February is of course the shortest month of the year so I shouldn't be surprised the end of the month has arrived so very quickly. Its also my sister Angela's birthday so if you see this Happy Birthday sister

The weather remains totally unpredictable and this morning at 10am the alpacas were in the middle of a snow shower and by 2pm the sun was shining and the snow had gone.

It is now 6 weeks since we gave the 8-way vaccine to the three alpacas that were born last year. So we now need to give them a booster shot to secure their immunity.



The custom alpaca feed order had to go in today and needs to last the alpaca herd right through into July which is almost 5 months in total. At the end of April after shearing is complete six of the female alpacas will leave the farm to go for breedings, so my grain needs will drop slightly until they return. 45 fifty pound bags should do the trick.

Tomorrow is the 1st of March and that means the start of open and barrel burning in these parts of Oregon, providing there is enough air volume in the valley.

My burning will have to wait until Friday as I am visiting an alpaca farm near Portland tomorrow so need to be up early in order to be there by lunchtime. When I say I am visiting Portland that is usually shorthand for saying that I am visiting an alpaca farm somewhere north of Eugene....

The well known photographer Rhoda Preacher has very kindly agreed that we can use on our website the photographs she took of our alpacas last year when doing an assignment for Hobby Farms magazine.

Adrian Stewart

Over the winter I lost two of my three bee colonies and I put it down to heat stress in the summer and a very cold winter.

But I learned today that the problem is in fact a national one.
Honeybees are vanishing at an alarming rate from 24 US states, threatening the production of numerous crops. The cause of the losses, which range from 30% to more than 70%, is a mystery, but experts are investigating several theories.

American bee colonies have been hit by regional crises before, but keepers say this is the first national crisis.
Bees pollinate more than $14bn (£7bn) worth of US seeds and crops each year, mostly fruits, vegetables and nuts.

The mystery disappearances highlight the important link that honeybees play in the chain that brings fruit and vegetables to supermarkets and dinner tables.

The crisis threatens numerous crops, from avocados to kiwis and California almonds - one of the most profitable in the US.

With an industry increasingly under consolidation, some fear the disorder could prove the breaking point for even large beekeepers.

The bee losses range from 30 to 60% on the West Coast, with some beekeepers on the East Coast and in Texas reporting losses of more than 70%.

Beekeepers consider a loss of up to 20% in the offseason to be normal.

Researchers say the bees are presumably dying in the fields, perhaps becoming exhausted or simply disoriented and eventually falling victim to the cold.

The investigators are exploring a range of possibilities to explain the losses, which they are calling "colony collapse disorder". These include viruses, a fungus and poor bee nutrition.

They are also studying pesticides banned in some European countries to see if they are affecting the bees' innate ability to navigate their way back to their hives.

In some cases, bees are being raised to survive a shorter offseason, to be ready to pollinate once the almond bloom begins in February. This could have lowered their immunity to viruses.

Mites have also damaged bee colonies, and the insecticides used to try to kill them are harming the ability of queen bees to spawn as many workers.

Urban sprawl

Once the domain of hobbyists, beekeeping has become increasingly commercial and consolidated in the US.

During the last two decades, the number of beehives has dropped by a quarter, and is now estimated at 2.4 million. The number of beekeepers has fallen by half during the same period.

Bees are vital for the pollination of important US crops
Pressure has been building on the bee industry. The costs to maintain hives, or colonies, are rising.

In addition, urban growth means that the areas where the insects can forage for nectar to stay healthy and strong during the pollination season are being squeezed.

"There are less beekeepers, less bees, yet more crops to pollinate," said Zac Browning, vice-president of the American Beekeeping Federation.

"With so much added loss and expense due to disease, pests and higher equipment costs, profitability is actually falling."

Adrian Stewart

In South America, up to half of the newborn alpacas die before they reach
weaning age.
To prevent that from happening in this area, the Oregon State
University College of Veterinary Medicine run a series of neonatal clinics for alpaca owners.

The next course is on Saturday, March 17 and Sunday, 18th, 2007, 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Magruder Hall, College of Veterinary Medicine, Oregon State University.

I have been on the alpaca neonatal course and it was really excellent with lectures, discussions, and practical exercises (including pulling crias from the artificial uteri) which is very useful practice for those awkward births. Although pulling cold, wet, slightly smelly alpaca cria from plastic uteri doesn't completely relate to putting your hand into the very hot and tight uteri of a living alpaca.

On the second day the herd health topics will include nutrition, parasite control, vaccinations, herd monitoring, “red flags” signs of disease.

The two days are an excellent investment of time especially for those new to the industry. To book a place please contact:


Email = pat.hutson@oregonstate.edu

Pat Hutson
Camelid Neonatology Workshop Office of the Dean
Oregon State University College of Veterinary Medicine
200 Magruder Hall
Corvallis, OR 97331


Adrian Stewart

This recent and sudden downfall of snow caught me off my guard and there are some useful lessons to be learnt.

So my new rule of thumb;

The New Year is here but if there is an "R" in the month. (January thru April) the following rules apply.

