Alpacas - the essential blog for alpaca farmers

Heading North

adrian@mulberryalpacas.com (Adrian Stewart) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 08:07:00 -0600

Today I am heading north to Portland with Jo.
We are going to do some non alpaca work in the green city. Did you know Portland is the greenest city in the USA? With San Fransisco in second place.

1. Portland, Oregon. 23.1
Electricity: 7.1 Transportation: 6.4 Green Living: 4.8 Recycling/Perspective: 4.8
Americas top green city has it all: Half its power comes from renewable sources, a quarter of the workforce commutes by bike, carpool or public transportation, and it has 35 buildings certified by the U.S. Green Building Council.

2. San Francisco, California. 23.0
Electricity: 6.8 Transportation: 8.8 Green Living: 3.5 Recycling/Perspective: 3.9
See how San Francisco turns wasted roof space into power, here.

How the Rankings Work:
Raw data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Geographic Societys Green Guide, which collected survey data and government statistics for American cities of over 100,000 people in more than 30 categories, including air quality, electricity use and transportation habits. We then compiled these statistics into four broad categories, each scored out of either 5 or 10 possible points. The sum of these four scores determines a citys place in the rankings.

Electricity (E; 10 points): Cities score points for drawing their energy from renewable sources such as wind, solar, biomass and hydroelectric power, as well as for offering incentives for residents to invest in their own power sources, like roof-mounted solar panels.

Transportation (T; 10 points): High scores go to cities whose commuters take public transportation or carpool. Air quality also plays a role.

Green living (G; 5 points): Cities earn points for the number of buildings certified by the U.S. Green Building Council, as well as for devoting area to green space, such as public parks and nature preserves.

Recycling and green perspective (R; 5 points): This measures how comprehensive a citys recycling program is (if the city collects old electronics, for example) and how important its citizens consider environmental issues.

Want to read about more green cities? Then follow this link.

One of my sun flowers - a symbol of green power to my mind.

Alpaca Farm - Calamity Avoided

adrian@mulberryalpacas.com (Adrian Stewart) — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 22:42:53 -0600

Having run irrigation on the newly mown hay field this week it soon became apparent that the irrigation ditches were in need of some TLC (tender loving care).

This morning we set about cleaning out the ditches and of course having run water all day Monday and Tuesday they were kind of wet and muddy...so it was very important not to let the tractor slip in while ploughing (plowing for my American readers) the ditches.

Just as you should never think about the bunker in golf - you should never think about the ditch.....as it will draw you in like a magnet..

Whoops the John Deere is well and truly stuck..

I jumped off - but I think there was little chance it would roll over, still...better safe than sorry.

Of course Macario thought it was hilarious and only stopped laughing when I tried to take his picture...

Mac sees the funny side of my mistake..

The tractor was rescued by the Expedition which when in 4 wheel drive low ratio will pull just about anything... a lesson learnt.

Why I Love Alpacas

adrian@mulberryalpacas.com (Adrian Stewart) — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 21:53:00 -0600

On those rare occasions when there isn't anything urgent or important and you get the chance to hang out with some of the alpacas then you remember why you were taken under their spell in the first place.

Southern Cross and her new cria

Even though there is masses of fresh grass the alpacas always like to chow down on some hay at the end of the day and working on the basis that a little of what you fancy does you good I make sure they can get hay if they want it.

Even though he is only four days old he is determined to have a go at some hay just like mum.

This little girl is a something special...

In fact this alpaca is so special she may just tempt me into the show ring later this year.....time will tell....what am I saying...when am I ever going to have time to do halter training.....??

Manager of Marketing and Fund Raising Operations for Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association

adrian@mulberryalpacas.com (Adrian Stewart) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 13:13:00 -0600

Yes folks opportunity knocks for someone with marketing skills. The following position is now available if you are interested in Marketing Alpacas

AOBA has over 4,000 members and a budget of just under $4,000,000. AOBA is currently seeking a Manager of Marketing & Fund Raising Operations. This position will be responsible for all corporate and industry marketing and communication activities plus fund raising initiatives. This individual will workclosely with the Executive Director to develop strategy and execute programs. Support is also provided by a Marketing Committee composed of member volunteers and outside support organizations.

