New Zealand Alpaca Magazine August 2014 by NZ Alpaca

MAGAZ IN IAL E IC

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August 2014

MAGAZI NE IAL IC OF

OF F

August 2014

MAGAZIN IAL E IC

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Inside this issue…

Message from the President

Using ‘Fibre Growth Particles’ to Monitor Fibre Follicle Development in Alpacas

Alpaca – Fit for a Prince… or Princess?

Tangling with Wool – Woollen or Worsted

Let’s Talk Quality – Part Three

Australian Alpaca Fleece Ltd (AAFL)

Introducing the Fibre Tool Kit

Expo – The First 10 Years

Parasite Alert

Alpacas in South Africa

Breeders Workshop

Astelia and her C‑Section

Waste Not, Want Not!

Mystery Creek Fieldays

Advertising Breeder Profile

New Member Profile

2014 Herd Sire Directory

Greg Charteris

Paul Vallely COVER PHOTO: Courtesy of Sarah Busby

Andy Nailard

WRONZ Developments Caroline Newcombe Richard Bowden

Alpaca Fibre Sub‑Committee Stephen Davy Ben Davidson Alison Notley

Showing & Judging Sub‑Committee Ineke van Neuren Heather Candler

Marketing & Promotions Sub‑Committee Toni & Greg Charteris

Hans & Sandra Baerselman

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Editor Robyn Anderson magazine@alpaca.org.nz

Website www.alpaca.org.nz AANZ – All Enquiries Toni Soppet – AANZ Office Manager PO Box 6348, Upper Riccarton, Christchurch 8442 Phone (03) 341 5242. Mobile 021 368 994 tonisoppet@alpaca.org.nz or aanz@clear.net.nz

Advertising AANZ Office advertising@alpaca.org.nz Phone (03) 341 5242 Deadlines New Zealand Alpaca is produced three times per year. Deadlines for all advertising & articles for the next issue is 25th October, 2014.

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Secretary Martyn Ellwood-Wade secretary@alpaca.org.nz Treasurer Wayne Allison treasurer@alpaca.org.nz Southern Region Rep. Frank Walkington southernrep@alpaca.org.nz Central Region Rep. Heather Goffin centralrep@alpaca.org.nz Northern Region Rep. Sarah Busby northernrep1@alpaca.org.nz Northern Region Rep. Willem Alblas northernrep2@alpaca.org.nz Liability Whilst all efforts have been made to ensure accuracy of information this Association accepts no responsibility for any errors contained in advertisements or text. Views expressed by advertisements and contributors are not necessarily endorsed by this association. Copyright All material appearing in NZ Alpaca is copyright. Reproduction in whole or part is not permitted without the written permission of AANZ.

“From my perspective I believe there is far too much money tied up in Alpacas to have them stay as a rural hobby and I firmly believe we should be going forward to pursue development as a real rural industry.”

Message from the President Being my first time to launch into print in the capacity of newly elected president for AANZ I can say that I am approaching this role with a certain degree of fear and trepidation having had no prior experience in any executive role in the association. For those that do not know me, it may be helpful to give you a brief introduction to myself, my wife Toni and our activities in the alpaca industry to date. Toni and I have been involved in farming since our purchase in 1974 of a 220 acre dry stock property near the Hokianga in Northland. We farmed beef and sheep for a number of years and then moved into the then burgeoning Angora goat industry. This experience ( although somewhat short lived) gave us some valuable experience with quality fibre including its handling and marketing. During these early years we also ran a residential construction company and from 1990 developed this business into the manufacturing of prefabricated housing. From the mid 90’s we began exporting houses and through our company Timber Construction Solutions Ltd, we continue to operate our Design, Manufacturing and Export operation and also to Project Manage development builds throughout the Pacific. Our introduction to Alpacas started following a move to our current property in Karaka ( south Auckland) with two wethers purchased in 2011 and like most people became smitten with these animals. One would have thought after the Angora goat industry we might have been “once bitten twice shy” but the longevity of the Alpaca industry gave us confidence to have a dabble. We purchased a number of females and males in the first year with the intention of breeding a white herd as we saw this as the future. Given our age, we felt we lacked the luxury of being patient with our breeding, so made a decision to experiment with Embryo Transfer breeding. We began a strategy of selectively acquiring Elite females and have also purchased a number of Elite males to use in our ET program. Having begun our ET programs in 2013 we are now into our fourth program and are experiencing outstanding results which is very heartening, given all the work that is put into this breeding method, particularly on the part of Toni, who is the chief driver of this work which requires excellence in management to get the results.

in larger things that could grow Alpacas in the greater NZ farming industry. I think we need to make some decisions on whether we want Alpacas to grow into a serious rural industry or have it stay as a lifestyle hobby farm pastime. From my perspective I believe there is far too much money tied up in Alpacas to have them stay as a rural hobby and I firmly believe we should be going forward to pursue development as a real rural industry. This may require some of the larger players being involved in this growth development and have those with the larger herds having a greater say in this pursuit going forward. It may also require our industry to introduce more controls and compliance on “Studs” much the same as our NZ sheep and beef industry players operate under. I believe NZ could improve our marketing image off shore if we introduced mandatory DNA parent verification for stud animals which would provide much more certainty than we currently offer our European clients. I would personally like to have some robust debate on this in the coming year to see if there is a clear path forward for the industry in areas of commercializing fibre, development of a viable meat market for greater NZ, live exports to the likes of China and possibly more cooperation with Australia on greater industry development. I look forward to understanding and working with our sub committees this coming year and hope we can make some positive steps forward. I am extremely busy in my business life and will not have the time or the luxury of being involved in answering individual emails from members throughout NZ, however if members have real matters of importance they wish to bring to National Council, I will do my best to ensure these are answered. I would however prefer to see the regions managing general issues raised by members and possibly improve the connection between NC and regions to resolve these at regional level. This would leave NC time to deal with the key issues facing the industry which is what I believe NC’s mandate is. All the best for your winter farming, the shortest day is past so spring must be coming. Greg Charteris President, AANZ

Having only had some three years in the industry, does not equip me well for debating the finer points of much of what gets discussed around the alpaca table in NZ, however I am hopeful my experience in wider business will help me bring some benefits to the organisation. One of the things that often disappoints me is the percentage of time spent on seemingly minor issues and often a reluctance to tackle, or be involved 3

Using ‘Fibre Growth Profiles’ to Monitor Fibre Follicle Development in Alpacas by Paul Vallely, Australian Alpaca Fibre Testing, Australia and UK. May 2014

Introduction While many alpaca breeders have incorporated objective fibre measurement into their herd management strategies, ‘Fibre Growth Profiles’ are becoming popular for monitoring pre and post natal nutrition, particularly during the critical period of secondary follicle development in unborn crias. ‘Fibre Growth Profiles’ are linear graphs depicting variation in diameter along the fibres. This allows alpaca breeders to track nutritional intake of both the pregnant female and the cria in order to manage the development of secondary follicles, and thereby maximise potential for fibre density, fleece weight and fibre diameter.

Follicle development in Alpacas As many alpaca breeders would be aware, it is the primary follicles that produce fibres that tend to be the broadest and most problematic fibres found within fleeces. It would come as no surprise that we refer to these as primary fibres. Conversely, the secondary follicles produce the finer and more luxurious secondary fibres within fleeces. While much of the research into skin follicle development revolves around the merino industry, some recent work has been completed that specifically relates to follicle development in alpacas. In the research paper titled ‘Relationships between skin follicle characteristics and fibre properties of Suri and Huacaya alpacas and Peppin Merino Sheep (Ferguson et al, 2012), it was shown that skin follicle characteristics in alpacas are similar to that of merino sheep. One noted difference, however, was that while follicle groups in merinos contained around 3 primary follicles surrounded by a cluster of secondary follicles, follicle groups in alpacas contained only one primary follicle, surrounded by (around 3 to 10) secondary follicles. More importantly, the Ferguson et al study revealed a significant negative correlation between secondary follicle density and mean fibre diameter. In other words, the greater the number of secondary follicles, the lesser the mean fibre diameter. Presumably, this correlation is the result of the increase in the ratio of finer secondary fibres against the broader primary fibres. It is also reasonable to suggest that the greater number of secondary follicles, the higher the fleece weight. 4