Always put the tractor undercover at night.
Always make sure the heated troughs are turned on.
Always have a reserve of alpaca drinking water in case you loose power to the well or your pipes freeze.
Always think about where snow might build up when designing gates and door openings. My gates are very close to the ground to deter predators but this also makes them almost impossible to open in snowy conditions.
Never allow your alpacas to stand under a snow laden tree.

Snow covered pastures also give you an opportunity to discover two things. Firstly walk around fence lines and look for animal tracks. This will not only tell you what is out and about other than the alpacas but also where any gaps or holes may exist in fences. Secondly you can also see where the alpacas spend most of their time walking. Which is kind of interesting. Now we can't assume that's the way they would behave if there were no snow but its an interesting insight into how your pastures might be organised.




Adrian Stewart

The local radio tells me that this is the worst snow fall in 35 years and I can believe it.
The power is coming on and off so this is a short entry which I will load up while we have power.



The alpacas are all a little puzzled by the white carpet that has been installed overnight.

Down in town there has been quite a bit of damage with tree limbs snapping under the weight of the snow and landing on cars. Each winter we erect a temporary ice rink in the park and we heard on the news that the snow has brought down the roof.

I did try to dig out the drive but the tractor became stuck so I had to retreat to the barn to wait for the big melt.



The temperature is above freezing during the day so most of the snow should be gone in a couple of days...fingers crossed.

Adrian Stewart

Overnight there was a huge dump of fresh snow. The biggest we have seen since we moved here almost three years ago.

The drive was blocked and the power was off from about 5am till 9am.

The children had a "snow day" so school was cancelled and Gifford loves the snow just as much as the children.



In fact Gifford was something of an unwitting hero today. As we went into the female alpaca pasture to feed the girls they were all out of the barn and sheltering under a nearby tree. Gifford charged around in snow and the alpacas all ran from under the tree.....seconds later one of the branches snapped with the weight of the snow and came tumbling down. It was a substantial branch and it could have been very nasty if Gifford hadn't been behaving badly.





Adrian Stewart

I am in Hillsborough near Portland today visiting North West Alpacas.
Over in Milan, Italy the fashion world has once again taken alpaca to its heart.
You can always trust Miuccia Prada to do something radical.

Why wear black when you can wear Day-Glo orange, traffic light green and kingfisher blue?

Be afraid... a bright orange coat of alpaca made to look cheap.





"Fake classic," said Prada backstage, in typically cryptic style. "I wanted to do 'simple', but in a different way. I wanted simple shapes: no volume, because I have done volume enough. The fabrics are super-luxurious, super-expensive, but should look like fake expensive."

This explained the green and blue fuzzy coats, which looked to be made of teddy bear fur. In fact, according to Prada, they were "super expensive alpaca".

It is a funny sort of world where women pay thousands of pounds to look like they have spent a tenner, but nobody said fashion was logical.

While much of Prada's new collection might look unfathomable - and even unwearable - on the catwalk, by the time the collection has made it into stores, those tills will be a-ringing as always.

Adrian Stewart

Never underestimate the reach of the internet.
Yesterday we had a farm visit from a local family interested in alpacas and this morning I was swapping e-mails with a family in France who are thinking of buying alpacas and wanted to know how they would cope with the heat and humidity of Southern France.

As you will know the accepted wisdom is to take the temperature in degrees Fahrenheit and add it to the relative humidity index.

Anything over 120 and your alpacas may become heat stressed.

For example 80 degrees F and 30% humidity would give you a score of 110 which is acceptable for alpacas.

There are things you can do to mitigate the likely hood of heat stress.
Shear your alpacas before it gets very hot.
Provide shade for your alpacas.
Spray their chests with water on hot afternoons.
Install electric fans at floor level in the barn.

My French contact visited Beauvaitrait Alpacas (Andy and Nicki Spillane) yesterday morning. They have one of the three biggest alpaca herds in France (80 alpacas) so it is a very young industry there.
The French national herd is about 1000 alpacas.

There are few things more adorable than a newly born cria. Unless you want 16 newly born Panda babies that is.



Adrian Stewart

Today's farm visit was from a young family that live near Williams, Oregon and have about 5 acres of land. I always enjoy showing people around the farm and talking alpacas.... They arrived at the perfect time for feeding the female alpacas so we had a fun time in the barn.

Then we walked down to the pastures and fed the alpaca boys and we made it back before the rain arrived.

Earlier in the week I thought the weather was warming up enough to maybe spray the fence lines but it was a false spring and the temperature is now back down to the mid 40's and everything that had started growing has stopped.

Which makes the forthcoming Snowmass Alpaca Auction in Phoenix Arizona a very tempting proposition. Particularly as there is a very unusual lot of alpaca studs for sale.

Lot 7 in the Snowmass alpaca sale is a 50% share in the North American Alpaca Stud plus full interest in 3 elite Snowmass males specially chosen to complement this group.

This package of 26 elite Herd Sires will be sold as one giant lot. 50% ownership in North American Alpaca Stud,100% ownership in added 3 Elite Males

Opening Bid: $950,000




North American Alpaca Stud was created by two Alpaca breeding families.

