The inaugural National Alpaca Farm Day organised by AOBA (Alpaca Breeders and Owners Association). Has now drawn to a close. We were fairly busy with visitors in the morning but I am afraid rain stopped play in the afternoon and its now 3pm and raining quite heavily so we have closed the farm gates and packed away our various goodies.



One of our visitors this morning really enjoyed snapping away at the alpacas ...well who doesn't they really are adorable..aren't they?

He has promised to send me any good images so when they arrive I will share them with you via the Blog.

I have also received an e-mail from Karen Augusta who deals in antique clothing to say she has an auction coming up that will include two antique Alpaca Jackets from the early 20th century. Which could be quite interesting.

Now its full speed ahead to the friendliest alpaca show in the world...Alpacamania

Adrian Stewart - click here to go to Mulberry Alpacas.
Click here to register for the Mulberry Alpacas Newsletter.

Well everything is in full swing here so too busy to say more.



Click here to take the Mulberry Alpacas survey.
Adrian Stewart - click here to go to Mulberry Alpacas.
Click here to register for the Mulberry Alpacas Newsletter.
Click here to find out about National Alpaca Farm Day 2007.

Well life is fun and busy busy busy.... the weather has taken a turn for the worst and so cleaning out the barn and office were tasks that suited us fine....of course we had planned it this way and knowing that rain was on the way we had mown the lawns yesterday....when you are a farmer you learn to listen to the weather forecast very carefully.

Here are some of the fun activities on offer;

Alpaca feeding and handling
Leading an alpaca with a lead reign
Getting up close and personal so you can feel that fleece.
Examining fleeces to get some idea of what a high quality fleece is like.
Comparing and contrasting alpaca fleece to sheep's wool both raw and as rovings and knitting yarn.

For the younger enthusiast we have a coloring competition and an opportunity to make a bird nesting holder using alpaca fleece that is unsuitable for processing.
They can also scan a micro chip and work out the alpaca number and see its temperature.

All pretty neat stuff and fun.

Call on by if you are into National Alpaca Farm Day

Click here to take the Mulberry Alpacas survey.
Adrian Stewart - click here to go to Mulberry Alpacas.
Click here to register for the Mulberry Alpacas Newsletter.
Click here to find out about National Alpaca Farm Day 2007.

Alpaca farmer Bill Johnson and some friends talk with TODAY’s Al Roker about these nice animals and their fleece covering.........

Well believe it or not twice in one year AOBA have managed to get alpacas onto national television. That's good going in anybodies books and as this weekend is the all new National Alpaca Farm Day the timing is nothing short of perfect.

Apparently 10 million viewers watch this show.....and I have to assume some of them may be potential alpaca farmers.



Its probably going to rain tomorrow according to the forecast so a perfect opportunity to clean out the barn and the classroom.

Click here to take the Mulberry Alpacas survey.
Adrian Stewart - click here to go to Mulberry Alpacas.
Click here to register for the Mulberry Alpacas Newsletter.
Click here to find out about National Alpaca Farm Day 2007.

How the weeks fly by. There are now only two days before the start of National Alpaca Farm Day.

AOBA the national alpaca organisation has asked Abenaki Acres to represent alpacas and National Alpaca Farm Day on the NBC news program The Today Show this Thursday morning. They will be there with four alpacas - two huacayas from Abenaki and two suris from Meadowgate Farm.



Tune in and see alpacas on national TV!

There has also been plenty of advertising and promotion in local and regional press but we the farmers have little idea of just how many people will show up on the day... for our part the farm will be clean and tidy and there may even be some bottles of water around.

However, our friends in Mcminnville have organised portable toilets, a mobile catering wagon and a wine tasting courtesy of the local vineyard...... so we do not know exactly what to expect....

Click here to take the Mulberry Alpacas survey.
Adrian Stewart - click here to go to Mulberry Alpacas.
Click here to register for the Mulberry Alpacas Newsletter.
Click here to find out about National Alpaca Farm Day 2007.

.........and you could win a beautiful alpaca book worth $100.

All you have to do to enter our Harvest Moon Competition is visit the Mulberry Alpacas web site home page and click on the 3B logo....... then answer the following simple question:

If you buy an alpaca from Mulberry Alpacas, how much does it cost per day to board that alpaca?

Email your answer to harvestmoon@mulberryalpacas.com



All the correct answers we receive will go into a draw and one lucky winner will be picked at random and receive a copy of:

Alpacas – Synthesis of a Miracle by Michael Safley. Value $100.00

Click here to take the Mulberry Alpacas survey.
Adrian Stewart - click here to go to Mulberry Alpacas.
Click here to register for the Mulberry Alpacas Newsletter.
Click here to find out about National Alpaca Farm Day 2007.

