In an attempt to genetically improve the species, a group of scientists from the University of Huancavelica, led by specialist Jamie Ruiz Bejar, is working on cloning a Peruvian alpaca for the first time.

In statements made to Andina news agency, Bejar explained that the first step in the process had involved the in vitro reproduction of embryos using choice female eggs.

He stated that semen had not been necessary for the fertilization process.

"We take the ovaries out and use a syringe to extract the oocytes, we then mix them with a solution so they keep their ph and wait for them to mature naturally", said the specialist.

It was reported that after 26 hours of maturing, chemical activation takes place. 48 hours later zygotes are produced and after eight days scientists have embryos. This is the stage the scientists from the University of Huancavelica are in.

"It's long-term work, but we hope to have the country's first trans-genetic camelid", said Bejar. "We've produced 300 alpaca embryos, but it's complicated and we've only just begun. The last step is cloning."

He explained that the goal was to improve the quality of alpacas and llamas in Peru.

Frankly I find this is just amazing....of all the things you might do to help Peruvian alpaca farmers this would be a very long way down the list.....

Just in case you hadn't noticed.
The Economic Stimulus Act of 2008 Tax Incentives Business owners can elect to expense up to $250,000 (increased from $128,000) of qualifying property (up to $800,000 in value) instead of taking depreciation for assets put into service in 2008.
Businesses are now allowed a 50% bonus depreciation on assets placed into service in 2008.
Here is an example of how these new tax benefits might be calculated:

• A $500,000 asset is placed into service in 2008
• $250,000 may be expensed under Section 179
• $250,000 remains to be depreciated
• A further $125,000 may be expensed as Bonus Depreciation (50% of $250,000)
• Asset now has a $125,000 base from which to take standard 1st year depreciation
• For this example we'll assume 5-year property = $25,000 1st year depreciation
• Total deduction in 2008 is $400,000 on the asset
Remaining $100,000 cost of the asset is recovered under the otherwise applicable rules for computing depreciation

As always check with your own CPA before making any investment based on these tax incentives.

ah! The sun is shining and spring is definitely in the air...how do I know this you ask? because the daffodils are breaking through from their wintry domain, The Grange are selling strawberry plants and I was bitten by a mosqito...
http://www.mulberryalpacas.com/alpacasforsale.php

There is some good debate taking place about alpaca EPDs at the moment and if you are interested in buying alpacas that will shortly have published EPDs then check out what I have.

Even though it is only March the planning is underway for our next alpaca show Alpacamania 2008.
This year we are adding some pretty strong clauses to our vet check. Not really because of a serious problem but because of one incident last year. So the words have been drafted and as of yesterday AOBA has approved them. Firm but fair is my view.

AlpacaMania 2008 Vet Check
Compliance with the minimum veterinary standards as set forth in the current AOBA Show Rules does not guarantee entry to the show. While SOJAA will make their best efforts to ensure that animals entering the show are healthy and free from infectious disease, SOJAA accepts no responsibility or liability whatsoever for animals that become infected while attending the show.
Before the show
If prior to the show a suspected medical condition is brought to the attention of the show organizers (SOJAA) , then following consultation with the appointed show veterinarian SOJAA may request additional medical testing as a condition of entry to the show. All costs associated with such testing will be borne by the exhibitor.
Arriving at the show
If following examination by the show veterinarian an animal presents a health risk in the opinion of the show veterinarian, then the show organizers (SOJAA) reserve the right to refuse entry of that animal into the show. Where appropriate all animals in the trailer containing the suspect animal may also be refused entry into the show.
During the show
If an exhibitor enters animals into the show knowing them to be infected or to have been exposed to infection and fails to disclose this information then the show organizers (SOJAA) reserve the right to ban that exhibitor from all future shows organized by SOJAA.
If during the course of the show an animal displays signs of illness or infection ,this must be brought to the attention of the show organizers or the show veterinarian immediately. Every effort will be made to care for the animal. Where appropriate the exhibitor will be asked to quarantine the animal or remove it from the show grounds.
After the show
If after leaving the show animals display signs of infection or illness SOJAA would appreciate it if exhibitors would contact the show organizers (SOJAA).

I am not sure exactly when but a hobo spider has sunk his teeth into my wrist and to cut a ling story short I am now on antibiotics for 10 days.