Manage the association's marketing operations, with regards to existing programs, advertising, future programs in adherence to annual budget.
Develop, implement, and facilitate an annual marketing communications plan including a proposed marketing budget for the Association.
Direct and coordinate to the extent necessary external ad agencies, public relations groups and/or consultants. ·
Ensure all marketing and communication activities are executed consistent with the associations brand positioning and guidelines. ·
Develop and oversee the Associations volunteer marketing committee.
Develop, implement and monitor fund raising efforts for assisting association current and future programs.
Develop and administer a fund raising database as well as development of a potential sponsor database.
Assist in the companys RFP (request for proposal) process including writing proposals for new business opportunities and participate in planning and presentation sessions to the Board and members.
Participate in the research; identification and planning of new association initiatives and opportunities.

The position reports directly to the Executive Director. In addition, position will participate in presenting proposals to the AOBA Board of Directors.

The ideal candidate will have a strong background in marketing and fund raising as well as have a strong understanding of the creative process. A minimum of five to seven years experience in a managerial role in marketing and fund raising operations is required. A Bachelors Degree in a related field of concentration Business to Business Marketing and/or Marketing Communications preferred.

We also will look for a track record of success in managing marketing programs and the ability to meet deadlines within budget. Excellent verbal and written communication skills are a must.

The association is web oriented and knowledge of mainstream graphics software, web technologies and Microsoft Office and Windows-based computer applications should be shown.
Qualified applicants, please mail resume and salary requirement to:
Executive Director
Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association
5000 Linbar Drive, Suite 297
Nashville, TN 37211 Phone: 615-834-4195 Fax: 615-834-4196
Email: Gordon@aobamail.com

Tired of Shovelling Alpaca Shit ?

adrian@mulberryalpacas.com (Adrian Stewart) — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 17:24:47 -0600

Well that's tough because the shovelling stays - but the wheel barrow can be upgraded!
I had this great e-mail today from a company in Florida who for $1200 will sell you a power barrow. This thing will haul 650 lbs up a very steep hill.....Which is about the amount of poop alpacas 300 alpacas deposit each day. So I think we can confidently say this little baby will handle whatever you have.

The Power Barrow

I believe it only comes in Canary Yellow - so look on the bright side (pun intended) there is no chance of losing it on a foggy day. Check it out when you get a few moments.

Moving on slightly we now have the AOBA election results.......

The two open Board positions are filled by the following individuals:
Jess Bowers, Acres of Love Alpaca Ranch, Owasso, OK
Ian Watt, Alpacas of Carrickalinga, Morrow Bay, CA

ARI Establish EPD Committee

adrian@mulberryalpacas.com (Adrian Stewart) — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 10:17:36 -0600

Despite the fact that the Ideal Alpaca Community are already publishing EPD's for alpacas in North America the ARI have just established a committee to investigate EPD's. Which by my estimate puts them about 5 years behind the IAC - which as any alpaca breeder knows is five breeding cycles and that is a huge genetic improvement that can be gained (or lost by waiting).

Here is what the ARI board had to say to its members:

Estimated Progeny Differences (EPDs) are being discussed more frequently within the alpaca community these days. EPD programs are used in many, if not most, of the world's livestock industries to assist breeders with improving their herds. The basis of every EPD program is a focus on measurable traits and the recording of selected measurements for related animals. Once enough measurements have been gathered, statistical analysis is used to create predictions that allow breeders to determine which animals are more successfully producing the desired traits.
As announced in February following input from members for our strategic plan, ARI has been investigating the possible implementation of such a program. It was important that we first determine the resources necessary to accomplish such a task. Now, we move on to determining the specific interest in this service and what needs to be included. In order to accomplish this, the ARI Board is pleased to announce the establishment of an ad hoc EPD (Estimated Progeny Difference) Development Committee to evaluate and develop a plan for an EPD program for ARI member use.

The ARI EPD Development Committee has a mission to:
Create a Member Survey to establish member needs and interest in an EPD system
Educate members regarding the purpose, usefulness and methods of an EPD system
Outline a potential EPD program for alpacas
Provide the ARI Board with a recommendation on moving forward and an implementation plan

The committee members are Dr. Wayne Jarvis, Dr. Dick Walker, Mr. David Barboza, and from the ARI Board Ms. Deb Hill, Mr. Wayne Robinson and Dr. Shauna Brummet who will chair the committee. The committee will draw on the advice of key scientific and livestock industry experts as needed to assist in the evaluation and development of an EPD system for alpacas.

Using this advice in conjunction with the comments from the membership, the committee will make a recommendation to the Board.