Cas-Cad Nac Farm on the East Coast and Snowmass Alpacas based on the West Coast.

Don't worry if you don't have the cash because the lucky bidder has the option to finance for up to 3 years with 30% down, OR pay in full within 30 days of the sale and receive a 10% discount on the purchase price!

Adrian Stewart

I received a very pleasing e-mail this afternoon from some clients and friends of ours to report that the female alpaca they purchased from us had delivered a little girl that came second in her class yesterday.


I will let the owners take up the story:

"Esmeralda has turned into a beautiful juvi. She took a 2nd in her first class ever! Judge Amy Bliss Miller LOVED her fleece and overall style and had her eye on her from “the minute she entered the ring”! I think it was a very tough decision for her as to who she was going to award first place to. Next time it will be us! She showed like a dream; as if she had been doing it for years!

Scott Miller from Crescent Moon Ranch was helping with the color check for the show and said “WOW” out loud when he saw her fleece! “That’s beautiful fleece.” You know it means something when it comes from him!"



Some days happiness is quite definitely alpaca shaped.


Adrian Stewart

We are using a new Studmaster male called Escalade for the first time this weekend.



Escalade’s pedigree is outstanding: Augusto, Accoyo’s 4Peruvian Presedente, Accoyo’s Dracula, and Accoyo’s White Gold.

Escalade is 7/8 Accoyo, full Peruvian. He has soft handling crimpy high style fleece with well defined staples over the blanket and down the legs. Perfect head, bite, and bone structure. All in all a very handsome boy.

There may well be shares left in this good looking boy so if you are interested in buying a 1/4 share and giving him a caring home and some enjoyable work for 3 months of the year contact NWA.

Adrian Stewart

There is a great sense of community between the alpaca breeders in this part of the world and no better example can be found than today's adventure.

One of our number is farming on her own and has quite a challenge ahead of her getting the alpaca farm into shape. So one of her alpaca farming neighbour asked if it would be okay to bring over a working party of fellow alpaca farmers and make some serious progress.

She accepted the offer and about 8 of us arrived on Saturday morning; we strimmed fence lines , cut down trees, hauled off old tin sheeting repaired gates and burnt a small mountain of brush wood.

Everyone had a great time and our host enjoyed seeing her farm slowly start to take shape.... sometimes its easy to get caught up the view that we are all in competition to sell alpacas....when there is a bigger picture and we can all work together to create a viable industry.

Adrian Stewart

The Australian alpaca industry have made no secret of the fact that they would love to sell fibre and alpacas into the Chinese market place. So it was no real surprise when I saw this news article yesterday.

Australia's largest alpaca stud has secured an export contact to help establish a domestic alpaca fibre industry in China.
South Australia's EP Cambridge alpaca stud is set to export a breeding herd of 49 females and one male alpaca.
Alpaca Stud manager Matthew Lloyd says the Chinese are keen to expand the local alpaca industry.
"China at the moment are the largest purchasers of alpaca fibre in the world," he said.
"They've been doing the research and the Government now has effectively decided that they're going to set it up as a viable commercial industry in inner Mongolia"

By coincidence I am spending this afternoon at Southern Oregon University on a course called How to do Business in China...... so who knows where this may lead....never mind the year of the pig i want the year of the alpaca...


Adrian Stewart

Once the poop is scooped and everyone is happy I am heading off to Grants pass and Adorabella Alpacas home of Paula and Larry Vellozzi.

Larry is on the board of SOJAA with me and was the founding member of SOJAA some years ago.

Larry has been in the business about 16 years and has about 20 alpacas on his alpaca ranch at the moment plus some more that are being boarded at his ranch.

The main purpose of the visit is to talk about alpaca marketing and exactly what our affiliate SOJAA can do to help generate sales for the member farms.

Its very easy in the alpaca industry to get drawn into doing a great deal of generic marketing for alpacas. This is best left to AOBA in my opinion together with the larger farms. To be effective as a small farmer you need to be getting people to your ranch who have already done some research and are fairly serious about getting into the alpaca business. If you don't do this you can end up becoming the unofficial and therefore unpaid alpaca industry education resource. Which is very admirable but does nothing for your profitability.

Adrian Stewart

Domestic dogs are hands down the biggest killer of alpacas in North America. But that doesn't mean that all dogs are a risk and there are a number of great guard dogs you can get which will happily coexist with your alpaca herd and in fact almost become part of the herd. These dogs will scare off any coyote and even take on a mountain lion if they have to such is their dedication and loyalty.

Sheep and cattle dogs also live happily with alpacas and although alpacas do not take to being herded in quite the way that sheep will a cattle breed is a safe option to have on the farm. Remember however that cattle dogs do require masses of exercise and if you are not out and about in the cold winter months then the dog will get cabin fever well before you do.

If you have dipped in my alpaca blog before then you will know that I have an Australian Shepherd dog called Gifford.



Here you can see me loafing around with Gifford, which the alpacas find fascinating. I have no real idea what they are thinking of course, I imagine they are trying to work out why I would lie down on the floor and let a predator get that close...

Adrian Stewart