The actual bite is not always painful, but a small, hard area typically appears within 30 minutes, surrounded by an expanding red welt that may reach 5-15 cm in diameter. Blisters form within 15-35 hours, which eventually crust over the cratered wound. A scab can develop over necrotic tissue that eventually sloughs off. In some cases, tissue loss is so severe that surgical removal of damaged tissue and repair are needed. The fully developed lesion may reach 3 cm or more in diameter. Lesions may take several months to heal, and frequently leave a permanent scar.

The occurrence of systemic illness is variable. However, the most common symptom is a severe headache, sometimes occurring within 10 hours (sometimes ~30 minutes) that does not respond to aspirin. The headaches have been compared to migraines and may persist for a week, sometimes accompanied by nausea, weakness, fatigue, temporary loss of memory, and vision impairment. No deaths due to T. agrestis bites have been reported.

This has cramped my style with the alpacas as the wrist is really tender....(no need to send flowers or chocolates) I will be a brave soldier!

What a great start to the week.

The following is news to most members of ARI and more than a few are frustrated that if ARI were doing this research then why was nothing said at the recent F2F or in any of the many discussions on EPDs that followed. Why the secrecy ARI?

Apparently the ARI Board of Directors began discussing the possibility of developing an online application to be integrated with ARI’s software to help breeders determine Estimated Progeny Difference (EPD) some months ago. This discussion was guided by ARI Director Dr. Wayne Jarvis who has spent several years working with Cornell University examining how other livestock industries handle EPDs and developing an EPD program for use with alpacas.

Wayne has been trying to get an EPD initiative going through his GAIN programme for several years without any apparent success.

ARI began evaluating the development of this application in their Alpaca Information Management (AIMS) system shortly after that August meeting. Since that time, they have been investigating the technological resources necessary to implement it. However, it was important to them to find out if this was something that the membership would find valuable.

In December the ARI members had the opportunity to participate in a survey to help identify the things that they would find important for the Board to consider in a strategic plan. This was followed up by our strategic planning retreat in which many ARI members discussed the survey results to identify the most important ideas put forward. Developing an EPD application was identified as one of these strategic priority ideas.

Really, how fascinating, I would love to know how many members suggested this idea...

"As we move forward with determining the feasibility of implementing this new service, we will keep you informed of our progress through future communications."

Well this is truly interesting on the one hand the ARI started work back in August almost 7 months ago now. But are still determining the feasibility of the software ......

ARI don’t mention a thing about EPDs at F2F in Vegas….yet they claim it is was one of the top strategic ideas to come from the membership!! Give me a break most members hadn’t heard about EPDs (including the AOBA board ) until they heard Brett Kaysen speak at F2F in Vegas last month. After the survey.....

.... the challenge is not the software or the technology the challenge is getting the buy in from the membership. Collecting EPD data requires meticulous record keeping and reporting
its all about commitment guys not software!

RED BLUFF - Red Bluff's Fiber on the Foot, is now in its sixth year, and shifting to a multi-species fiber producer’s festival and livestock show.

This event is held the first full weekend in May. This year it is May 3 and 4. Fiber on the Foot was started by local alpaca farmers sharing their advertising dollars and enthusiasm to create a fun educational event for the public. According to Irene Fuller "That was when one said alpaca and the unfamiliar asked what color their eggs were?"

(ah how times have changed now we all know they are golden eggs!)

Like other fiber producers festivals such as Boonville, and Lambtown USA in Dixon, Red Bluff's Fiber on the Foot is a fiber producer's festival and livestock show. All fiber producers get to present their farm products, wares and livestock to the interested public in a casual setting. At the same time the avid fiber artist gets to buy direct from the producer. Many farms offer for sale livestock from their breeding program.

The public is entertained by free demonstrations in spinning, weaving, felting, dyeing, shearing and talks. It is a win-win for the end user, the producer, the mini-mills and the general public.

It is not uncommon for recognized fiber/wool events to draw over 20,000 attendees. That is good for agriculture, communities, and the public. This is the goal of Fiber on the Foot - Fiber Producers Festival and Livestock Show.

All farms raising fiber-producing livestock are invited to participate. Breeders of livestock guardian dogs are also welcome.

