (guard hair) is 60 micron, and the secondary fiber 24 micron. (C) Note the similarity in scale frequency and shape between the Huacaya and Llama secondary hairs.

combination of long, flat scales imparts a smooth or silky feel to the wool.” (5) While Watts and Hicks SRS system is not universally accepted, their research strongly suggests a correlation between handle and a round rather than elliptical fiber. When I showed these SEM micrographs to Ian Watt, he soon found fibers that he believed were elliptical rather than round. These are easily identified by two thin grooves running parallel to the direction of the fiber with a rounded segment between them.

About 14% of the Suri samples had two grooves running the entire length of the fiber.

Another 20% had a single groove that ran all or partway along the fiber. Most were completely round. Twenty-seven percent of Huacaya samples had a single groove. None had two. No Llama or Camel samples appeared to be elliptical. Since there were frequently two fibers in each micrograph, and occasionally three of them, I analyzed at least 70 some fibers for roundness. The elliptical samples tended to come from Suris that were well locked, but not exclusively so. More research will be needed to determine what – if anything – this difference in fiber profile means. TEM scanning may be useful as will skin biopsies. Both tests should be able to determine the profile of the fiber.

PRELIMINARY STATISTICS Dr. Davitt supplied the author with 1.7 megabyte, 8-bit gray scale TIFF files captured with

a Scion Grabber card from the SEM. These black and white micrographs had remarkable brightness and contrast. I used the NIH ImageJ software to measure the diameter of fiber samples, and using the angle tool, the angle of scale perpendicular to the fiber.

There was an obvious difference between Huacaya and Suri samples. Suri samples were typically less than 45 degrees while Huacaya and Llama were closer to 70 degrees. This difference may have as much commercial application as scale length as it can be used to identify Suri from Huacaya or Llama fibers.

Using modified IWTO-97 methodology, the MSF of Suri was 6.5 scales per 100 micron.

This is superior to cashmere. The MSF range for Suri was 4.25–9.0.

Scales were frequently as long as the fiber was wide. There did not appear to be a relationship between scale length and fiber diameter as reported by Antonini for other specialty fibers. This is good news for Suri breeders since selecting for fineness should not adversely affect luster. The average scale length was 15.4 micron.

Antonini concluded that: “7.0 Scale / 100 micron seems to be a distinctive parameter for Suri.” (6) While highly evolved Suris like those I analyzed have an even lower MSF, my data certainly supports their assertion.

Huacaya samples had a MSF of 11.0, which is similar to wool, with a range of 8.0–12.0 MSF. This correlates to an average scale length of 9.0 micron. Scale height was <0.3 um. The scale

Suri Primary Guard Hair

Suri Secondary Fiber

Long Smooth Scale

Narrow Flat Lock

Staright Fleece LSS

Typical Huacaya

edge angle of Huacaya fibers was about 70 degrees compared to 45 degrees for Suri. Among the Huacaya samples, the longest scale length also had the greatest amplitude of crimp. This was a well bundled “elite” fleece. Primary and secondary fibers were nearly the same AFD. Llama samples could easily be divided into single coat and double coat varieties. Secondary fibers of single coat llama were very Suri-like with a MSF of 8.0 and a range of 7.5–10.0. Double coat Llamas looked almost identical to Huacaya samples with a MSF of 11.5. Only their primary hair follicles (guard hair) had a much greater AFD. The Llama guard hair had a MSF of 16.5 with a range of 14-19. Doublecoat Llama shows a much greater similarity to Huacaya fibers than Suri.

Single-coat Llama and Suritype llama were largely similar to Suri. This may be of interest to archeo-zoologists, and could have some taxonomic significance.

The Baby Camel sample was imported from China. It had been de-haired to less than 2% coarse fibers (>30 um). The Baby Camel was very fine, <18 micron, and had a MSF of 6.25. Its resistance to compression felt less than Huacaya, but still very “lofty” compared to Suri. It had a warm rather than cool handle. The frequency and amplitude of crimp was not visible since all of its fibers had been aligned into a roving. It did not appear to be a particularly bright fleece, yet it had a slightly lower MSF than Suri which had continued on next page

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not been dehaired. Plucking a string of fiber out of the rove and wrapping it around my finger revealed that it was brighter than my first impression. As McGregor found with cashmere, crimp does appear to reduce luster. The warm handle of Baby Camel may also suggest that scale height is as important as crimp or MSF. The scale height of Camel did not have an abrupt edge like wool or cashmere but was measurable with digital imaging tools and was similar to Huacaya. Dr. Davitt noted that the specialty fibers like cashmere, silk, SRS Merino, and Baby Camel, were definitely more “fly-away” than Suri. She even wondered if they would “Stay on the SEM stubs when the electron beam hits them!”