We look forward to engaging the ARI Membership in this very important industry development.
Sincerely,
ARI Board of Directors
Bruce Beatty, Shauna Brummet, Donna Christley, Lucy Farrar,
Deb Hill, Jim King, and Wayne Robinson

To my mind this is a bit like asking people if they want antibiotics - its a no brainer of course breeders want an EPD programme to improve the quality of their alpaca stock. The question is given that the IAC system is up and running and is free to join When will the ARI system be ready? And how much will it cost?

Time will tell. Meanwhile you can visit the EPD Library to learn about EPD programmes in other industries and alpaca EPD programmes in Australia and Canada.

Sunny Sunday

adrian@mulberryalpacas.com (Adrian Stewart) — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 17:23:37 -0600

We currently have a young girl staying with us from the UK called Immogen and while she is with us it is her 19th birthday - to celebrate we all headed out to nearby Historic Jacksonville and took a tour of the town using Segway people movers....

Immogen samples west coast coooool

I have always thought Segways looked a bit "nerdy" but they are great fun and if you ever get the chance I urge you to have a go.....

Mr and Mrs Cool

Southern Cross has her Baby Alpaca

adrian@mulberryalpacas.com (Adrian Stewart) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 17:10:00 -0600

Isn't it always the way you watch and wait then as soon as you go into town for an hour or so the mun delivers her new cria. Its almost like they stand there waiting for you to go.

By the time we arrived home the baby was safely delivered and on his feet and Southern Cross had passed the placenta intact. The new boy was feeding just fine and enjoying the summer sunshine.

Southern Cross and her latest cria who arrived today at about 10am

Southern Cross is black with a white beard and she was mated to Juan Pablo who is pure white so I was hoping for a white girl...in my wildest dreams... What actually arrived is a lovely brown boy with a white beard...fascinating really as that is just the same color pattern as Latte who is another Southern Cross progeny. Who was sired by El Toro (from Chile) so no genetic connection to Juan Pablo.

The new arrival is feeding at regular intervals and we have given his navel a good spraying so all is well on the alpaca farm ....... as always the remainder of the herd are fascinated by new arrivals.

Replacement Irrigation Part Arrives.

adrian@mulberryalpacas.com (Adrian Stewart) — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 16:48:00 -0600

At long last the replacement part for the irrigation is at Ewin Irrigation - the solid 5/8ths diameter plastic shaft has now been replaced by one of solid machined steel. the part was replaced under warranty thank the Lord - because the shipping alione ws $80 !!

Talk about industrial strength...the new part went on quite well and I even managed to discover more about the irrigation wheel - which I thought I knew like the back of my hand.

The irrigation is now running again and not before time it has been so dry and hot and we have been able to irrigate for over a week now.

Alpaca cria watch continues and Southern Cross looks like she is about ready to deliver judging by her size and behavior - tomorrow could be the big day.

Alpaca Cria Watch

adrian@mulberryalpacas.com (Adrian Stewart) — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 16:37:00 -0600

We are still on cria watch for a new arrival courtesy of Southern Cross.
You can of course never be truly be certain with the breeding dates and we always err on the side of safety and use the earliest possible date of conception in order to accurate predict the birth date.

Juan Pablo is a full Accoyo grandson of the great Vengador who was one of the foundation male at Pacific Crest Alpacas and who sired hundreds of blue ribbon and championship offspring alpacas.

Juan Pablo has classic Accoyo type, is extremely dense, and has beautiful crimpy, soft handling fleece measuring 21.4 microns at three years of age. His grandsire on the Dams side is Accoyos King.

Southern Cross is a very ordinary black female alpaca so we will see what emerges.........

Hay Making Completed

adrian@mulberryalpacas.com (Adrian Stewart) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 12:33:21 -0600

No news on the alpaca front I thought our alpaca Southern Cross was going to have a cria this morning but it turned out to be a false alarm. Still the day is not over yet and my alpacas pay scant regard to the rule about always birthing before noon.

I am assuming the female alpacas Latte is now pregnant to Conman. But will do one more spit test before doing an ultrasound exam. In fact I will probably get the vet to bring the ultrasound when she comes to examine Southern Crosses new cria and draw blood for IgG testing which ensures the new alpacas immune system is up to scratch and of course a few drops of blood for the ARI DNA testing and registration.

The hay is now all dry and yesterday afternoon we got it baled.

Baling machines are quite complex mechanically so not unusual for them to breakdown during a heavy season.

Hay baled and ready for collection and stacking.