To many breeders, this is the Holy Grail – more fleece of lower diameter. The question then becomes, how to increase the number of secondary follicles. Interestingly, the research found suri’s had a significantly higher follicle density than huacaya’s. It is clear through previous research as revealed in Dr Julio Sumar’s paper ‘What makes a champion’ (Alpaca Western Extravaganza, 2004), increase in available nutrition to the unborn cria foetus maximises the chances of the foetus to achieve its genetic potential with regard to the number of follicles developed. Secondary follicles develop predominately from day 187 to day 217 during pregnancy, although further development and maintenance of secondary follicles can be an issue through to birth and up to 6 months after birth, although once a cria reaches about 70 days of age, secondary development has largely ceased, and will remain for the balance of its life. I should stress at this stage that research concerning the timetable for follicle development in alpacas is lacking at the moment, however, Dr Sumar’s comments on this point are worth taking on board. From the Ferguson research and above comments of Dr Sumar, it can be taken that an increase in nutrition to the pregnant female during the latter half of pregnancy followed through to at least the second month after birth, will lead to an increase in the number of secondary follicles in the cria. Consequently, this should result in an increase in the overall fibre density or fleece weight, increase in secondary/primary fibre ratio and decrease in average fibre diameter for the lifetime of the cria. To validate this finding, I refer to the ‘Lifetime Ewe’ project in the Australian merino industry whereby an identical feeding regime, albeit synchronised to merino skin follicle development, has recorded significant increase in fleece weights combined with decrease in average fibre diameter as well as increase in body weight for the life of the sheep (relative to similar sheep that had not been subject to the feeding regime). The one thing I should stress at this stage is that this improvement in fleece traits is confined to ‘environmentally’ influenced improvements rather than improving genetic potential. It will, however, enable the alpaca to maximise its genetic potential with regard to fleece traits.

Tracking nutrition using ‘Fibre Growth Profiles’ When using OFDA2000 fibre measurement technology, a linear graph is provided that reveals the variation in fibre diameter along the sampled fibres. The horizontal axis of the graph depicts length along the sample in millimetres, while the vertical axis depicts fibre diameter. As the left side of the graph indicates the commencement of the growth period while the right side is the point where the fibre was cut from the alpaca, we read the graph from left to right. By using the fibre growth profile, we are able to observe the variation in the amount of nutrition reaching the fibre follicles. If we observe the profile dropping, then this reflects a drop in nutrition such as experienced from internal parasite burden, disease and inferior feed conditions. If the profile is rising, then this reflects a rise in nutrition such as effective drenching or improvement in quantity and/or quality of feed. To illustrate the effect of using Fibre Growth Profiles for monitoring the availability of nutrition during the period of secondary follicle development, two sets of profiles are shown below. The first set (figure 1) were derived from samples tested of two suri females, with samples taken approximately two months after their respective crias were born. The second set (figure 2) are profiles derived from testing samples from two suri crias, taken approximately six months of age. In both cases, the date of testing could not be verified, and was based on information from the breeder. Cria A is the progeny of female A, while cria B is the progeny of female B. In the case of female A, the Fibre Growth Profile shows a slight increase in nutrition at the commencement of the growing season (after shearing), then a significant decrease in nutrition which was a result of a deterioration in paddock feed quality.

Female A

Insufficient supplementary feed was provided to offset the increased demands on the mother’s nutritional requirements arising from the developing foetus. The decrease in nutrition occurred at the crucial period of half way through pregnancy and continued after birth up until the time of sampling. From this, it can be assumed, the development of secondary fibres in the unborn foetus would have been significantly affected, resulting in less secondary follicles leading to lower fibre density, lower secondary to primary fibre ratio with consequent higher average fibre diameter relative to genetic potential. In the case of female B, the Fibre Growth Profile shows a gradual increase occurred over the entire growing period. The female was fed a high energy/protein supplement at an increasing level to offset the increased demands from the developing foetus and period of lactation. As can be seen from the profile, the increased rate of supplementary feed was slightly more than what was required, however, this is desirable as too much weight gain during pregnancy may lead to birthing problems. From this, it can be assumed the development of the secondary follicles benefited from the increased nutrition, and as a consequence, allowed a higher fibre density, higher secondary to primary fibre ratio, and low average fibre diameter relative to genetic potential. As previously mentioned, cria A was the progeny of female A. In the case of this cria’s Fibre Growth Profile, the left edge of the graph depicts commencement of fibre growth in the unborn foetus. In the case of cria A, there is no evidence of an increase in nutrition reaching the foetus from the female. The slight spike in the profile near the end of the season was probably due to a spring burst after birth, although the precise point of birth on the profile is not known.

Female B

Figure 1: Examples of Fibre Growth Profiles for two females bearing offspring.

The assumptions made from observing female A’s profile, appear to be validated in cria A’s profile in that secondary follicle development is likely to have been negatively affected through poor nutrition. On the other hand, cria B’s Fibre Growth Profile shows a typical rise in nutrition as a result of enriched nourishment from a female receiving adequate nutrition. It should be noted that a rise of over 10 microns during the first year of fibre growth is not uncommon. Clearly, this cria is likely to benefit from high numbers of secondary follicles leading to high fibre density, high secondary to primary fibre ratio and lower average fibre diameter relative to genetic potential. It is worth noting that some breeders who use profile tracking have observed acceptable profiles of females through the pre and post natal period, yet the profile of the cria during this period has not shown the typical increase in nutrition. In this case, it appears the female has difficulties with passing nutrition to the cria, which is obviously an issue worth addressing.

What are the benefits? It needs to be remembered that tracking Fibre Growth Profiles provides an historical account. If a problem is identified such as a sharp drop in nutrition, then largely, the damage is done. The benefit of monitoring profiles, particularly concerning evidence of nutrition that might affect follicle development is that it allows critical issues to be resolved for future impact such as adjusting levels of suitable feed. In the examples above, the owner of female/cria A had been made aware that pre and post natal nutrition was significantly lacking, and that their alpacas were being denied the ability to achieve anywhere near their genetic potential for fleece traits. Anecdotal evidence suggests the breeder’s fleece data have improved, although insufficient time has lapsed to make valid conclusions.

Cria A Figure 2: Examples of Fibre Growth Profiles for two crias.

A further benefit of tracking profiles with crias is that it places the micron and SD into a perspective. A cria might have a higher than expected micron due to the influence of very high nutrition from the female, or conversely, be low due to lack of nutrition. Also, the SD might be unexpectedly high due to the ‘environmental’ influence from significant variation along the fibre due to dramatic increases in the profile. All these issues are observable from the Fibre Growth Profile.

References Antonini M, Gonzales M, Valbonesi A (2004) Relationship between age and postnatal skin follicular development in three types of South American domestic camelids. Livestock Production Science. Ferguson M, McGregor BA, Behrendt R (2012) Relationship between skin follicle characteristics and fibre properties of Suri and Huacaya alpacas and Peppin sheep. Animal Production Science, CSIRO. 52, 442-447 Hill JA, Hynd PI, Ponzoni RW, Grimson RJ, Jaensch KS, Kenyon RV, Penno NM (1997) Skin and follicle characters II. Correlations with objectively measured and subjectively assessed wool characters. Proceedings of the Association for the Advancement of Animal Breeding and Genetics. Hynd PI, Ponzoni RW, Grimson R, Jaensch KS, Smith D, Kenyon R (1996) Wool Follicle and skin characters – their potential to improve wool production and quality in Merino sheep. Wool Technology and Sheep Breeding. Sumar, J (2004) What makes a Chanpion. Proceedings of the Alpaca Western Extravaganza, Oregon. Thompson A N, Ferguson M. Gordon DJ, Kearney GA, Oldham CM, Paganoni BL, (2011) Improving the nutrition of Merino ewes during pregnancy increases the fleece weight and reduces the fibre diameter of their progeny’s wool during their lifetime and these effects can be predicted from the ewe’s liveweight profile. Animal Production Science, 2011, 51, 794–804

Cria B

THE PROOF IS IN THE

PROGENY

Photo courtesy of Robert Gane-Canchones

Patagonia Celtic Rising Sun ET

Akaroa, New Zealand

www.shamarra-alpacas.co.nz Akaroa, New Zealand

Frank & Anya Walkington | 03 304 5141 | info@shamarra-alpacas.co.nz

www.shamarra-alpacas.co.nz

Alpaca

fit for a Prince… or

Princess?

by Andy Nailard – Flagstaff Alpacas

Creative Fibre, the New Zealand Spinning, Weaving and Woolcrafts Society, recently held its Creative Fibre Event in Dunedin. Over 300 delegates attended the themed ‘Legacy of Yarns’ Event. Part of the Event is the Creative Fibre National Exhibition and, for 2014, this was judged and exhibited at the Dunedin Railway Station, the perfect location as the Station had been the venue for the iD Fashion Parade only a few weeks earlier. The AANZ provides one of the 20 awards at the annual National Exhibition and the winning exhibit for the Award did our mandate proud; the Award is for the entry that best illustrates the lightness and fineness of alpaca fibre. The winner was Cynthia Read, from Cambridge for her exhibit ‘Sugar Sugar’ a hand-knitted triangular shawl with glass beads. This amazingly intricate piece (picture left) is of handspun combed suri cria fleece enriched with tiny glass beads. And both attributes desired of a potential successful exhibit were apparent as the shawl appeared to float and shimmer in the glare of individual spotlights centred on Cynthia’s creation. In natural light ‘Sugar Sugar’ graced the majesty of the Dunedin Railway Station backdrop.

