We awoke this morning to find the valley had been blanketed in a white carpet of snow, only about an inch and it was gone by lunchtime but it certainly delivered a timely reminder to local gardeners and alpaca farmers who were planning to wear shorts, that we are not in the frost free zone just yet....

The alpacas barely noticed the snow and just sat around chewing their cud and looking totally disinterested in what was going on. Of course they are less than one month from shearing so their fleece is very full at this time of year and extremely warm.

Now I did promise to tell you who I had voted for in the forthcoming AOBA elections and the answers are.... Monica Kline and Ian Watt...two more different people I find it hard to imagine but as my old mum says "variety is the spice of life" ....and the AOBA board certainly needs spicing up....so get your ballots completed and in the mail and may the best man or woman win!

Yesterday I mentioned that Llamas can apparently be used as golf caddies.....but I still haven't heard from anyone who can verify that story..... okay its my big brothers birthday tomorrow so I have to go into town now and send him a birthday card...

Happy alpaca farming where ever you are and enter to win the alpaca handling book...
Don't forget to check out our Spring Alpaca Competition.....

An unusual herd is being offered for sale to new homes - in the shape of 31 llamas.
The Rowett Research Institute in Aberdeen, Scotland is to auction them at a rare breed sale in Carlisle on Friday the 18th of April.

Farm manager James Law said the llamas have a variety of uses - from being exotic pets, to trekking, to keeping grass tidy and even golf caddying. (more of which later!)

The llamas were bought in 1987 and are being let go as the Rowett Research Institute prepares to merge with Aberdeen University.

Mr Law told BBC Scotland:

"They are used for trekking in upland areas. Exotic pets is really one of the main uses, and I have sold one or two for guarding sheep from foxes." "I have heard of them possibly being used as caddies on golf courses, especially in America, and they are very good at grazing the land and keeping it nice and tidy."

Now I keep my ear close to the ground when it comes to camelids but I have never heard of llamas being used as caddies on a golf course.... if anyone has heard of such a thing please drop me an e-mail as I would be fascinated to learn more.

Don't forget to check out our Spring Alpaca Competition.....

The weather looks set fair as they say in nautical circles and I have retrieved my summer shorts and exposed my pale legs to the elements once again....

Today's farm visit was from a family to the north of here and we had the most enjoyable time wandering about the farm in the summer sunshine and talking about all things alpacas. Their son has been breeding pigs and wants to get into alpacas. He had certainly done his research and asked a whole host of really great questions.

We spent about 90 minutes looking at the alpacas and at alpaca fleece and alpaca finished goods.

As they left I lent them a couple of my books. The classic Alpaca Shepherd by Mike Safley and the Marty McGee book about camleid dynamics which is an absolute must for all alpaca farmers and breeders and............ you can currently win one in our spring alpaca competition.....so check out this great book on how to handle alpacas (and llamas). Then make sure you enter our competition.

Don't forget to check out our Spring Competition.....

The voting packets have arrived for the annual Alpaca Ownesr and Breeders Association elections and we have selected our candidates and sent off the completed ballots as per the somewhat overly complicated voting mechanism....wouldn't it be so much easier to build a voting system that would be web based? Think how much money we would save?

But that would require a level of trust I don't see in this alpaca industry anytime soon.

So who have we voted for? I will tell you tomorrow...

Until then enjoy the evening sunshine and the wonderful world we live in....

The sun is shining and we were up early to start work on the winter chores I guess you might call it spring mending - as opposed to spring cleaning... a

The place just looks fantastic at this time of year still lush from the spring rain and responding vigorously to the sunshine that is now around all day.

Our farm visit was at 11am prompt and we met a lovely couple called Jon and Cathleen. They don't have alpacas at the moment but are very interested in exploring what is available and what will fit on their ploy of land.

We did the usual tour of the farm and then got hands on in the barn. Its so easy to forget what its like meeting alpacas for the first time. As they went into the pen one of our normally docile mums lashed out with her hind leg at a plywood panel which was like the crack of a gun and made everyone jump.

If a dogs bark is worse than his bite then an alpaca kicking a plywood panel sounds much more dramatic than it really is...

The sun was obviously much brighter than I had expected and as I went to bed I could feel its effects on exposed parts....time to get the sun cream out I think.

Happy alpaca farming enjoy your weekend....

Don't forget to check out our Spring Competition.....