Information is available by calling 527-5180, or going to the show web site.

If you can’t participate but want to be an event Sponsor, for $200 you get a full page in the event program (600 to 700 copies distributed). Your LOGO on the sponsors page, linked to your farm web site. This will stay on the site for a minimum of 10 months.

6th Annual Fiber on the Foot
Natural Fiber Producer’s
Livestock Show & Festival
May 3, 2008 9:00 am – 5pm & May 4, 2008 9am – 4pm
Tehama District Fair Grounds, Red Bluff CA

Today I received an e-mail from Janet the lady who kindly set up a web site last year and coordinated the tracking and reporting of the unfortuanetly named Alpaca Snots outbreak.
Janet was in turn sending out an e-mail she had received and you can read the contents below.

If you have experienced anything similar please pass on the details to Janet at the address below :

mountash@yahoo.com

I have a question about `Snots'. Here is an email that I received,

"I was wondering if anyone is reporting problems with either stillborn
cria's or weak cria's whose dams were exposed to the snots when they
were pregnant? I have never lost a cria in four years and suddenly I
have had a stillborn and a very weak cria born two days ago. Both dams
were exposed to snots in October. I have 4 more cria's due this spring
whose dams were exposed so I am a little worried. Have you heard
anything? I might post this on the forum at alpacanation."

Has anyone else had cria born that seem to have been effected from the
Snots outbreak?

Janet
mountash@yahoo.com

AOBA today announced the Alpaca Emphasis Guide........

Which is very weird because I announced it on this Blog back on August 27th of 2007 when it was published on the NWA web site. The AOBA board of directors met in Louisville Kentucky on May 16, 2007 and approved the Alpaca Emphasis Guide.

Jeepers its been in the oven for 10 months almost as long as it takes to grow a healthy cria and the AOBA announcement serves to confuse the issue by saying it isn't part of the show rules but it is a significant step forward for the show rules....and that its a guide for a member planning to show but primarily for judges....this is one schizophrenic guide!

If you want to read it... well then you will have to go to www.alpacashows.com but thats an AOBA members only site so if you want to read it and you are not currently an AOBA member then use this The Alpaca Emphasis Guide


The Emphasis Guide is not a part of the AOBA show rules but rather it is a guide for a member who is considering putting an alpaca in the show ring.

History
The idea for the Alpaca Emphasis Guide began at a meeting of judges. The idea was first proposed at the 2005 AOBA National Show in Salt Lake City as a means of augmenting the AOBA handbook which identifies positive and negative alpaca traits but does not give any guidelines as to the relative importance. The handbook also failed to distinguish the relative importance of traits between younger and older alpacas.
During subsequent meetings, the judges discussed and modified the original chart. Since then the chart has been reviewed, edited and approved by the Judges Training and Certification Committee (JTCC), the AOBA Show Rules Committee (SRC), and the Judges Advisory Committee (JAC). The guide was implemented for the first time at the July 2007 Form and Function Clinic in Golden, Colorado.

Purpose
The primary use for the guide is to train alpaca judges. The purpose of the guide is to help judges consistently prioritize alpaca traits in the show ring. The guide identifies important traits and catalogues them into three classifications:
1) priority emphasis,
2) moderate emphasis
3) lesser emphasis.

The chart is based on three guiding principles:
1) the form to function aspect of conformation
2) the textile value of fleece
3) the heritability of the traits involved.

The guide also takes into account whether the alpaca is male or female and their age: juvenile, yearling, and adult.

The warmer weather of recent days appears to be gone and wet weather is forecast for this coming weekend so the clouds are already gathering. This is a double shame as tonight is a total eclipse of the moon.

It will be the last total lunar eclipse until 2010.

The easy-to-watch event will play out in several stages as Earth's shadow blocks sunlight from shining on the moon. Weather permitting, the eclipse will be visible from all locations in the United States, according to NASA. Along the Oregon and northern California coasts, the moon will rise during the early stages of the eclipse, however.



Not really sure if the alpacas can figure out whats going on as it will get very dark then as the full moon comes out again I guess it will lighten up....clouds permitting.