Winner: Cynthia Read, Waikato. ‘Sugar Sugar’ Handknitted triangular shawl with glass beads. Handspun from combed Suri alpaca.

– Photographer: Brian Treanor

But, as many will recognise, Cynthia is already a little famous! Cynthia was responsible for spinning and knitting the lace shawl gifted in July 2013 by New Zealand to the infant Prince George. That shawl was in handspun merino yarn and was commissioned by the Office of Prime Minister John Key. Unfortunately, Cynthia could not attend the Legacy of Yarns event but I did speak to her by telephone. She waxed lyrical about the properties and handle of the suri alpaca. She talked of the slight differences in shades of white and light fawn through the fleece

which she carefully separated before spinning and preserved in the outer trim of the shawl. The obvious question was… did she prefer the merino or the alpaca… in comparison? I’m sworn to secrecy but the first letter of the correct answer did NOT have the same letter as the initial of James Bond’s boss. Part of the prize for the Award is a full alpaca fleece. Cynthia had already received the 2014 prize, a huacaya fleece from a three year old female in solid white, and she was already raving about its brightness, handle, crimp … and volume. “How many projects could I use it for” she commented? I think the discussion went that we would all wish to encourage her to exhibit at the Creative Fibre National Exhibition in 2015 but that she may wish to save some of the alpaca for the next… Prince or Princess??? Closing Note – the Creative Fibre National Exhibition 2015 will again be held in conjunction with the Creative Fibre Festival. Themed ‘Fashion, Fibre and Fun’ it will be held 9-12 April 2015 at ‘The Convention Centre’ and ‘The Arts Village’ in Rotorua; for more details see www. creativefibre.org.nz. The Festival includes a ‘Fun Challenge’ which, for 2015, is to create a neck warmer … in alpaca! Again, for more details and ‘Expressions of Interest’ in competing see the Creative Fibre website.

Toni, Greg & Lisa Charteris Karaka, South of Auckland | phone: 09 292 7895 email: toni@tcs.net.nz | www.watersedgealpacas.co.nz

Tangling with wool

WOOLLEN WORSTED Source: WRONZ Developments 2000 This document was originally released in 2000 by WRONZ Developments. Permission to reprint this article kindly granted by Wool Research Organisation of NZ Inc.

Many people think that all yarns made of wool are woollen yarns, but this is not the case. Three alternative systems are used for processing wool into yarn: the woollen, semi-worsted and worsted systems. Each route is distinctly different, in terms of the machinery used, the types of wools that can be economically processed, and they produce yarns that are quite different in their properties.

rrespective of the processing route chosen, there are some features common to all three routes (see the flow diagram). The basic requirement of yarn manufacture is to take wool in the scoured form (where the fibres tend to be clumped together), separate out the individual fibres, and reassemble them into a twisted arrangement called a yarn. The steps by which the formation of the yarn is achieved differ somewhat between the three routes.

Worsted Processing The worsted system has the most steps in its processing sequence, and better quality, long, sound wools are generally required. Fine and medium wools are favoured for fine yarns. The wool is first passed through a carding step, in which a series of rotating, toothed rollers open the tufts of wool, separate the fibres and mix them thoroughly. Inevitably some fibres break in carding, which is the most severe textile process. However, fibre breakage is minimised by spraying the wool with a lubricating mixture of water and oil prior to carding. The carded wool is removed for the next stage as a thick ribbon of fibre, called a sliver. The sliver is next passed through a gilling step, where a series of pins is drawn through the sliver to straighten and align the fibres into a parallel arrangement. The gilled sliver is then combed to remove short fibres, neps (or little balls of fibre) and vegetable matter. The sliver is gilled again to restore the 10

parallel alignment to form a top. The top is drafted (or drawn out) to form a thin ribbon, or roving, before being twisted and further drafted in spinning to form a worsted yarn. As a result of (1) the removal of short fibres (2) the parallel arrangement of the fibres presented for spinning and (3) the high degree of twist inserted, a worsted yarn is sufficiently strong to require a minimum of 40 fibres in the crosssection. Hence, fine, even, firm yarns with satisfactory strength can be spun. In the main, worsted-spun yarns are used in high-quality woven suiting fabrics, and hand and machine knitting yarns. In these products it is important that the yarn be free from faults such as neps, slubs (clumps), vegetable matter and protruding fibres. Short fibres may cause prickliness, while long protruding fibres have a tendency to form pills.

Woollen Processing The woollen system is the least complex route, and it tends to be used to process blends of wools which vary in length and fibre diameter. The system is capable of handling the poorer types of wools, especially those that are short and tender (i.e. have low strength). In the woollen system the wool passes through a two-stage carding machine to ensure a thorough opening of the tufts and mixing of fibres, and the removal of contaminants. At the

end of the card, the thin, carded web of fibres is separated into narrow strips, which are condensed by rubbing into a thin ribbon called a slubbing. The slubbing is then spun into yarn by applying twist in a ring-spinning frame. A woollen-spun yarn is characterised by a high proportion of short fibres, which are distributed very much at random throughout the yarn. Longer fibres often undergo reversals in direction and may protrude from the yarn, to contribute to a hairy appearance. The protruding loops and ends of fibres have an important influence on the tactile and visual properties of a woollenspun yarn. A fibre with reversals contributes less to the strength of a yarn than if it was fully extended without reversals, as tends to be the case in a worsted yarn. Therefore, a woollen yarn tends to have less strength than a worsted yarn of similar thickness. To obtain sufficient strength a minimum of about 200 fibres in the cross-section is required. Woollen-spun yarns tend to be of coarse count (i.e. thicker), spun to a low twist. Hence they are bulky, soft handling, relatively hairy, and less even than worsted yarns. The reversals and other irregularities in the path of fibres within the yarn create air spaces within the yarn and these also contribute to their soft, bulky handle. In the main, woollen spun yarns are used in woven, knitted and tufted products such as carpets, blankets, tweeds and heavier woven and knitted apparel. Most of the large spinning plants in New Zealand produce woollen spun carpet yarns.

Woollen route

Semiworsted route

Semi-worsted Processing The semi-worsted system was developed to produce a yarn with greater strength than in the woollen system, but without the significant expense of having to remove short fibres in a combing step. Wool is passed through a carding machine, gilled three times to straighten the fibres, and then spun directly from a thin gilled sliver. The semi-worsted system is best suited to sound wools of 100-120mm staple length (with a minimum length of at least 70mm). Because there is less opportunity for the removal of contaminants, the wools used must be virtually free of vegetable matter. Semi-worsted yarns are intermediate in properties between those produced on the worsted and woollen systems. They are used mainly for manufacturing carpets and knitwear. Because of the greater fibre length and the degree of straightening produced by the gilling step, semi-worsted yarns tend to be less bulky than woollen yarns. Hence bulkier wools are sought for semi-worsted blends if a good fabric cover or a softer handle is required in products. In all three systems it is usual to twist singles yarns from the spinning step into multiple plies, or folded yarns. Plying two or more singles yarns together in this way improves both the evenness and strength of the final yarn. The three processing routes for wool are shown in the following flow diagram.