The SRS Merino sample had a MSF of 8.6, which is exceptional for wool. Scale height was 3-4 micron with an abrupt edge that was easily measured. This was a well bundled fleece, with each lock measuring less than 1/2cm with 6-7 crimp per cm (twice the frequency of crimp in most Huacaya fleeces).

Cashmere from a domestically raised doe had a MSF of 7.6 and a scale height of 1-2 micron.

Imported Bombay silk had an AFD of 10-12 micron. Silk is reeled together from 4-20 individual filament ends to make a single monofilament that adheres together due to the gummy texture on the surface of the filament.

Silk is washed in warm water to separate the filament from the silk worm’s cocoon, and again after it is wound. It was very bright. Even

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What is truly unique about Suri alpaca fiber is its luster. This should be kept foremost in mind in any discussion of breed standard, enduse, or show standards.

at 1,000 X it was not possible to see where the filaments had been reeled together. It appears to be the only natural fiber which has a smoother surface than Suri.

Primary hair follicles (guard hair) of all the Camel Family had a distinctly different scale pattern than the secondary hairs.

They were much stronger (higher AFD) and had an extremely high frequency of scale. These primary fibers had extremely low scale height, and despite their AFD and scale frequency probably had good luster. They were uniformly round rather than elliptical. The scale pattern had what appeared to be a fractured or “mosaic” appearance. This combined with their large AFD made them relatively easy to identify.

SUMMARY

Breeding for end-use may give up some coverage compared to the North American fad for “coverage,” or the “international” standard for an independent lock; but the brightest fleece with a Long Smooth Scale ™ are likely to come from a drapey “wet” fleece like this.

What is truly unique about Suri Alpaca fiber is its luster. This should be kept foremost in mind in any discussion of breed standard, end-use, or show standards.

It would be premature to assign value to one lock type over another until a more thorough SEM study is made of Suri alpaca fiber. Like many scientific enquiries, this SEM study has raised as many questions as it has answered. The author has scanned enough fiber samples to determine that Suri alpaca fiber is measurably different in scale length, frequency, edge height, and edge angle from wool and Huacaya fiber. It is probably most similar to cashmere but with a lower scale height. The “take home” lesson from this preliminary SEM study

is that what is truly unique about Suri alpaca fiber is its luster.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

TERMINOLOGY. Angstrom (A). 0.1 nm (10 to the minus 10 meter).

Compound Microscope. An optical microscope with two ocular lenses.

Cuticular Scale. The externalmost structure of hair.

Mean Scale Frequency (MSF).

The mean number of cuticular scales that are visible in a 100 micron field of view.

Micrograph. A digital photograph of the SEM sample.

Micron. 1/1000 of a meter.

SAC. South American Camelids.

SEM. Scanning Electron Microscopy.

TEM. Transmission Electron Microscopy. TEM views a cross section of the fiber sample rather than the surface of the fiber. It is more time consuming and expensive to prepare a sample for TEM than SEM.

REFERENCES 1) College Physics, 4th edition, Franklin Miller Jr., pg. 659.

2) PurelySuri Magazine, volume 2, 2004, Suvia Judd and Deborah Berman, pg. 18.

3) Is Merino Wool a Luxury Precious Fiber, by Bruce McGregor, Australian Farm Journal, July 2003.

4) Influence of nutrition, fiber diameter and fiber length on the fiber curvature of cashmere,

by B.A. McGregor, The Aus-

tralian Journal of Agricultural Research, 2003 5) J.E. Watts and Janie Hicks, The Soft Rolling Skin (SRS) Breeding System for Alpacas.

6) M. Antonini, E. Frank, M. Gonzales, F. Pierdominici, S. Catalano, M.V.H. Hick & F. Castrignano. SUPREMEProject: Cuticular cell mean scale frequency in different types of domestic South American Camelids (SAC). European Symposium on SAC. University di Camerino Press. Matelica (MC) Italy. 142-152 (1996).

IWTO DTM-XX-97. Quantitative analysis of blend of wool with specialty fibers by scanning electron microscopy. International Wool Textile Organization (1997).

Phan K.H., Wortmann F.J., Wortmann G., and Arns W. Characterization of specialty fibers by scanning electron microscopy.

