Today was the day when we pick out one of our SOJAA volunteers and reward them with an all expenses paid trip to a major alpaca event sometime in 2008.

Its a great incentive for members to volunteer and stand a chance of winning a really decent prize. I mean the odds are less than 20 to 1 so much better than Powerball....

This years winner was Dorothy Otten and she has elected to attend the 2008 AOBA Nationals in Sandy Utah as the official representative of SOJAA. It couldn't have gone to amore deserving member. Dorothy puts in a huge effort each year on the silent auction at our annual show Alpacamania and works away without ever complaining or asking for recognition.

Congratulations Dorothy...we are looking forward to hearing your report when you return from the Nationals.

As I start to prepare for my trip to Portland next week I thought it would be useful to run through the things you need to bear in mind if transporting alpacas over any distance.

Basically the key is preparation.

Firstly the trailer needs to be in good working order. Tires at the correct pressure, lights working, hitch and safety chains in good condition. Then think about punctures, you may want to carry an instant tire repair aerosol and or a spare wheel. Don't forget you will need some means of getting your trailer off the ground to repair the puncture. So either a jack or if you have a double axle trailer you can buy a small ramp that you drive onto and this leaves one wheel dangling in the air. Make sure you have the correct size of wheel wrench. The wheel nuts on your trailer may be a different size to those on your truck.

Have a dress rehearsal one sunny spring day much better to learn where everything is and how everything works when you aren't cowering in driving rain one dark night at the side of the interstate.

Essentially you need a system which will allow you to change a wheel without offloading all the alpacas...obvious really but think about it......

In the case that you do need to off load then you will need head collars, lead ropes and if you are well organised a portable pen so you can coral them up once they are off the trailer.

You may want to carry drinking water and food for the alpacas either for during the journey or in case you become stuck for any reason. Mechanical breakdown, weather or a road accident.

Keep a small alpaca first aid kit on board to cope with cuts and grazes and of course a thermometer and of course a fire extinguisher.

Always useful to pack a copy of the farm and ranch guide..then if you do need help you will be able to find a friendly alpaca farm somewhere nearby to give you a helping hand.

My trailer has powered fans and interior/exterior lights so I will also be making sure the battery trailer is fully charges before I leave.

As I said at the begining Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance.

Happy trailering

A group of local citizens has joined together to create the Oregon Animal Sanctuary. The work already done includes:
preliminary research and business planning
formed board of directors
incorporated/registered with State of Oregon and IRS
found suitable property and completed due diligence
raised 1/3 of property cost
hired consultant to guide strategic planning and much more.

Lloyd Matthew Haines, the sanctuary's founding donor, is in the process of purchasing a 55-acre farm for the Oregon Animal Sanctuary. It's located in the scenic Applegate Valley. We're calling the acreage Double Oak Farm in honor of a pair of magnificent Oregon White Oak trees on the property.

Double Oak Farm has a large irrigated pasture, year-round spring water, and plenty of room for spacious animal habitats. A pristine cold-water creek with steelhead trout runs alongside the property. The farm abuts thousands of acres of undeveloped national forest with a scenic hiking trail leading up into the Siskiyou Mountains.

Double Oak Farm will be an ideal temporary or permanent home for farm animals and house pets who would otherwise be euthanized or slaughtered. They will rescue a wide variety of domesticated animals, including llamas, alpacas, horses, cows, burros, goats, sheep, pigs, chickens, geese, rabbits, guinea pigs, cats, dogs, and others.

If you would like to donate simply go to the Sanctuary web site and pay using Pay Pal.

Very quiet around Mulberry Alpacas today. This morning we cut down a whole load of weeds that were hanging drying out near the boundary fence. So the place looks a great deal smarter than it did yesterday.
I also took a call from a guy nearby who has rescued two llamas and wants to know how to cut their toe nails....maybe something he should have asked before he bought the llamas. Anyway "we are where we are" and I have offered to go round on Sunday and show him how its done.....which should be good for a laugh if nothing else.

We are now almost into December and the shortest day is only a few weeks away and then the sun can start to rise once more......roll on thos4e lazy summer evenings....

Later this week I must check out the alpaca trailer prior to my trip to Portland on Monday to collect our pregnant females.

I am occasionally accused of wandering off the topic of alpacas and alpaca farming on my Blog. Well I make no excuse I delve into the detail and I skirt around the edges of this unusual lifestyle and the animals we work with. This next story is a camelid story and I think you will enjoy it.....

India plans to send combat-trained camels to solve the transport headache facing a fledgling UN-African Union peacekeeping force in Sudan’s strife-torn Darfur region.



Members of India’s Border Security Force ride camels in New Delhi. India’s Border Security Force (BSF) said it received a request last week from the United Nations to send the specially schooled animals to the troubled African region.

"In principle the BSF has agreed to the request and will wait for the UN to approach it through the ministry of home affairs," said the chief of India’s elite 200,000-member frontier force, A. K. Mitra.

Last week the head of the UN department of peacekeeping operations, said they may fail to protect civilians in Darfur without the required air mobility and firepower.