The weekend is almost upon us and a good number of my fellow alpaca breeders will be up in Portland now working their way through vet check and into the barn....before the alpaca show gets underway tomorrow.

The weather here on the farm is just gorgeous and we have two farm visits this weekend one on Saturday morning and one on Sunday morning.

Shearing is still one month away and the alpacas are now in full fleece and looking just fantastic..what a great time take pictures over the coming month. I just love the stance of the machos (the intact male alpacas) as they strut around the pastures.

This is the last weekend for skiing on Mt Ashland and what a perfect weekend to end the season I really must get up there more often next year.....the snow will still be on there by July the 4th if you can believe it...

This weekend is going to be an opportunity to catch up on all those jobs I have put off during the winter...what I call my sins of the past.

The EPD project I have been working on should come to a conclusion in the next two weeks or so which I am hoping will be a great succes.....time will tell.

Happy farming see you tomorrow.

Don't forget to check out our Spring Competition.....

Well yesterdays post has certain got people talking and here is a reply from Kenneth Madl and alpaca breeder and amateur geneticist....

One thing Darwin didn't do on the voyage was propound the theory (or even a theory) of evolution. For a start, evolution as a concept was already decades old by the 1830s. Darwin's own grandfather, Erasmus, had paid tribute to evolutionary principles in a poem of inspired mediocrity called 'The Temple of Nature' years before Charles was even born. It wasn't until the younger Darwin was back in England and read Thomas Malthus's "Essay on the Principle of Population" (which proposed that increases in food supply could never keep up with population growth for mathematical reasons) that the idea began to percolate through his mind that life is a perpetual struggle and that natural selection was the means by which some species prospered while others failed. Specifically, what Darwin saw was that all organisms compete for resources, and those that had some innate advantage would prosper and pass on that advantage to their offspring. By such means would species continuously improve.

It seems an awfully simple idea - it is an awfully simple idea - but it explained a great deal, and Darwin was prepared to devote his life to it.
'How stupid of me not to have thought of it!' T. H. Huxley cried upon reading "On the Origin of Species". It is a view that has been echoed ever since.

Interestingly, Darwin didn't use the phrase 'survival of the fittest' in any of his work (though he did express his admiration for it). The expression was coined in 1864, five years after the publication of "On the Origin of Species", by Herbert Spencer in "Principles of Biology". Nor did he employ the word 'evolution' in print until the sixth edition of "Origin"
(by which time its use had become too widespread to resist), preferring instead 'descent with modification'.

Don't forget to check out our Spring Competition.....

Here is an interesting thought that came my way today.... very interesting for all alpaca breeders...

Myth Conceptions
by Dr Chris Smith

Does "survival of the fittest" still fit?

Next year marks the 150th anniversary of the publication of Charles Darwin's "On the Origin of Species". Darwin's insight was to recognize the workings of the process of natural selection, the cornerstone of the theory of evolution. During natural selection, an organism's favourable characteristics become more common in successive generations. This is because a successful organism is much more likely to breed and multiply than a less successful one.

This is the origin of the term 'survival of the fittest', which was coined in the 1860s by the British sociological theorist Herbert Spencer after he read Darwin's book. Now, though, a new study on wild Scottish deer carried out by Edinburgh University's Loeske Kruuk and her colleagues suggests the concept of 'survival of the fittest' is something of a myth. Why? Because scientists had previously overlooked the fact that among many animals there are two sexes, and what works well genetically for one sex won't necessarily wash with the other.

The researchers made the discovery after several years studying red deer on the Isle of Rum. During their analysis, the team paternity-tested the deer to work out who was related to whom, and then logged how many offspring each animal produced and how many young were born to those offspring. The results showed that the daughters of stags who had fathered large numbers of young (of both sexes) tended to be relatively unsuccessful in the deer dating stakes and produced fewer calves. Sons of successful stags, on the other hoof, were unaffected.

But 'survival of the fittest' suggests the successful males should have successful daughters as well as successful sons. Why didn't they? It's because the genes that single out a successful stag include those for large stature, impressive antlers and the ability to roar the loudest: not much use to a female. "So the idea that some genes are better than others is too simplistic," says Kruuk. "Instead, it depends on the sex of the individual animal carrying the genes."