Shriftenz. Dtsch. Wollforxchungsinst. 106 (1988).

Thank you to: Susan Tellez for her literature search of SEM research on the SAC; Kenneth Mahdl for providing many publications on contemporary wool and cashmere research from Australia; Ian Watt and Jim Watts for help in identifying round versus elliptical fibers. Elite, extremely fine, and dense Huacaya samples were donated by April and Richard Angotti, of Benvenuti Farms, in Bend, Oregon.

A classic “doublecoat” llama sample was provided by Sherry Sheridan, of Aloha Llamas, in Bend, Oregon. Ian Watt provided the SRS Merino. Andy Tillman’s local wool guild, the Textilians, provided cashmere, silk, and baby camel samples. Dr. Chris Davitt provided peer review, prepared and scanned the fiber samples, and gave instruction on the use of imaging software. l AUTHOR Andy Tillman Andy Tillman began raising llamas in 1975 and alpacas in 1982. He was a founder of the International Llama Association, Llamas Magazine, the American Llama and Alpaca Show Association, and the International Llama Registry. Andy and his wife, Dr. Cheryl Blake, own Tillman Llamas and Suri Alpacas Ranch in Bend, Oregon. They have bred national champion Suri alpacas both here and in South America. In 1996, they imported colored Suri alpacas from Bolivia – these proved to have the finest Average Fiber Diameter (AFD) of any group of alpacas imported to the United States. Under Cheryl’s supervision, this group of alpacas proved to be the healthiest through the Harry S. Truman Animal Import Center (HSTAIC) in history. The Tillmans retired in 2007, but continue to breed camelids and contribute their time to the advancement of the industry.

Andy is currently an editor for the Suri Network’s PurelySuri magazine.

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As a participant in the SHIP Classification program, you will have the opportunity to observe ‘hands on’ as one of our SHIP classifiers expertly evaluates each of your Suris for eight conformation and eight fleece traits.

© 2013 Photos by Linda Kondris

Get on board SHIP to Improve the Quality of your Suri Breeding Program

by Linda Kondris

Understand the strengths and weaknesses of each of your Suris.

Make each breeding decision count to improve the quality of your herd.

Learn about fleece and conformation, hands on, with a knowledgeable Suri herd classifier.

T

The classification portion of the Suri Herd Improvement Program (SHIP), is up and running to offer you an in-depth, comprehensive evaluation of your herd. The Suri Network has worked diligently to move toward a true livestock model as a means of creating a sustainable, North American Suri industry. The herd classification element of the SHIP program is key in this process. Sixteen traits­ — eight for fleece and eight for conformation — have been selected that are supported by the Suri Breed Standard that was adopted by Suri breeders in 2007. Each of these traits is scored and the evaluation forms list descriptors for each trait offering important information to breeders. Currently five traits have been chosen to be entered into the Suri Network database for the calculations of Expected Progeny Differences (EPDs).

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Trials for the SHIP classification program took place beginning in 2007 and demonstrations were performed at the summer symposiums 2009, 2010, and 2011. In the six years since the Suri Breed Standard was established, the Suri industry has experienced good growth with the addition of 21,682 Suris to the ARI registry. This represents 54 percent of the currently registered Suri population. Breeders have focused on the improvement of the quality of the Suri fleece produced and we have learned a great deal along the way in terms of characteristics descriptive of superior Suri fleece.

The SHIP classification Conformation has program is keeping pace also generally imwith the growth of the Suri proved with fewer industry with a focus on faults being ideneducating Suri breeders so tified on the show that they may keep in step with advancing knowledge and support the continued improvement of the North American Suri herd and production of superior Suri fleece.

circuit. The SHIP classification program is keeping pace with the growth of the Suri industry with a focus on educating Suri breeders so that they may keep in step with advancing knowledge and support the continued improvement of the North American Suri herd and production of superior Suri fleece.

With this in mind, the Suri Network (SN) Board of Trustees suspended the initial SHIP classification program for a short time to retool the classification process so that it would better meet the needs of todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s breeders while utilizing the latest knowledge of Suri fleece and conformation. An Advisory Panel was established by the SN board to facilitate these important changes. Advisory Panel members are: Darrell Anderson, pedigree livestock consultant; Gail Campbell, DVM, subject matter expert, science advisor; Justin Fix, Ph.D., geneticist and statistician; continued on next page

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fabric. Mary Lou serves on the AOBA Judges Training and Certification Committee.