Yes, its alpaca competition time once again….. and you could win a beautiful alpaca book worth $100.

Very soon we will be starting our next competition, it will be a simple question based on our new Buy Board and Breed program for alpacas. Something we call simply 3B

All the correct answers we receive will go into a draw and one lucky winner will be picked at random and receive a copy of:

Alpacas – Synthesis of a Miracle by Michael Safley. Value $100.00



What is the Harvest Moon ?
Harvest is from an Anglo-Saxon word "haerfest" which meant 'Autumn.' It then came to refer to the season for reaping and gathering grain and other grown products. The full moon nearest the autumnal equinox is called the Harvest Moon. So in ancient traditions Harvest Festivals were traditionally held on or near the Sunday of the Harvest Moon. This year the harvest moon is on September 26th.

Click here to take the Mulberry Alpacas survey.
Adrian Stewart - click here to go to Mulberry Alpacas.
Click here to register for the Mulberry Alpacas Newsletter.
Click here to find out about National Alpaca Farm Day 2007.

A farm in West Cornwall, England has recruited two unusual security guards to protect its hens from harm. Tremayne Farm, near Camborne, has taken on two Peruvian alpacas - named William and Harry - to keep predators away.

Farm manager Giles Greenhough said: "Because of the alpacas' nature, they'll take up the role of becoming guardians of the flock."



Farm director Lisa Rowe added: "Alpacas are used extensively in Australia and New Zealand to safeguard sheep." She added: "We know that happy hens lay the tastiest eggs and for that reason, we recruited the alpacas."

Click here to take the Mulberry Alpacas survey.
Adrian Stewart - click here to go to Mulberry Alpacas.
Click here to register for the Mulberry Alpacas Newsletter.
Click here to find out about National Alpaca Farm Day 2007.

Today I drove to San Fransisco and back which is almost 800 miles so there wasn't really much opportunity to do anything else.

Click here to take the Mulberry Alpacas survey.
Adrian Stewart - click here to go to Mulberry Alpacas.
Click here to register for the Mulberry Alpacas Newsletter.
Click here to find out about National Alpaca Farm Day 2007.

My pet project to forecast the size of the national alpaca herd is rolling along but much more slowly than I had anticipated. However , it is vitally important that I collect as much data as possible from reliable sources so that the base assumptions become as accurate as possible when I run the model.

My main sources are large and highly experienced breeders such as Mike Safley and industry data that has accumulated with organisations such as ARI.
here is a sample of the type of data I am collecting.



This table shows mortality and infertility in alpaca females

age % deaths due to all causes. % becoming infertile or unable to nurse successfully.



0 – 6 months inc. birth 5 -
6 months - 1 year 3 -
1yr – 2 yrs 1 -
2yrs – 3 yrs 1 4
3yrs – 4yrs 1 1
4yrs – 5yrs 1 1
5yrs – 6yrs 1 1
6yrs – 7yrs 1 1
7yrs – 8yrs 1 1
8yrs – 9yrs 1 1
9yrs – 10yrs 1 2
10yrs – 11yrs 1 4
11yrs – 12yrs 1 6
12yrs – 13yrs 1 8
13yrs – 14yrs 10 10
14yrs – 15yrs 20 20
15yrs – 16yrs 20 40
16yrs – 17yrs 20
17yrs – 18 yrs 10
18yrs – 19yrs
19yrs - 20yrs
100 100


Click here to take the Mulberry Alpacas survey.
Adrian Stewart - click here to go to Mulberry Alpacas.
Click here to register for the Mulberry Alpacas Newsletter.
Click here to find out about National Alpaca Farm Day 2007.

The temperature has dropped quite significantly and last night snow arrived on the top of our mountain. I am hoping this is a temporary measure but for the alpacas they clearly feel at home. Of course we don't have the altitude of the Altiplano but our cold nights are a close second.
In the alpacas native home the temperature falls below freezing 360 nights of the year so winters in southern Oregon with shelter and hay are a walk in the park.

My Google rankings for www.mulberryalpacas.com are still moving around which is fascinating...and not something I normally look at until I had an e-mail last week to say we were on the first page of Google for the search term alpacas...but those of you who read the Blog know that our fame was short lived.... Quite how Mike Safley of NWA holds on to that number one slot day after day and is never budged is quite impressive.

The image project appears to have stalled and our test alpacas image is now stuck on page two which isn't bad given we put it up just three days ago but I really do want to get it onto the front page if at all possible.

I am still on baby watch so better go check the pasture and see how my alpacas are doing.

Click here to take the Mulberry Alpacas survey.
Adrian Stewart - click here to go to Mulberry Alpacas.
Click here to register for the Mulberry Alpacas Newsletter.
Click here to find out about National Alpaca Farm Day 2007.