Worsted route

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GREENWOOD GREYLORD New Grey Genetics from Australia SIRE: Hope Downs El Goro DAM: Greenwood Mischa IAR No: 339474 DOB: 23/02/2005

New Grey Genetics from Australia

Greylord will be based in the Auckland area until early Greylord will be based in the Auckland area until early February. This is a rare opportunity to access one of Australia's foremost grey herd sires. February. This is a rare opportunity to access one of Australia’s He has absolutely NO SPOTS. foremost grey herd sires. He has absolutely no spots. Kit & Sheryl Johnson Silverstream Alpaca Stud (03) 327 3020 Silverstream Alpaca Stud info@alpacastud.co.nz Kit & Sheryl Johnson Phone: (03) 327 3020 | Email: info@alpaca-stud.co.nz

Let’s Talk

Quality

PART THREE This is the final article in our three‑part series on ‘Let’s Talk Quality’ by Caroline Newcombe The Alpaca Company

Caroline has an extensive background in quality, risk and

In the first article I introduced a simple four part quality model that can be used as a basis for Quality Planning in all businesses, small or large. The model, as shown below, includes four components that should be considered in both short and long term business planning for helping to manage the quality of products and services provided.

Reduce Waste

Minimise Variability Planning for Quality

Customer Satisfaction

Compliance

safety management, primarily in health related industries

is also a director of The Alpaca

I briefly introduced the two tangible components ‘reduce waste’ and ‘minimise variability’. To help reduce waste I proposed a critical examination of your business processes and suggested that the use of a simple process map may help you undertake this process. With regards to reducing variation I made a link to both the reduction of waste and increased profitability based upon understanding what your business goals are i.e. what your customer wants, and how you can achieve this. In the second article I offered a brief overview of the component ‘compliance’ before taking the concept of understanding your customers’ needs a bit further by taking a look at ‘customer satisfaction’ and what impacts upon this somewhat intangible component. In this, the final article, I will elaborate on the terms specified quality or performance attribute, expected quality or basic expectations and exciting quality or excitement generators (these were briefly mentioned in article two) by exploring these three parts individually to determine how we can use them to our advantage in our plans to increase customer satisfaction. Then, with the help of the Kano Model, I will examine the three parts as a whole - this will clearly illustrate how we need all parts to achieve the objective of maximum customer satisfaction at the lowest overall cost to your company.

Company, a company specialising

To begin, let’s recap briefly.

(animal and human). Caroline has a graduate diploma in Quality Systems from Massey University and has recently completed her Master’s degree in Quality Systems. In her ‘spare’ time Caroline, along with husband Simon, manages Sunstone Alpaca Stud just outside of Tauranga. She

in unique New Zealand made alpaca related giftware and superfine alpaca knitwear.

Customer Satisfaction Goal – Happy Customers  – Increased Profit $$$ Happy, satisfied customers are the key to a profitable business. As stated in the previous articles, in general, satisfying customers is very easy. Offer your customer a product with every conceivable attribute available and charge him half the price it cost you to make it in the first place. Easy – yes? The down side - don’t expect to stay in business very long. Quality management needs to be a two-way process. The goal of quality management is not only to achieve maximum customer satisfaction but to achieve it at the lowest overall cost to your company. The trick is to manage this balance. 13

Customer satisfaction is a key differentiator between suppliers of similar products/services and it should always be a key element of business strategy. Customer satisfaction is assessed by how well products and services meet or exceed customer expectations. However, to meet or exceed customer expectations you need a very good understanding of what those expectations are. If you truly understand your customer(s) and the market(s) you want to target you can make solid plans to progressively increase customer satisfaction over time. In the last article we started to explore what customer satisfaction is by splitting ‘quality’ into three different parts: • Specified quality or performance attributes • Expected quality or basic expectations • Exciting quality or excitement generators

You can use this model to help you think about Specified Quality. Specified quality is associated with customer specifications. These are negotiable expectations that once agreed need to be met or they will cause dissatisfaction. Your goal is to select appropriate performance attributes so that you can deliver a product or service at a price the customer is prepared to pay, while still maintaining a good profit. To do this you need to think about cutting out performance attributes that are ‘not relevant’ or not going to add value (see article 1 re. adding value). Think of ways you can add extra features that will make your product stand out from the rest but also think about reducing waste – if you can save money by reducing waste you will have a bit more to invest into the product if you want to. Ultimately though, you need to decide when is good, good enough, and when is more better. The second force at work is illustrated in figure 3, and it introduces the concept of Expected Quality or Basic Expectations.

Let’s explore these concepts further.

Introducing the Kano Model The Kano Model was developed by Dr. Noriaki Kano in the 1980s. The easiest way to think of the model is on a two-dimensional grid. The horizontal axis represents the investment made; from a low investment on the left to a high investment on the right. The vertical axis represents the satisfaction of the user; from extreme frustration at the bottom to extreme delight at the top. Using this model Kano describes three forces at work, which we can use to predict our customer’s satisfaction in relation to the investment we make. Figure 2 illustrates the Performance Payoff. Essentially, the more features or options you put into your product or service generally the louder the shouts of delight from your customer. However, that initial delight is likely to fade once the customer realises how much all the extras will cost them. It’s on performance attributes that most products/services compete. When we weigh up one product against another, and decide what price we’re prepared to pay, we’re comparing Performance Attributes.

Attributes that contribute to expected quality or basic expectations are assumed to exist, so customers won’t ask for them. Basic expectations are attributes that the user takes for granted and includes things like compliance requirements, a working shower in a motel room, no holes in a newly purchased alpaca scarf etc. Meeting a basic expectation, at best, can only reach a neutral satisfaction point where, in essence, it becomes invisible to the customer. Regardless of how well basic expectations are met they will never delight the customer. Ooohh the shower works – how wonderful!!!! Warning – basic expectations may also be related to what the customer is already used to or familiar with. You need to know the market you are operating in. If all your competitors are offering an ‘extra’ as a basic then it will be expected that you do too. Basic expectations may be invisible to the customer when present, but trust me on this – they are very visible when absent. These unstated expectations need to be met or they will cause dissatisfaction.

Extreme Frustration

Figure 1. Investment v Satisfaction Grid. 14

High

Investment

Performance Payoff

Customer Satisfaction

Low

Extreme Delight

High

Investment

Customer Satisfaction

Low

Extreme Delight

Extreme Frustration

Figure 2. Performance Payoff (Remember: maximum customer satisfaction at the lowest cost to your company).

High

Investment

Customer Satisfaction

Low

Extreme Delight

Basic Expectations

The third force at work is the one associated with Excitement Generators or Exciting Quality. Excitement generators are the little extras the customer wasn’t expecting. These don’t have to take a huge investment. Customers experience exciting quality when products display characteristics over and above specified quality. Exciting quality provides competitive advantage however, the lack of exciting quality does not cause dissatisfaction. Be warned – excitement generators won’t delight customers who are frustrated and dissatisfied because basic expectations haven’t been met. Excitement generators need to be used with caution as they can quickly become basic expectations (which must be met at an added cost to you). When this happens you will need to find another excitement generator (again this will be an additional cost). The final figure (figure 5 below) shows the full Kano Model. This pulls all the above figures into one illustration. It also pulls articles, one, two and three together.

Extreme Frustration

Figure 3. Basic Expectations.

In summary Extreme Delight

A quality product or service can be thought of as one that: • Meets basic expectations • Maximises performance attributes

High

• Includes as many excitement generators as possible

Investment

And to finish…

Extreme Frustration

“Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction and skillful execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives.”

Figure 4. Excitement Generators. Extreme Delight

– William A. Foster

High

Investment

Customer Satisfaction

Low

Excitement Generators

Performance Payoff

The Kano Model represents these concepts in an easy to understand format that can be used by anyone who is prepared to critically examine their business with the objective of maximising customer satisfaction. While each of the three forces described above can be considered individually, their effectiveness is related to their combined strength. While there isn’t a right or wrong way to utilise these concepts in your business if you incorporate the concepts as part of your normal business thinking you are likely to see greater gains in the longer term than you would by just implementing them as a one-off improvement exercise.

Customer Satisfaction

Low

Excitement Generators

Basic Expectations

Extreme Frustration

Figure 5. The full Kano Model.