The hay all stacked and ready to leave the farm

My totally dried out hay field I am hoping to beg steal or borrow permission from the irrigation district to run water before our due date on the 21st.

Alpaca Fiber Exports from Arequipa, Peru Grow 30 percent

adrian@mulberryalpacas.com (Adrian Stewart) — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 20:55:23 -0600

News from Peru: In the first half of the year alpaca fiber exports from Arequipa increased 30 percent, compared to the same period in 2007, totaling sales of 800 million dollars, the president of the Peruvian Institute of Alpaca and Camelids (IPAC), Mauricio Chirinos Chirinos, stated today..

Alpaca fiber exports and Value Added products such as garments and accessories are the main items exported to Asia. The European market is another main consumer, Chirinos said.

Alpaca fiber volume exports are expected to increase 12 percent by the end of the year based on the interest of Asians and Europeans in garments made with this material. The APEC meeting held in Arequipa allowed other Asian and European countries to get to know alpaca fiber, its production and processing, resulting in an increase in demand.

Meanwhile back in sunny southern Oregon the fruit trees are all starting to produce fruits which is something of a miracle given my past experience with fruit growing.

Mulberry's at Mulberry Alpacas

Peaches, second only to pears in this area.

Back in the Alpaca Farm Routine

adrian@mulberryalpacas.com (Adrian Stewart) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 08:05:00 -0600

Okay the holiday is over it was great fun but we are now back at the alpaca coal face, so to speak.

Still no sign of the replacement part for the irrigation wheel which broke on the 3rd of July and which I thought was on order but turns out they couldn't find the part number for so had waited three days.....but even then I had to call them to find out what was going on... hard to believe people who work for an irrigation company have so little sense or urgency when it comes to broken irrigation equipment!

The electric gates had stopped working when we used the remote controls in the cars and so an investigation of the system was in order. When I flicked the cover off the radio receiver it was totally full of ants and ant eggs....the problem was obvious. So the ants are now dead and I am hoping that once I vacuum them all out of there then everything will return to normal..

Ants take over radio receiver..

The weather is very warm and into the high 80's so the alpacas are all sheltering under the shade of a tree. Still no sign of a cria from Southern Cross but she is starting to look like a new arrival could be here any day.

Alpacas in the shade

Of course once we have a new baby alpaca then I have to try and remember all the people who said they wanted me to call them once it had arrived. I really should keep a list of some sort.

The Versatile John Deere Gator

adrian@mulberryalpacas.com (Adrian Stewart) — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 07:46:00 -0600

You may know that the being a member of AOBA (Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association) enables you to buy JD products at a discount. Not that I can really take advantage of that myself as i have all the John Deere products I am ever likely to need.

One of my favourites is the JD Gator it is a real work horse and I would be truly lost without it here on the alpaca farm.

Over the holiday weekend we transformed it into a mobile beer deliver vehicle.
A small horse trough fits perfectly into the back into which we lowered two half kegs of ale from the local Caldera micro brewery. Which just happens to be where my eldest son Jamie is working during his summer vacation.
Then we linked in the CO2 to pump the ale from the kegs and through an inter-cooler that really chills the beer until it comes flowing ice cold from the taps.

Birds eye view before burying the kegs in ice.

Beer delivery courtesy of the Gator

Maybe I should start a competition here for the most innovative use of a John Deer Gator?

The July 5th Clean Up

adrian@mulberryalpacas.com (Adrian Stewart) — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 14:29:00 -0600

Well that's the big day over for another year and its amazing just how quickly these days come around.
I spent the morning taking down the flags and other bits and pieces from the day before. I must have somehow erased some of the pictures I took of yesterdays party and the very talented Marimba player...oh well c'est la vie.

The parade really was exceptional this year and I spent far more time clapping and waving than taking photographs.

Mermaids in Ashland! Whatever next !

I was hoping we would get the hay baled today but it looks like being very late Sunday or even Monday before we will get it out of here. Which is a something of a shame as I was expecting to run the hay field irrigation on Monday and Tuesday but that is quite impossible if there are hay bales in the field.

Hopefully the replacement part for the irrigation will be in on Monday so we can get the unit back up and running...how it broke I will never know - it is very unusual and I can only think that one of the farm hands has broken it somehow...but no obvious explanation. And that's another good reason to get the hay out of here as once the part is replaced on the water wheel all the tubing has to be pulled out so that the winding mechanism can be reset.

the alpacas are starting to feel the heat and enjoy nothing more than being hosed down with a cold stream of fresh well water - they just love it!