The United States also said it was "deeply troubled" by the government of Sudan’s "foot-dragging and obstruction" on the joint UN-African Union peacekeeping force in Darfur.

But diplomats say several Western countries able to provide hardware such as helicopters are reluctant to do so because of a lack of confidence in the command and control structure for the joint force.

The BSF in India also warned that any deployment of trained camels to transport foot soldiers in Darfur may be some time away.

"All our camels are engaged in border-guarding duties and this whole process could take a long time," said BSF spokesman Vijay Singh, adding the agency could currently spare up to 60 of its 700-plus battle-ready camels for Sudan.

Indian border security forces use camels for long-range reconnaissance, including night patrols to track arms and drugs smugglers heading into the western states of Rajasthan and Gujarat from nearby Pakistan.

India and South Africa are the only countries known to use camels for military purposes.

BSF deputy commandant Kamal Kumar Rathore, who heads the force’s camel division, said India could purchase the animals from the open market and transport them to Sudan after a crash course in combat.

"There is no dearth of camels and we can make outright purchases, put them through a capsule course of four months and dispatch them to that country," Rathore said.

He said the camels conscripted into the BSF are trained not to react to gunfire and are taught to crawl and follow other "soldierly movements".

"Our camels move up to 80 kilometres (50 miles) with short breaks carrying ammunition and two mounts and they would be perfect.... I would be happy to lead them into Sudan," Rathore said.

Transferring the animals could be a logistical headache — although the Indian air force is equipped with huge Russian-made Illushin-76 transport aircraft capable of handling tanks and trucks.

The deployment of camels would be another peacekeeping first for India.

Last November, the country sent 125 policewomen to Liberia — the first time the UN has deployed an all-female combat unit in a trouble zone.

Now isn't that amazing?

The weather as we head towards December is just gorgeous and the barn cat kittens who are now just 4 months old took advantage of the opportunity to sit in the afternoon sun and soak up some rays.
The alpacas were all enjoying the sun and wandering around the hay field, which is always a treat once the last cutting of hay has been taken.

All was quiet on the farm so we took the dogs for a walk along the railroad tracks. This always feels very naughty as walking on the railway lines in the UK is strictly forbidden with heavy penalties for those who get caught. But here in rural Oregon its just a pleasant place to walk without any traffic and so the dogs can wander off their leads.

AlpacaWatch.com is a Yahoo group site where members can post information concerning health issues, outbreaks of illness, or other challenges facing the American alpaca herd, and freely read of the problems other farmers are facing. Its purpose is to provide early notice of events concerning the health of alpacas as well as to provide a clearing house for theveterinary community where these vets may exchange information about alpaca problems they have observed in practice, discuss proposed treatments and freely exchange ideas.

In order to join this list you must be a member of AlpacaWatch. Membership is open to camelid owners, veterinarian students and veterinarians. Posts on this site are reserved for discussion of medical, environmental, and other issues that impact the health of camelids.

If you want to and join go to the AlpacaWatch web site.

In Ashland the small town where we live the day after Thanksgiving is always the Festival of Light Parade. The Festival of Light, is a community event put on by the Chamber of Commerce There is entertainment on the Plaza, followed by Santa’s Parade at 5:00 pm and a Grand Illumination with a countdown led by Santa and Mrs. Claus who officially turn on over one million lights all over downtown.

Childlike wonder at the magic of the town takes over as you view the lights, the decorations and the beautiful storefront windows.

The warmth and friendliness experienced at community events underscores Ashland’s small town values and gives everyone a chance to run into friends and neighbors celebrating community spirit.

Today is Thanksgiving on the alpaca farm and there is much to be thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving to all all our friends, neighbours, clients and employees.

At this time of year the alpaca market goes very quiet. After Thanksgiving there appears to be some activity before the end of the year which I attribute to astute tax planning but I have no evidence to support that.
My own tax position is never totally clear until the year end is over and it is too late to rush out and buy some alpacas in order to shelter some income from tax....but maybe some people are more organised than I ?

Activity starts to pick up again once we are into the New Year and before the annual flurry of alpaca shows, shearing and birthing gets underway.

Next year is of course a Presidential Election year and some tell me this will make it different but that post the election the alpaca market will pick up.

Time will tell....

Navidad the oldest alpaca girl on the farm had to be euthanized today. She was recently pregnant but unable to make blood cells and had already received a transfusion. Now two weeks later she needed another. Her kidneys were starting to fail and we had no idea what the underlying cause might be. Its always a tough call but in the end she had lived a long life.
Navidad was one of the original alpaca imports into America many year ago so we can't say for sure how old she is. Her daughter Sorpessa is still with us and pregnant to Godfather so we have high hopes for Navidad's grandcria when it arrives.



The temperature fell last night and almost hit freezing at our altitude of 2000 feet. Higher up on Grizzly Peak the first snow of the winter arrived.

You may recall that last Monday I reported the very sad case of a cria which had been killed. Fellow alpaca farmers around the country are now donating the money to a reward fund.

Here in Tana's own words is what happened.....