Australian

Alpaca Fleece Ltd (AAFL) by Richard Bowden, Chairman AAFL

The latest Alpacas Australia magazine reproduced (with permission from AANZ) an article on fleece collection that first appeared in 2012 in AANZ’s magazine. There are clearly similarities between New Zealand and Australian growers – much of the fleece is left in the shed or just gets thrown away. I’ll come back to that later after I have corrected a statement that the Australian Alpaca Co-operative was sold to someone outside Australia and was now foreign owned along with its “Quality Mark”. For the fledgling Australian industry the co-operative model worked well. However, it had its downside and it was decided that some other method might serve the growing industry better. In 2004 AAFL was born. The Australian Alpaca Association was, and still is, a major shareholder as were the alpaca breeder members of the former co-operative. From the outset AAFL struggled, mainly because it followed the Co-op’s strategy of paying higher prices to growers for their fleeces than the market could support. It wasn’t long before it became obvious that this would not work and fleece

prices paid to growers were reduced and gradually some alpaca product was introduced. In 2008 the opportunity arose for AAFL to acquire the Sydney based business of the Peruvian Incalpaca Group, one of the two biggest purchasers and manufacturers of alpaca fibre in Peru. In exchange for the business, which gave AAFL exclusive distribution rights in Australia and New Zealand of the world class Kuna brand alpaca garments, Incalpaca Group acquired a 28.7% shareholding in AAFL and since then a close business relationship has grown. The major shareholders in AAFL are still Australian who between them own 71.3 %, and the company logo, a registered trademark, is still owned by AAFL. Now that short history lesson is out of the way, how has AAFL developed and where is it heading?

As manufacturing capacity in Australia declined we saw the rapid growth of manufacturing in China. China is probably the largest importer worldwide of alpaca tops and to that extent has a large influence on fibre prices. As has happened with wool, the alpaca grower is at the end of the market chain and what they receive is dictated by the world market and what eventually people will pay for the end product. There will always be niche markets, but will they support an industry? AAFL formed the view that simply buying and on selling alpaca fleece was not viable and was not going to promote the alpaca industry in Australia. There had to be a definitive range of Australian alpaca products. AAFL set out to do that. Initially, fleece /tops /yarn was sold to strategic partners in Australia who made garments, quilts and carpets under their own brands. It was apparent that Australian costs were becoming too high, such that AAFL’s price structure was well out of line and customers were buying fibre direct from overseas. In 2008 the Australian government’s decision to close the scouring facility at CSIRO in Geelong caused a major rethink. Over the years the relationship with the Inca group grew. AAFL has large quantities of fleece processed and made into garments by Incalpaca in Peru. This strategy has caused a lot of disquiet among Australian growers, but the simple fact is that there is not currently sufficient processing and manufacturing capacity in Australia. The proof is that AAFL has grown from just a buyer and seller of alpaca fibre to arguably the largest wholesaler of quality alpaca garments, accessories and home wares in Australia.

Leaving fleeces to rot and become contaminated will not achieve anything and will not help the alpaca industry grow. Yes, there are niche markets for very fine fleece but they are small and do not cater for the wide variation of micron and tonnage of a growing alpaca industry. AAFL has developed markets for all types and micron of alpaca fleece, it either on sells or uses it for its own alpaca product range. People enter the alpaca industry because they not only fall in love with alpacas but also because there is an end product. It is this that differentiates alpacas from the other exotic species that have been tried over the years and failed. AAFL’s business has grown over the years. In 2013 a retail customer, based in Beechworth in “Ned Kelly” country in north east Victoria, needed to retire from the retail business for personal reasons. As no purchaser was forthcoming, AAFL decided it needed to protect its market in that area and bought the business which is now operated through a wholly owned subsidiary company. From its beginning as just a buyer and seller of alpaca fleece AAFL’s has grown into a vertically integrated business and is a major player in the Australian alpaca industry: Far from being “foreign” owned and controlled Australian Alpaca Fleece Ltd is a majority Australian owned company committed to promoting the Australian alpaca industry.

Gradually the AAFL range of own brand, Australian Alpaca Connection, products has increased. Scarves made from a blend of alpaca and nylon was introduced under the less expensive AlpaSoft label. AAFL has introduced a new range of accessories made from 100% Australian Alpaca fibre. These will be marketed under our new registered brand, Alpaca Gold. In addition there are a small range of garments made in Melbourne and our top selling throws in both natural and dyed colours are made in New Zealand. The ability to expand the 100% Australian Alpaca range is restricted by the amount of fleece received from growers. It seems that growers prefer to leave fleece in the shed or throw it away than receive cash. In an attempt to help growers the decision was taken to pay based on the weight of whole fleece according to the quality of the skirted saddle. Each skirted saddle is placed by the grower in a plastic bag together with, in separate bags, neck, pieces/skirtings but excluding belly, hairy and excessively contaminated pieces. There seems to be still an attitude among growers that there is little point in spending a little time and effort in skirting fleeces if the return is relatively small. Alpacas have to be shorn each year and that can be expensive. Surely some cash back is better than nothing? 17

Introducing the

Fibre Tool Kit at Central Districts Field Days by Alpaca Fibre Sub‑Committee

AANZ hosts a trade stand at each of the three main field days events around the country – Fieldays at Mystery Creek, Hamilton in June, Central Districts Field Days at Manfeild, Feilding in March, and Southern Field Days which alternate between Southland and Canterbury in February of each year.

Questions we identified as some of the most commonly asked were:

The Alpaca Fibre sub committee (FSC) recognise these trade sites as a great opportunity to provide consistent information to the public about alpaca fibre and also to assist those manning the sites. After much brain storming the ‘Fibre toolkit’ was born.

The toolkit consists of:

The Fibre toolkit was trialled at Central Districts Field Days in March, and at Mystery Creek Fieldays in June. The public were attracted to the colourful display, and loved handling the fleeces. Those who manned the trade stand found it a great conversation starter, and made the information more meaningful. We also identified a few changes and improvements we will make over time. There are now three of these Fibre toolkits available, one in each region. They are portable, easy to handle and a smart display can easily be set up in just a few easy steps. We would like to encourage all convenors to utilise them at any shows in their region.

• What is different about alpaca? • Where can I get my fleeces processed? • Who does alpaca shearing in my region? • What can you make from alpaca? • Someone told me you have to combine other wool with alpaca before processing/ spinning it, is this correct?

• a trestle table • a basket each of suri and huacaya fleece which the public are free to handle • a display box showing a range of colours of carded fleece • a small selection of yarn and garments in natural and dyed colours, some 100% alpaca and some combined with other materials, such as silk • a portable, lightweight, 2 meter x 2 meter display board with a permanent photographic/poster display • information displayed on the board includes images of huacaya and suri alpaca, various stages of alpaca fibre processing, finished end product and a few ‘alpaca facts’

For more information or to book the Toolkits please contact fibre@alpaca.org.nz 18

On Farm Quarantine Facility Setting the Suri Standard

Ch o i c e Quality

Affordability All Colours

www.surilana.com.au Â

Ian and Angela Preuss Strathbogie, Victoria, Australia, 3666 PH: +61 3 57905394 Mobile: 0407931789 Email: suris@surilana.com.au 19

EXPO The First 10 Years by Stephen Davy

Many of us remember the first Expo held in Christchurch. This event was probably the hardest to organise of the ten Expos held to date with everything being done for the first time. Having a previous show as a starting point for planning and not having to reinvent the wheel is a huge benefit to convenors and organisers. I wonder if the first Expo’s organisers imagined how the event would develop over the following shows. Over this time there has been almost 5,000 breed and fleece entries at Expos. From such a large number of entries some interesting data and trends start to appear. In this article, with the use of charts, I will summarise some of these trends over the first ten Expos including the age and colour of alpacas taken to shows and how these have changed over time. In performing the work for this article, it became clear that I had to limit the areas of analysis to keep the article to a reasonable length. Therefore my analysis does not include nonchampionship classes, special classes or creative fibre awards. To date, there have been 249 AANZ members who have entered animals or fleeces at an Expo. Not surprisingly most Expo exhibitors come from the island hosting the event.

Cumulatively, 33% of all fleece exhibitors and 27% of all breed exhibitors have crossed Cook Strait to attend the Expo. Also there are many members who travel considerable distances from the same island though it is not easy to capture or present this information. Attending any Expo takes a significant commitment of time, travel and cost for any exhibitor. The below chart shows total breed and fleece entries for each of the Expos. As a Convenor I was often asked were entries increasing or decreasing. The answer to this depends on what was being looking at. Within the overall figures: • entries for suri have grown across the board • fleece entries have clearly grown over the ten Expos • coloured huacaya classes have also grown • the average number of fleeces and breed entries per exhibitor have increased • the proportion of exhibitors crossing Cook Strait to attend the Expo in the other island remaining steady at 25 to 30% for breed entries or 30-35% for fleece entries (for any one year)

The following charts summarise the trends of exhibitors and entries since the first Expo.