In order to review and update the SHIP classification program, a workshop was held in November at Gail Campbell’s Ameripaca farm in Maryland. Participants were: Linda Kondris, SN Advisory Panel Member, past president, Suri Network and Program Director for SHIP Classification; Gail Campbell, DMV, SN Advisory Panel Member, past president, Suri Network and AOBA Judge Training Conformation Instructor; and classifiers, Cheryl Gehly and Mary Lou Clingan. The work began with a review of the current trait descriptors for both fleece and conformation, and it was quickly determined that an update was in order. An important reference used during the classifier’s workshop was “The The Suri Network herd Art and Science of Alpaca Judgclassifiers bring over 30 years ing,” which is available through of combined experience with AOBA and highly recommended the credentials and knowledge as a reference for breeders. In to offer truly meaningful inforaddition to revising the 16 trait mation to all Suri breeders. descriptions, the two classifiers applied their knowledge, workBrett Kaysen, pedigree livestock consultant; Linda ing hands on with Suris, to calibrate their evaluation of each trait. Samples of the updated SHIP ClassificaKondris, education and promotion; Tim Sheets, board tion Forms for fleece and conformation are found here liaison; and Dick Walker, M.D., subject matter expert, and on the SHIP website, SuriSHIP.org. Suri breeders science advisor. Classifiers were sought who had the are encouraged to become familiar with the determinhighest degree of experience, knowledge, and integrity. To avoid any conflicts, it was determined that the ing factors for these important traits. In January the two classifiers will meet together to perform a herd new classifiers would not own and market alpacas classification at a large Suri farm to further calibrate or participate as halter show judges. The Suri Nettheir evaluation of the 16 traits and will then be ready work is excited to welcome Cheryl Gehly and Mary to perform SHIP classifications at farms across the Lou Clingan as our new classifiers who both have the country. credentials and knowledge to offer truly meaningful Will you be on board SHIP? As a participant in and useful herd classifications. Cheryl is an AOBA the SHIP classification program, you will have the opSenior Fleece Judge and Judge Trainer and has over portunity to observe ‘hands on’ as one of our SHIP 15 years of experience working with alpaca fiber. She has been a member and chairperson of the Judge Train- classifiers expertly evaluates each of your Suris for ing and Certification Committee and is a member and eight conformation and eight fleece traits. The cost of chairperson of the AOBA Judge Advisory Committee. a day of herd classification is much less than show atMary Lou has over 15 years of experience with Suri tendance and offers the review of up to 50 animals per day giving the breeder specific feedback on all 16 key fiber and has managed the fiber operation at Alpaca Jack’s Suri Farm where she was responsible for all traits. Travel expenses are paid to the classifiers by fiber related activities for a Suri herd numbering in the the participating farms and classification is most cost effective if several farms in an area come together to hundreds. She annually prepared 30-50 show fleeces and oversaw the shearing and skirting of as many schedule classifications and share the costs.

So, how can you participate in this valuable as 400 fleeces for distribution into yarn, roving and continued on next page

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The Suri Network is focused on the success of every Suri breeder and understands that the quality improvement of the North American Suri herd depends upon each breeder having the tools and knowledge necessary to advance the quality of their individual herd.

program to assure that your breeding program moves forward, increasing the value of your Suri herd? Visit the SHIP website, SuriSHIP.org, and begin the sign up process to avoid the pressure of the show season and to have your Suris classified prior to spring shearing.

Classification can take place with recently shorn animals if the fleece is available and has been properly handled so that when it is laid out each area of the blanket can be easily identified. Directions for this are found on the SHIP website.

The Suri Network is focused on the success of every Suri breeder and understands that the quality improvement of the North American Suri herd depends upon each breeder having the tools and knowledge necessary to advance the quality of their individual

herd. The SHIP Classification Program offers breeders on-site, hands-on evaluation and instruction from industry experts. Plan now to assure that your farm will participate. l AUTHOR Linda Kondris Linda Kondris established Pines Edge Suri Alpacas in 1998 and maintains a select herd of Suris in Black Forest, Colorado, amid ponderosa pines and meadows at an elevation of 7,200 feet. This affords her Suris a comfortable and productive environment. She has fulfilled numerous volunteer positions within the alpaca community and is a past President of the Suri Network. She currently serves as the SHIP Classification Program Director and as a member of the AOBA Show Rules Committee. Linda has actively participated in the show circuit and was awarded Futurity Breeder of the Year in 2011.

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