I have recently been dipping into the book Understanding Alpaca Breeding by Richard M. Bourdon I have been speaking to the publishers Prentice Hall in New York to see if we can get permission to put chapter 12 of his book onto the AOBA web site for 12 months. My argument is that it might actually help them sell some copies of the book.....chapter 12 is about Large Scale Genetic Evaluation and features EPDs so relevant to the project I am doing for the Affiliate Congress.

Okay a bit low on news today but I have been out of action getting an MRI scan on my neck...lets just say I am glad I did caving as a school boy so I have no fear of enclosed dark spaces......

The weather is set to change but today there is definitely spring in the air I swear you can smell it and the bees are starting t emerge from their winter quarters so I am hopeful the spring is now not too far away. The weather forecast for this weekend is not in total agreement with my hopes and expectations I have to say.

The alpacas all look well as I mentioned the other day the chickens are now back in their stride and laying eggs on a regular basis.

Just a few more days and we will be back into the burn season Saturday March 1st and have the opportunity to get rid of all the wood and scrub that has accumulated over the winter months. I must make a mental note to check that our burn permit is still in force.

Now is the time to service all the equipment on the farm before the long hard summer season arrives. Last week we did the gator and the tractor so I guess the lawn mowers, weed whackers and chain saw are next on my list.

I must also find out when we are truly out of the risk of freezing so I can test some of the irrigation system. I can't do a full test until the irrigation canal is flooded which is a way off yet. The irrigation reservoir is still only 67% full so we could do with some more rain even factoring in the snow melt.

The latest news from the fibre cooperative is very positive.
Profit Distribution
AFCNA (the Alpaca Fibre Coopertive of North America) are anxiously awaiting the final tally on the 2006 clip so that they can compute the amount of the distribution checks to be sent to members.
The checks represent the member’s share of profits from the 2007 fiscal year. They will reflect the proportional share of net proceeds of the clip submitted by each member based on a 3 year rolling average.
AFCNA Elections
Candidates include:

Carol Boswell
Larry Vellozzi
Joyce Judy
Mike Green
Ryan Maas
John Merrell

There are three AFCNA Director positions to fill and its good to see that John Merrell and Larry Vellozzi are both from the AOBA Affiliate SoJAA. Its always something of a lottery with national orgainisations and their elections most of the candidates are unkown to the voters. So word of mouth and "voting clubs" play a large part in who gets elected. Maybe even people reading this blog will vote for Johna and Larry I certainly hope so.

2007 Clip Collection
John Merrell the current president says "Reports are coming in from around the Country about AFCNA members working together to pool clip in order to meet the minimum amounts needed for the co-op to assist with shipping expenses. This is good news indeed!"

Remember, in order to be credited to the 2007 clip, shipments must be received by February 29, 2008. More information is available on the member web site.

After the great feedback on Fridays post which was written by Dr Sara Via on EPDs I have decided to include more of her thoughts on this topic. So here is Sara back by popular demand.

"I got interested in alpacas because I wanted to be able to utilize my training in quantitative genetics (the source of EPDS) in a practical non-academic way.
Just to review, an Expected Progeny Difference EPD is the predicted difference between the average trait value of an individuals progeny and the mean trait value in the group of animals for which the EPDs have been estimated. Estimations involve probabilities, but an estimated progeny difference is far better than a "guess". In the same vein, "expected" is statistical jargon for "predicted using a whole ton of math").

An individual alpaca's EPD for a given trait is estimated using information from all of its relatives.
This means that even a new born cria has an EPD if its relatives have been measured. Using the entire pedigree really speeds things up relative to older methods that only used the progeny. So, it isn't necessary to worry that a stud will be decrepit before his EPD is estimated reliably. Anyway, additional measurements on an individual in the first few years of life, and then on its offspring increase the accuracy of its EPD estimate.
Fortunately, when EPDs are reported they come with an indication of their accuracy, which is important to take into account when making your alpaca breeding decisions.

This post is getting long, but I wanted to comment on two other issues- first, in a perfect
world it would be great to measure everything and calculate alpaca EPDs for conformation traits, birth weights, weight gain and other indices of vigor, as well as for fleece traits. However, the experience in the Ideal Alpaca Community has been that "just"
getting fleece measurements is enough of a challenge to start with. One good thing about the way that the fleece data have been collected is that the measurements are reported to the database directly from Yocum-McColl, which cuts down on errors and on the temptation to just not send in the measurements that aren't what the breeder was hoping for.