Average breed entries per exhibitor have increased over 50% since the first Expo. At the last Expo the average entry was over six alpacas per exhibitor. Average fleece entries have increased over the Expos to just under five per exhibitor in 2013.

To be a true national show, exhibitors should come from all parts of the country rather than just the area where the show is being held. The proportion of exhibitors crossing Cook Strait seems to have settled down at around 30% (breed) and 35% (fleece). This figure has been as high as 40%. Given the time and expense to bring alpacas across the strait, probably it is not realistic for this proportion to be much higher than achieved to date for breed entries. However it might be possible to increase the proportion of fleece entries.

Cumulatively, 33% of all fleece exhibitors and 27% of all breed exhibitors have crossed Cook Strait to attend the Expo. Typically once the show is over, breeders want to get their alpacas (and themselves) back home rather than have another event straight after the Expo. For many alpaca farmers it is not easy to have an extended break from their work and farms and a few more days added on to an Expo for another event can be the difference between being able to attend or not. Although white and light fawn have been separate colour classes in recent Expos, for most of the shows these classes were combined. For ease of comparing entries across the different years my results show these two colour classes as a combined figure. These colours were split in 2011 and since then 24% of the entries that would have been in the combined White/Light Fawn classes have been entered separately as Light Fawn. In its own right, since Light Fawn has been a separate colour class it is the fourth-largest class in terms of entry numbers. Entry numbers for Light Fawn are well below white, mid/dark fawn and black and marginally ahead of brown classes.

Suri Fleece Classes White and light fawn Suri fleece classes have consistently had the largest number of suri fleece entries. Having said that, coloured suri fleeces have grown in number to the extent that they made up about half of the suri fleece entries since 2010. There was a good spread of coloured suri fleeces at the last Expo including the largest number of grey fleeces ever seen at an Expo.

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Usually intermediate-aged fleeces have been the largest age-group for Expo suri fleece entries. I assume this is due to show-quality suris being held back from shearing as juniors so they can be taken to shows in older age classes with full fleece. Junior suris are certainly taken to shows as breed entries (see chart Suri Breed Entries by Age). For the first Expos, it was hard to analyse Suri fleece number trends in the older-aged classes due to the low number of fleeces shown. At the last five Expos (2009 to 2013) suri fleeces shown in the post-intermediate classes became a significant part of the fleece shows (having made up just under 40% of all suri fleeces at the last Expo).

Last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Expo, being the world fleece show, clearly had a big impact on entries for white and light fawn fleeces. With just over sixty entries, the 2013 fleece show was by far the largest suri fleece show at an Expo. The 2009 Expo was the next largest for this fleece colour. Across all of the Expos, the intermediate age classes made up just under 40% of suri fleece entries with junior suri fleeces the next largest age group at 29%. The other main trend for suri fleece entries is the increase in numbers from 2010 onward.

Suri Breed Classes

The proportion of coloured suri breed entries (i.e. colours other than white/light fawn) has been higher than for fleece show entries in most of the Expos. Coloured suris made up 56% of breed entries in the 2013 Expo (equivalent figure was 42% of fleece entries). The above chart shows there have been a good mixture of colours entered in suri breed classes every year since the first Expo.

For suri breed entries, there has been more of an even spread of colours â&#x20AC;&#x201C; particularly since 2010. Junior breed entries have been the largest suri class at 57% of all entries with Intermediate classes the next largest group at 28%. For mid/dark fawn Suri classes, the 2013 Expo had the largest number of entries for both fleece and breed classes. This colour has steadily grown over the years. Intermediate mid/dark fawn fleeces at 36% of entries were the largest age group with junior fleeces the next largest at 29%. For the mid/dark fawn breed classes, junior entries have been by far the largest age group making up 60% of entries. Intermediate classes were the next largest at 26% of mid/dark fawn breed entries.

While intermediate classes are the largest for suri fleece competitions this is not so for suri breed classes. Junior classes have been the largest section for suri breed shows. Another difference between breed and fleece shows is the proportion of entries in the older-aged suri breed classes. Older suri breed entries have been much lower than in the fleece classes. It is easier to take a fleece from an older animal to a show than the animal itself. Many breeders will not take pregnant females to shows. Also getting older males to shows can have additional hurdles such as space in the float and the probable need for separate travelling and penning arrangements. Recent Expos have tried to allow for this by having lower entry fees for older alpacas.

For other suri breed colour entries, black is the next largest colour at 14% of all entries followed by brown (9%) and grey (6%).

Huacaya Classes

The following charts show the number of entries for suri fleece and breed classes by colour in a different format to the earlier charts.

It is clear that hosting the World Fleece Show in 2013 had more of an impact on fleece than breed entries in the huacaya classes. Fleece numbers were much higher than normal in 2013 while breed entries in 2013 were in line with earlier Expos. It would not be realistic to expect the 2013 fleece numbers to be repeated at every Expo but it does show what can be achieved and the potential for fleece shows to grow beyond numbers achieved to 2012. The above graphs show that huacaya fleece numbers were quite steady for the different classes over the years to 2012. 25

Huacaya Fleece Classes

While White/Light Fawn has always been the largest single colour class in 2013 most huacaya fleeces entered in the Expo were coloured (i.e. all classes other than white or light fawn). At this show coloured fleeces made up 57% of total fleece entries compared to 41% at all other Expos. It will be interesting to see if this year the colour profile reverts to the long-term average or whether the 2013 figure is a reflection of the current New Zealand alpaca herd with breeders looking for colour. An analysis of the age profile shows intermediate huacaya fleece classes in 2013 as having the highest overall number of entries. These made up 36% of total fleece entries (33% for all other events). In fact intermediate-aged fleeces were the most numerous in five of the ten Expos for the White/Light Fawn fleece classes. For the other five Expos Junior-aged fleeces were the largest in number.

Huacaya Breed Classes For huacaya breed entries most colours have had good numbers over the majority of the shows. White and Light fawn huacaya breed classes were particularly strong from 2007 to 2011. Mid/Dark fawn huacaya breed classes have also been strong since 2007. It is interesting to note the popularity of black classes which consistently have been the third largest colour group.

Another interesting trend for huacaya is the growing proportion of older breed classes. In 2013, the intermediate class made up 33% of huacaya breed entries (28% 2004 to 2012 average). Age classes for older entries made up 25% of breed entries in 2013 (19% 2004 to 2012 average). On balance, junior classes are still the largest for huacaya.

Maybe awareness of the potential milestones could help organisers to promote the event. For example there could be a small award for the 5,000th Expo entry or the 400th suri fleece entry and so on. Promising an award for the 250th AANZ Expo exhibitor could be a way to encourage new exhibitors to enter the show (as by definition the 250th exhibitor will not have been to a previous Expo). At the first Expo I recall the official dinner where alpaca product was presented on a cat-walk by AANZ members. The event was a lot of fun, well presented and had a good spirit. At following Expos variations of this were done at different times during the Expo weekends. Although we all enjoy having alpaca product on show, whether in a creative fibre section, fashion display or some other way, someone needs to be the organiser for this. When convening the Expo with Kit Johnson, it was one task too much for us and we could not find anyone to do this part of the event. It also raises the question, is the Expo the best place to display alpaca product to the public as well as alpaca people? In my opinion the conference is probably a more suitable forum as the surrounds are usually cleaner and more conducive to presenting alpaca product. One way forward might be to further develop the ideas from earlier Expos held in the North Island and donate alpaca fibre to design students for them to design, make and present their work at the Expo or Conference. Another thought is to repeat the presentation in public like in a department store or similar. Is it possible that students studying disciplines like event management might be willing to develop and run the alpaca product show alongside the AANZ event? Longer term benefits should accrue from having future New Zealand designers being familiar with using alpaca fibre and presenting it. To do this there needs to be adequate lead-time for it to work.

Summary

Looking Forward My Opinions and Recollections Compiling figures from a large number of Expos naturally lead to identification of upcoming milestones. This year there are several milestones that should be achieved at the 2014 Expo. The most significant of these include: • 5,000th Expo entry (currently 4,916) • 250th AANZ member to become an Expo exhibitor (currently 249) • 1,500th fleece entry (currently 1,384)

My article has presented some of the facts and figures from the first ten Expos. No doubt there are many more that could be presented. Behind each number and statistic in the article is a huge amount of effort and energy made by alpaca breeders. All entries have been the culmination of many factors including the breeding decision, management of the pregnant female, usually supervising a birth, selection of show teams and management of the alpacas going to, being at and coming home from the show. Good alpacas don’t just appear at shows by accident and only get there with the passion and expertise of our alpaca association members. I hope this article was of interest with information from Expos presented in a different way than seen to date. To those exhibitors going to this year’s Expo, every best wish for the show and well done for adding to the history of the AANZ Expos.