Alpaca farmers in southern Peru were struck by a mysterious illness after a meteorite made a fiery crash to Earth in their area, regional authorities said Monday.

Around midday Saturday, villagers were startled by an explosion and a fireball that many were convinced was an airplane crashing near their remote village, located in the high Andes department of Puno in the Desaguadero region, near the border with Bolivia.
Residents complained of headaches and vomiting brought on by a "strange odor," local health department official Jorge Lopez told Peruvian radio RPP.
Seven policemen who went to check on the reports also became ill and had to be given oxygen before being hospitalized, Lopez said.
Rescue teams and experts were dispatched to the scene, where the meteorite left a 100-foot-wide (30-meter-wide) and 20-foot-deep (six-meter-deep) crater, said local official Marco Limache.
"Boiling water started coming out of the crater and particles of rock and cinders were found nearby. Residents are very concerned," he said

Click here to take the Mulberry Alpacas survey.
Adrian Stewart - click here to go to Mulberry Alpacas.
Click here to register for the Mulberry Alpacas Newsletter.
Click here to find out about National Alpaca Farm Day 2007.

London Fashion Week runs from the 15th of this month to the 20th so is now in full swing.

Only a few designers are using alpaca in their designs for the spring and summer of next year.
One of the most interesting to my way of thinking is Alice and Astrid who have been trading for almost 10 years now. Alice & Astrid integrated lifestyle are recognized for quality, elegant and inspiring lounge wear,

"Their Spring and Summer 2008 “Summer House” collections suit your every mood, evoking the joys of summer living. Alice & Astrid design unique prints, fabrics, and styles. Glamorous silk lounge wear, ready to wear and nightwear; flirty floaty chiffon's, fresh cottons and baby alpaca knits, create your own combinations of three core elements, cosy, glamorous and beach. Alice & Astrid ready to wear and Nightwear feature in the latest award winning British film, Hallam Foe."

Here are three of their knitwear garments.






Click here to take the Mulberry Alpacas survey.
Adrian Stewart - click here to go to Mulberry Alpacas.
Click here to register for the Mulberry Alpacas Newsletter.
Click here to find out about National Alpaca Farm Day 2007.

Well no sooner had we finished celebrating our arrival on page one of Google for the search term alpacas and we were back down to page number three....

What is it my mother says ...pride comes before a fall.....or something like that.

Well we don't often blow our own alpaca trumpet and sometimes you have to give just a little toot so that people at least know you have a trumpet!

Later in the day we were down to page 5 so I have to believe Google is having one of those days where it throws everything in the air and sees what happens....hopefully we will recover our position... there is a certain satisfaction in making it to the first page. And just like when you try to download some new software and it all goes horribly wrong....there is a sense of total frustration and helplessness when your web site goes into free fall.

Back to the reality of farming today running irrigation and moving logs and keeping an eye on our one pregnant female who is due this weekend.... meanwhile there is still plenty of preparation to be done for the alpaca show AlpacaMania which is in October this year. So never a dull moment.

Click here to take the Mulberry Alpacas survey.
Adrian Stewart - click here to go to Mulberry Alpacas.
Click here to register for the Mulberry Alpacas Newsletter.
Click here to find out about National Alpaca Farm Day 2007.

I have been reminded of this law in two ways today:

If you are not familiar with the law of the harvest here is my version:

First you till the ground, then you sow the seed, next you nourish the seedling and having been patient as the seasons pass, finally you get to harvest the bounty.

Now when it comes to alpaca fleece many farmers are intent on doing the harvest part first...and it just isn't going to happen. To build a fibre industry around alpaca we have to follow the stages of the harvest and we have to wait. Just as we must be patient as we wait for the seed to germinate and become the seedling, it will take time to build the fibre industry and some things we cannot accelerate. Such as the gradual consumer acceptance of a new fibre and its superior qualities. And how these will develop over time into a preference.

The second time I was reminded of this law was this evening when I discovered our website was finally onto the first page of Google results for the search term "alpacas". So when you have read this go search Google for alpacas and when you see my web site at number 7 out of 1.5 million results click through and help keep it there!!!

Joking aside. Getting there has meant that we have followed the law of the harvest.

We tilled the ground by building an alpaca web site that has interesting and useful content, next we planted the seeds by selecting the correct keywords , then we nourished the keywords by directing traffic to our web site via mailshots and other promotions, we were patient and watched the Google seasons pass by until eventually two years later we are set to reap the bounty of our efforts.

I guess I am so pleased that I have become quite romantic about the whole business...

Click here to take the Mulberry Alpacas survey.
Adrian Stewart - click here to go to Mulberry Alpacas.
Click here to register for the Mulberry Alpacas Newsletter.
Click here to find out about National Alpaca Farm Day 2007.