"I came home from work late on Wednesday October 10, around 9:00.
I went out to the barns to check on everyone and feed grain.
My males and females are in barns that are separated by the driveway.
I immediately noticed that my newest cria was missing. (she was a
little huacaya female born Saturday October 6)..she was FIVE days
old.
Mom was cushed out side, but all of the other girls were standing in
the far corner of the barn which was unusual.
I went on " alert" and knew something was wrong.
I ran in the house and got the flashlight and started looking in the
pasture.

I saw the baby laying a ways down the slope ..and knew something was
wrong.
I walked up to her, hoping she was not dead, but perhaps I could do
something to help her.
She had been decapitated, and her head and part of her neck was
missing. It was the sickest most awful thing I have EVER seen, and I
work for a vet so I see alot...

I cannot explain the horror and shock I went thru, but wanted to
pass on this information.
I contacted the Sheriff's department and they sent out two Police
officers. They have been extremely kind and courteous and efficient.
They found were it appears someone (2 or more) pushed down the woven
fence, crawled under the strand of barbed wire, and walked thru the
taller weeds/grass thru the back of the girls pasture...caught the
baby and did this grisly task. Sometime between dusk (6:00-8:00)

Briefly...we just purchased our place and moved here in June.
The pastures were set up, and we have been remodeling them a little
at a time.
The girls pasture enclosed 5 acres, but alot of it is swampy, and we
only keep the acre near the barn and on the hill and slope mowed.
All of the pastures have 5 foot woven fencing topped with barbed
wire..it was here when we moved in.
I have ONE guardian dog...she is a year old and very protective of
her alpacas, but not extremely aggressive.
I think they either intimidated her, distracted her, or locked her
in one of the other barns ( I found the bottom of the inside of one
of the barn doors chewed and we have never locked her in there,
but...that may have been there b-4).

The deputies that came out spent two hours out here. They took
pictures and walked the pastures with me looking for
evidence...there was very little, and very little blood. They think
the baby was choked before they took her head, or they collected the
blood too.

Apparently they have gained information of some satanic cult ritual
that takes place October 10 and 11 that involves sacrificing a goats
head..and they believe this may be related, or some twisted kids
idea of a dare.
The Chief of the Sheriff's department contacted me today and want to
publicize this to get the word out."

Tana L. Ward




*********************

We believe the alpaca community should step forward and surpass the
efforts of the Humane Society and the Animal Defense Council. We
challenge every member of the alpaca community to contribute to a
fund to offer an even greater reward to ferret out the sicko's responsible
for this crime. We have opened a dedicated account with a $25 contribution
and an additional $900 contributed this week. If a majority of alpaca ranches
contributed $10-$25 or $? we could easily bring this reward fund to $25K,
even $50K. Contributions have already been received from 36 ranches in
19 states and Switzerland!

The faster a large fund is raised, the sooner it can be offered to the
Walworth County Sheriff. Quick action on our part will provide a greater
opportunity for continuing publicity and more likelihood that this case can
be solved.

Come on folks, let's help out a fellow breeder. We'll take your committment
in any form... send checks made out to "Alpaca Reward Fund" Or, call us and
we can put your donation on your credit card. PayPal funds can be sent
to jess@acresoflove.com. With YOUR support we can do this! If this fund
should be unclaimed, all donors will be consulted as to disposition, including
possibilities such as funding ARF, replacing Tana's cria or value, etc.

Checks should be made payable to Alpaca Reward Fund and mailed to:

Jess & Cookie Bowers
Acres of Love Alpaca Ranch
11006 N 92nd East Ave
Owasso, OK 74055-6531

Credit card contributions should be phoned to:

Cookie Bowers 918-327-3519

PayPal funds should be sent to: jess@acresoflove.com

Today was a time off from alpaca farming and an opportunity to sample some local wines.
Applegate Valley UnCorked Fall Barrel Tour. Tickets are just $35 and include wine tasting, barrel tasting and paired appetizers at each participating winery along with a free Riedel Wine Glass. We will be celebrating the end of harvest with our First Annual Barrel Tour.

This is a self guided tour which featured wine tasting from the barrel and a special wine only available to purchase that weekend.

Participating wineries include: Schmidt Family Vineyards, Rosella's Vineyard, LongSword Vineyard at Fiasco Winery, Jacksonville Vineyards at Fiasco Winery, Devitt Winery, Bridgeview Vineyards-Applegate Valley location, Troon Vineyards, Valley View, Wooldridge Creek.

Today was the annual general meeting of the State of Jefferson Alpaca Association and the last meeting of 2007.

We had two directors standing down and two new directors appointed.

The meeting didn't have a huge turnout but that isn't unexpected giving the vast geographical area that we cover.

The year as a whole has been quite a success and a good time was had by all. Thanks to White City Fire District Number 3 for the use of their meeting room.

I sometimes toy with the idea of doing an article entitled "A year in the life of an alpaca farmer"....but so far it hasn't left the drawing board as an idea..maybe now would be a good time to start fall is here and that is one of the most relaxing times on the farm. The weeds and grass have stopped growing and irrigation is no longer required. Breedings are completed for the following season and the alpaca shows have all come to an end.



I wonder if my kids even know what a drawing board is?