• 400th Suri fleece entry (currently 360) • 300th Brown huacaya breed entry (currently 282) • 200th Mid/Dark Fawn huacaya fleece entry (currently 177) • 200th breed exhibitor crossing Cook Strait (currently 186) • 100th Grey fleece – suri & huacaya combined (currently 97) 28

Stephen Davy has been on four of the Expo organising committees including being Co-convenor with Kit Johnson for two of these

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October 10th/11th/12th 2014 RDA Centre, Christchurch

Join us for New Zealand’s largest and most prestigious Alpaca Show • National Breed Show • Grand Gala Dinner & Auction • National Fleece Show • Champagne Show Ring Celebration • Trade Sites • International Photo Competition • Public activites and more…

AANZ’s 11th National Show Milestones • 250th AANZ Member to Exhibit • 1500th Fleece Entry • 5000th Expo Entry – lucky draw from all breed entries, with winner taking home a luxurious Windermere Alpaca Blanket from Masterweave.

If you’re not showing alpacas Come and enjoy a relaxing time ring‑side. A great way to see the best alpacas on show, meet up with friends and join in the Champagne Show Ring Celebration, lively Friday night BBQ and exciting Gala Auction Dinner.

email. alpaca2014@alpaca.org.nz web. www.alpacaexpo.co.nz 30

World Class Judges Amanda VandenBosch Breed Judge

Peter Kennedy Fleece Judge

Gala Dinner Auction A selection of fantastic auction items have been pledged so far – here are a few: • Full day shearing – thanks Mike Banks (Shearpac) • Mating to Surilana Condamine ET – thanks Lindsay & Sheryl Riddle (Sherlin Alpacas) • Mating to EP Cambridge Invictus – thanks Greg & Toni Charteris (Waters Edge Alpacas) • JLT – $10,000 alpaca insurance cover • Agrisea Fertilisers, Rangiora Vets customised alpaca goodie basket and more…

Champagne Show Ring Celebration Celebrate in the show ring while looking at the best of the best! Alpaca 2014 Supreme line up.

International Photo Competition Free entry | People’s choice voting on Facebook and at Alpaca2014 Digital submissions | Anyone can enter – join in the fun!

Not entering alpacas in the show? You can still participate in Alpaca2014 by entering your fleeces. Reserve Colour Championships are being awarded for the first time.

Parasite

Alert by Ben Davidson, BVSc BAgSc

Ben is a partner at Rangiora Vet Centre, a mixed animal practice in rural North Canterbury. He graduated from Massey University in 2000 with degrees in Veterinary Science and Agricultural Science and has since completed a post graduate diploma in immunology from Lincoln University. Ben has an interest in internal parasitism in farm animals and is currently involved in the Best Practice Parasite Management Project, a New Zealand wide study looking at parasite management on different farming systems throughout New Zealand. His particular interest is the interaction between nutrition and the animalsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; immune system and how this can influence production and prevent disease.

Well known in the alpaca community, particularly in the Canterbury area, for his expertise in alpaca health Ben has presented papers at several AANZ conferences, most recently last year at the World Alpaca Conference in Hamilton, where he introduced the Wellpaca plan. Ben is also the chair of the Camelid Vet Group.

Perfect conditions for internal parasites Over the last few weeks we have seen a rise in faecal egg counts (FEC) in animals around most of the South Island. It has been a perfect season for parasites with regular rainfall and mild temperatures prolonging the survival, as well as promoting the development, of all stages in the life cycle of the worms. This includes the free living stages which occur on the pasture. All of the eggs that have been deposited onto the pastures in poo are hatching and developing into infective larvae in 2-3 weeks. These can survive on the pasture in the current conditions for up to 3 months. In a season like this we often see problems with clinical parasitism from March through until June. In the last few weeks we have had some animals die from Haemonchus (Barbers Pole) worm, which is a blood sucking worm and causes fatal anaemia. There have also been cases of scours and weight loss.

The arrival of frosts does not necessarily mean the end of parasite problems and we have seen animals with severe burdens with snow on the ground!

Know what is happening in your animals We can't see the free living stages (larvae or eggs) of the internal parasites unless we look under a microscope. The only way to know what is going on in your herd is to monitor poo samples and do a FEC. Mobs not achieving expected weight targets or negative changes in body condition score can also indicate that internal parasites could be a problem in your animals. For a FEC we need 10-12 samples collected fresh and submitted to the clinic on the same day. If this is not possible store the sample in the fridge until it can be delivered. A FEC sampling pack can be collected form the clinic.

When to do a FEC Monitoring sample â&#x20AC;&#x201C; monthly samples to determine the status of your animals. This is a useful way of determining the frequency of drenching required or if your grazing management eg cross grazing with other classes of stock, stocking rate etc is effective. The main disadvantage is that by the time the FECs are elevated you will already have subclinical or clinical parasitism in your herd. Post-drench sample (Drench Check) â&#x20AC;&#x201C; It is important to do a drench check to ensure that the drench you are using is effective. These samples are

taken 10-12 days after drenching. If any eggs are seen in the samples it is possible that you have a problem with drench resistance on your farm. Over the last few weeks we have seen several cases of parasite eggs in postdrench samples. This can be due to: • drench resistance • inadequate drenching – not drenching to correct weight • faulty drenching equipment Once we know the results of your FEC we can advise you on the next step. This may be as simple as making a drench recommendation or advising on alternative control measures eg cross species grazing, brassica feeding etc In the case of elevated counts postdrenching we would look at drenching technique, equipment and weigh scales. If these were all in order drench resistance may be a problem in which case we would suggest further testing. If you have any questions about internal parasites in your animals please discuss them with your vet.

Cherry lane alpacas

Because alpacas are our passion We love alpacas, and we enjoy sharing our passion for alpacas with others. We have: -breeding stock -lifestyle pets -alpaca fleece -prize winning alpacas -for sale or to view Give us a call, email us or stop in for tea or coffee today. We would be happy to show you around our farm and introduce you to our alpacas and alpaca farming.

ALPACA SHEARING Experienced friendly service Quality assured Over 20 years shearing experience

Phone Mike Morgan

Ph Anne: (07) 3323445 email: apbannan@yahoo.co.nz

Home: 03 319 8778 | Cell: 021 251 7742

6 Sunnex road, RD2, Rotorua 33

ALPACAS IN

by Alison Notley, Vice‑President, SAABS, July 2014

Alpacas were introduced to South Africa around 2001 with the foundation herd coming from Chile and Australia. The South African Alpaca Breeders’ Society was formed in 2003 with a few founder members. We now have a membership nudging 50 and a national alpaca herd of around 3500 animals. Herds are spread throughout the various provinces with the majority farmed in the Western Cape. There are probably no more than six or seven herds of more than 200 in South Africa, with many in the 40-50 numbers and a number of smaller breeders. It is encouraging that at a recent auction of alpacas (only the second to be held in the country) several new breeders popped up and bid, and are now new alpaca owner-breeders. The preponderance is for the Huacaya, with very few breeders concentrating on Suris, in fact there are probably only 100 Suri alpacas in South Africa. Alpacas as sheep guards are proving a popular option and sheep farmers are recording far fewer lamb losses to predators. One of the largest sheep farmers in the country has helped me write an article recently. From 300 lamb losses a year three years ago when he first introduced alpacas as sheep guardians his losses have reduced to between 20 and 30 lambs. In tourist areas such as the Cape where boutique vineyards offer residential accommodation to visitors, alpacas are occasionally seen as a “pet” attraction so the pet market is also open for business. One mini-mill serves the whole country as well as a number of other rather more diversified alternatives such as a cashmere dehairing and carding machine, which works extremely well for the small number of hand spinners and felters in our community. In the early days when there were five alpacas here and a dozen there, the mini-mill worked well for the embryonic industry. Now with substantially increased alpaca numbers there is somewhat of a bottleneck while we seek other options for fibre processing. One of our larger breeders is beginning to mechanise and importing mechanical looms and industrial spinning machines. 34