Is the same true for successful females? Do they have wet blankets for sons? "It's slightly more complicated," says Kruuk, "because females not only contribute their genes to their offspring's later performance, they also provide maternal care. So a good-quality female, although she may be passing on genes that are detrimental in a son, will also provide very high-quality maternal care. These two effects seem to balance one another out."

Does this leave 'survival of the fittest' for dead? perhaps not, because the effect seen in the deer has an unexpected spin-off: it contributes to genetic variation, which makes the population fitter as a whole since a larger gene pool means a better ability to cope with life's challenges down the track.

As a breeder of alpacas few sights are more reassuring than the sight of milk around the lips of a new baby.
This weekend is the AWE alpaca show up in Portland. The show is organised and sponsored by a group of AOBA Affiliates including SOJAA


This year it is projected to be a Level V Show
The 2008 Judges are:

Charlene Friedman
Huacaya Males

Sara Jane MacLennan
Huacaya Females

Diana Timmerman
Suris

Show times:
Saturday, April 12 8:30am – 5:00pm
Sunday, April 13 8:00am – 4:00pm

Mandatory Exhibitor Meeting:
Saturday, April 12 8:00am, ringside

We won't be going ourselves but several of our friends and neighbours will be heading that way to show their alpacas so we wish them well and hope they all come home with ribbons.

Don't forget to check out our Spring Competition.....

The alpaca EPD project is now drawing to a close and the research is being organized and will then be loaded onto a web site called. www.epdlibrary.org which will be available to anyone who is interested. The final step is to determine if there are any knowledgeable speakers among the AOBA membership who are willing and able to speak to AOBA members about EPDs this might be a local event or it may be a national event.

If you are an alpaca owner or breeder who is interested in being included in a listing of speakers about EPDs (Expected Progeny Differences) then please read further.
An Affiliate Congress team is now finishing a web-based resource on EPDs. It will contain articles, PowerPoint presentations, links to other resources, and names of individuals with expertise. We have an extensive listing of university experts on animal breeding and genetics from various livestock areas. These individuals have been identified as speaking resources whom Affiliates may choose to contact when setting up local educational programs on EPDs. Through agricultural college programs, virtually every state has a wealth of resources in both people and materials.

In addition to these individuals with traditional livestock and research backgrounds, we want to include alpaca owners and breeders whose "first careers" and alpaca experiences/research position them to offer unique information. If you qualify, and would like to be added to the listing, Adrian at mulberryalpacas dot com.

Since the EPD resource will be web-based, individuals will be able to be added, or decide they want to be taken off the list as time passes.

Don't forget to check out our Spring Competition.....

Depending on where you live it could well be time to start planting...here it is simply time to start thinking about planting, as local folk lore is not to plant until mothers day has been and gone...

April showers — with their promise of May flowers — and the lengthening days gladden our hearts this month. It’s time to start planning and planting your garden.

The time is now at hand for earnest work in preparing the soil for planting most of the garden and field crops. You have, no doubt, before this time decided just what crops to plant on each piece of land. You would not think about planting your asparagus roots on your heavy soil, nor of planting your corn on your light, sandy loam, which is best adapted to asparagus.

–The Old Farmer’s Almanac, 1903



Don't forget to check out our Spring Competition.....

Dear alpaca enthusiasts, yes its time for another fun alpaca competition!
Spring is here and ahead lies the excitement of new cria, shearing and the show ring. To celebrate the arrival of spring and before we all get rushed off our feet, we have a great Mulberry Alpacas competition for you to enter and hopefully win.
All you have to do is visit the Mulberry Alpacas web site correctly answer one simple question and you could win a great prize!

Here is how to enter:

Go to www.mulberryalpacas.com

Click on Alpaca Sales, look for Mia Sorella and answer the following question.

In which year did Mia Sorella win a first place and go on to take the color championship at the AWE show?

Simple e-mail your answer to adrian@mulberryalpacas.com with Spring Competition in the subject line.
On May 1st 2008 one lucky contestant will be drawn at random from all the correct entries received. The lucky winner will receive:

The Camelid Companion by Marty McGee Bennett Value $46.95



In this book you will learn how to be the kind of person a camelid loves to be around while still accomplishing your management job safely and efficiently. This book is full of new techniques that Marty has developed over the past 10 years. (It is not a revision of the old book but an entirely new textbook.)