Lastly, the purpose of the Studmasters male alpacas in the IAC is not to restrict the group of males used for breeding within the community, but to provide a reference set of excellent studs whose progeny will be found on numerous farms. This is one very important way that the environmental variation that mentioned is handled in EPD estimates. Breeders in the IAC will have many other sires that have produced progeny this year.
The important thing is that all of those alpacas are measured and included in the population for which EPDs are estimated. Then we will see how the Studmasters actually stack up relative to other alpaca males in the group. We probably want to add some additional Studmasters to increase the genetic variability in the reference group (and replace those that are getting old), and these are likely to come from the pool of males that are measured each year." Sara Via
Professor of Biology, University of Maryland Owner, Meadowlark Farm Alpacas
4811 Manor Lane
Ellicott City, MD 21042

Its a beautiful day here on the alpaca farm the sun is shining and there isn't a cloud in the sky.
The forecast isn't too great for next weekend, but we will worry about that later.
One of my longest standing customers called today they live on the other side of town and bought two fiber boys from us some years ago now.
They have been processing the fibre and so were calling to see what day shearing is this year.

Well the answer is that shearing is on May 11th,,,but anyway they are getting into the fiber and now want to purchase a white male...which is good news. So they have a choice there is Santo at 250 lbs and still intact...or Johnny Wilkinson at 90 lbs and cute as can be... I wonder which will take their fancy? I will keep you posted.

I did read an article about treating the E-Mac parasite in the latest edition of the Calpaca newsletter and it was written by Dr Cebra at OSU in Courvallis. He did recommend the Corid treatment for alpacas which is what I have planned ... but didn't mention the Thiamine injections which I am planning to give at the same time. Anyway I have dropped him a line so we will see what he has to say on the subject when he eventually replies.

For those of you that enjoyed yesterdays piece on alpaca EPDs by Dr Sara Via the following may be of interest.

Alpacs and EPDs what next?

The key to successful breeding using EPDS

Start using EPDs in your alpaca breeding now!

How EPDs help you breed better alpacas.

The discussion of EPDs in alpacas is still going strong and today I was copied on a piece written by Dr Sara Via at the University of Maryland. Its well worth reading as it clears up one or two misconceptions about how EPDs are derived and how they can be used.

"Concerning the issue of comparing the IAC animals to the national alpaca
herd-- we can't directly compare the average values of the fiber traits in the IAC herd to the averages in the national herd, because we don't necessarily have access to fiber measurements for a random sample of the national herd. (see below for why it is a definite no-no to directly compare EPDs between animals in the IAC herd and animals in another group for which EPDs have been obtained).

What we can do, however, is track how much progress has been made within the IAC herd itself, because we will know and record the average values for each of the fiber traits every year after shearing. Because EPDs are expressed as a predicted deviation of an individuals progeny trait values from the average in the population, it is necessary to update the average used in the analysis every few years (more frequently when establishing an EPD program). But, this updating aside, we will know where we started, and after a few years, we can determine if the averages of the fiber traits have improved (i.e., mean diameter thinner, crimp higher, etc) or not.

It may be a reasonable assumption to make that the averages in the IAC herd now are about the same as in the national herd, and if so, then a change in the average values of fleece traits in the IAC could be interpreted as a change from the status quo in the national herd (presuming it is not improving at the same rate as the IAC herd). But that is an interpretation issue that could be debated.

Without being too technical, let me just add that you can't compare EPDs themselves between animals in different populations because each individuals EPD for a given trait is expressed relative to the mean of its herd. So, a male in the IAC virtual herd with a fiber diameter EPD of -0.2 microns cannot be compared with a male from another herd with the same EPD value unless you know the mean values in the two herds.

It is entirely possible that the average values of the IAC herd for fiber diameter etc will become so good that it will be obvious that we have improved our herd relative to the "average" individual that one can see at shows. This is of course not a quantitative measure.

Finally, a breeding program using EPDs in the way that the IAC is doing is not motivated by the desire to breed a few really exceptional animals. The goal is to breed a whole herd that is consistently excellent. Of course there will be variation around the average values, but improving the herd as a whole is the goal."
Dr. Sara Via
Department of Biology and
Department of Entomology
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742
svia@umd.edu