"I truly believe that The Camelid Companion is the most comprehensive, articulate and sensible reference tool to have ever been written about camelid behavior….this is a book every alpaca owner—new and seasoned—should possess." Dave Belt, Editor, Alpacas Magazine


“The Camelid Companion is just that—a companion for all of us llama and alpaca owners....refer to it often...packed with tips and techniques to improve our lives with our favorite animals....inspired to handle our animals capably and with confidence... “ Susan Houston, GALA Newsletter

Good luck

The second annual alpaca sock drive has begun it’s fund raising drive for the purpose of providing alpaca alpaca socks to US troops in harms way. In the 2007 drive 100 pairs of Extreme alpaca socks from AFCNA were distributed. Socks for Operation Sock it to Um are purchased at wholesale prices and mailed direct to selected military personnel for distribution.

This initiative was started in 2007 by Sgt. Jerry Coleman’s request to his parents for alpaca socks for his troops. As a direct result many thousands of pairs of alpaca socks were sent to our troops. Including the 100 pairs of extreme socks from the AFCNA mentioned earlier.



The 6th annual Fiber on the Foot, Natural Fiber Producer’s Livestock Show and Festival, on May 3 and 4th at the Tehama District Fair Ground, California will again be accepting donations to this noble cause.

Donations can be sent directly to:

Fiber on the Foot
C/o Shady Ridge Alpacas
1560 Hwy 99W
Orland, CA 95963

Okay that is my weak attempt at an attention grabbing headline... here is a short update on one of my odd ball projects.

You won't recall but I shall remind you, that about this time last year one of our pregnant females simply keeled over and died. The necropsy showed that it was death from heart failure.

What a waste, fortunately she was insured and Wilkins our insurance company paid out on the policy without any delay...we thoroughly recommend them if you want to insure your alpacas.

Then I started thinking what could be done with her dead body? Car seat covers? an alpaca skin rug? I short piece of research made me realise that America has long since given up on tanning leather due to the toxic chemicals that are used. Indeed most leather is tanned in Mexico for a variety of reasons most of which you can work out for yourself.

Then I hit on the idea of using her skeleton as a teaching aide...but how to get at the skeleton?... Our local alpaca vet Dr Leslie Richardson knew of someone who had a beetle farm that was used to strip the meat off trophy skulls and the like.

Well a year has passed and the beetles have completed their grisly task so know the bones are being bleached and prepared for assembly...which will be the really tricky part...as I have never seen an alpaca skeleton before. So it is going to be a kind of giant 3-D puxxle...I think Dr Richardson will be lending a hand thank goodness.

I will keep you posted as she is reincarnated....the alpaca that is not Dr Richardson. who is very much alive and well.

Two people have written to me asking what is happening with EPDS outside of the USA. So I guess there are probably more of you who have wondered the same thing. There are only two places where genetic improvement programmes are in place and they are: Canada and Australia. Here is a brief summary about whats happening.

The Canadian AHEAD (Alpaca Herd Evaluation for Advancement) program is currently limited to an estimation of Within Flock EPDs, that is, estimates of relative genetic value of alpacas within single herds. This limitation arises because the Canadian scheme does not have a set of reference herd sires. As a result Canadian breeders will only be able to use the results of the program to compare animals within their own herds.


The Australian and New Zealand programme AGE (Across-herd Genetic Evaluation) is able to produce estimates of breeding values (not EPDs, but similar) across herds, using the pedigree information from the national registry. Again they do not have a specific set of reference herd sires. In this program, breeders choose which traits to measure from a list of 27 alternatives. This programme has data from two years, 2006 and 2007, and they publish the distributions of breeding values for each trait.

My group within the Affiliate Congress is coming to the conclusion of its work and will soon be circulating a wealth of information to AOBA members which they can browse at their leisure.

Winter’s done, and April’s in the skies.
Earth, look up with laughter in your eyes!

–Charles G. D. Roberts (1860–1943)

Today I was away at 5am to deliver two females for breedings to Northwest Alpacas.




The whole trip is 14 hours on the road including breaks so its a long old haul for me and the alpacas..... but there is never much traffic on I-5 so the journey is usually uneventful. Thank goodness.

The only complication I now have is that the girl I delivered is spitting off and that is very worrying as it usually indicates she is pregnant and the only way she could be pregnant is if a young male who was nursing till 7 months of age somehow impregnated her....

Why can't things just be stratforward.......