Most of our breeders who produce their own hand knit and hand woven products attend markets, fairs and exhibitions in order to get the word and the product out. This has met with encouraging success but as with any new venture it is the marketing which is vital, the talking, explaining, showing off, modelling, coming home empty handed some days, coming home with a full cash box next time. Cape Town was awarded the prestigious Design Capital of the World for 2014 and many events have aligned themselves with this status and alpaca breeders have made their presence known during the first six months of this year. Our annual general meeting is coming up in August where we will moot the idea of introducing shows. We are a new industry, we are all novices – even though enthusiastic – but we are learning and not yet qualified enough to judge each others’ alpacas. Bringing in judges from overseas is costly but with redirecting fees and subs and perhaps with some sponsorship this could be attained but must be carefully managed so that we do not lose focus on the production of high yielding low micron fleeces. There are several prestigious agricultural events throughout South Africa and we feel the time is right to now push and introduce alpacas to the public. Disease management has not really been an issue with the introduction of alpacas to Africa except perhaps with the Rift Valley Fever outbreak experienced in 2010 as well as Bluetongue (African horse sickness). We are now having to vaccinate. To say there has been no theft of alpacas would be incorrect. To our Society’s knowledge there has been one serious incident where a dozen or more alpacas were stolen in the KwaZulu Natal region of the country. Again to our knowledge

and despite follow-ups by the stock theft unit of the South African Police Force these animals were not recovered. In an earlier incident in the Western Cape ten alpacas were taken, allegedly, by a leopard and, it was thought, her cubs. The alpacas were penned at the time and although there was no sighting of the culprits and that this took place just outside the town of Wellington, the appalling injuries sustained by the alpacas pointed to the modus operandi of leopard. This was by far the most distressing incident of alpaca loss experienced in this country to date. Thankfully it has not been repeated.

Alpaca breeders in South Africa are progressive and innovative and our collective range of products include machine- and hand-spun finished knitting yarns, hand knit exclusive ladies’, gentlemen’s and baby garments, felted work, mixes where alpaca blends with other natural fibres, woven items, rugs, dress socks as well as alpaca-filled duvets and jewellery. We strive for improvement in our animals and their fibre, with several breeders subscribing to the Jim Watts SRS method. We welcome visits such as Jim’s in 2012. The South African Alpaca Breeders’ Society website is www.alpacasociety.co.za.

YEARS OF CHAMPIONS Be part of the Australian National Show and Sale Cambridge Streetwise – 2013 Supreme Champion Huacaya, sold at the 2013 National Classic Auction.

2014 National Show & Sale 18-21 September 2014 Don’t miss your chance to bid and own an Australian champion Telephone bidding via Wilson Beer at Landmark +61 (0)428 505 520 email wilsonbeer@bigpond.com by 17th September 2014

Prince of Wales Showgrounds Holmes Road BENDIGO VIC

Australian Alpaca For More Information A S S O C I A T I O N Go to www.nationalshow.com.au

BAFINZ RESULTS 2014

Best Huacaya Fleece Producer 1st 2nd 3rd

S & P BUSBY P & R ANDERSON B & D LOMAX

Best Mid/Dark Fawn Suri Fleece

GILT EDGE ALPACAS AWATERE ALPACAS HONEYFIELDS ALPACAS

H, S, & B RICHARDS L & H OLSSON A & N GODFREY

Best Brown Huacaya Fleece MARTINA BOURBON – B & J MARTIN

Best Suri Fleece Producer 1st 2nd 3rd

FAIRHAVEN HAJIME – A & N GODFREY

SURICO ALPACA GOTLAND ALPACAS FAIRHAVEN ALPACAS

Best Brown Suri Fleece GOTLAND SHANIA – L & H OLSSON

Best Grey/Roan Huacaya Fleece

Best White Huacaya Fleece

TIMBER TOP CT PEARLY POPSTAR – T, G & L CHARTERIS

AQUAVIVA HERMES – P & R ANDERSON

Best Black Huacaya Fleece

Best White Suri Fleece

CUESTA HARRIER – M & J ELLWOOD- WADE; D & W ALBLAS

SURICO NOVA – H, S & B RICHARDS

Best Black Suri Fleece

Best Light Fawn Suri Fleece

THISTLEDOWN VORTEX – S, M & P GARDNER

GOTLAND TRUMPS – L & H OLSSON

Best Mid/Dark Fawn Huacaya Fleece WATERS EDGE LIGHTNING BOLT – T, G & L CHARTERIS

North Island

Colourbration Fleece & Breed Show Results 2014 Judges: Sarah Busby & Steve Ridout. Congratulations to all winners. For a full list of results, please visit www.alpaca.org.nz/events/show_results

Suri Breed Results Supreme Champion BLACK SURI Excellenz Nero June Miracle Supreme Champion BROWN SURI Te Kowhai Top Notch Supreme Champion MEDIUM/DARK FAWN SURI Glenpaca NZ Inca Oro Supreme Champion LIGHT FAWN SURI Te Kowhai Eye of the Tiger Supreme Champion WHITE SURI Greenbank Vienna Lad Premier Fancy Suri Wild Palette Cha Cha

Huacaya Breed Results

Supreme Champion BROWN HUACAYA Waiheke Sunset Strip ET

Supreme Champion LIGHT FAWN SURI FLEECE Gotland Queen of Hearts

Supreme Champion MEDIUM/DARK FAWN HUACAYA Waters Edge Lightning Bolt

Supreme Champion WHITE SURI FLEECE Greenbank Mahy

Supreme Champion LIGHT FAWN HUACAYA Waiheke Provocetur ET Supreme Champion WHITE HUACAYA Shanbrooke Accoyo Shere Respect ET

Suri Fleece Results Supreme Champion BLACK SURI FLEECE Thistledown Pandamonium Supreme Champion GREY/ROAN SURI FLEECE Wild Palette Admiral Halsey

Huacaya Fleece Results Supreme Champion BLACK HUACAYA FLEECE Andean Gold Tamara Supreme Champion GREY/ROAN HUACAYA FLEECE Silverhill Valiant Supreme Champion BROWN HUACAYA FLEECE Q Taz Macho Man Supreme Champion MEDIUM/DARK FAWN HUACAYA FLEECE Karismac Shanera Supreme Champion LIGHT FAWN HUACAYA FLEECE Q Taz Pearly Shells

Supreme Champion BLACK HUACAYA Waiheke Trail Blazer ET

Supreme Champion BROWN SURI FLEECE Gotland Shania

Supreme Champion WHITE HUACAYA FLEECE Karismac Future

Supreme Champion GREY/ROAN HUACAYA Softfoot Azure ET

Supreme Champion MEDIUM/DARK FAWN SURI FLEECE Hadstock N.Z. Silken Krystal

Premier Fancy HUACAYA FLEECE Silverhill Ilaria

Breeders

Workshop by the Showing & Judging Sub‑Committee

The SJSC (showing and judging sub‑committee) with the AANZ judges recently ran two weekends which combined judge training and breeders workshops. The workshops were held in the North Island and in the South Island and both were very well supported. We needed to limit the numbers of breeders so that they would each have a conducive environment in which to do lots of learning. The days were divided into four stations. One on fleece, one on conformation, one on Huacaya and one on Suri. The aim of the workshop was twofold. For breeders to have a better understanding of what judges are assessing in the ring, and helping breeders to recognize those traits to assist them in making breeding decisions in their own breeding programmes.

long life – eating, moving and breeding being the most important. The judges discussed conformation with this form and function in mind and which conformational issues are largely heritable and which are most environmental.

The day started out with an overall powerpoint presentation of alpaca conformation and fleece. The breeders were then split into groups to move around the different sections. Each section was 1½ hours each.

This section was quite likely the most challenging for a lot of breeders. They tried their hand at micron assessment and recognizing, density, uniformity of micron, lack of guard hair to name a few. The participants also learnt about how each category is assessed when fleeces are judged and the scoring system that is used by our judges. They were taken through the new score sheet which is aimed at making it easier for all exhibitors to understand exactly in which categories their fleeces are excelling and which ones are breeding issues and which are management issues.

Conformation In this section the judges discussed why conformation is important and which conformational traits are more heavily weighted in the show ring. It is important that alpaca are able to perform the necessary tasks to function in a

Fleece

South Island Workshop. 38

South Island Workshop.

North Island Workshop.

Suri and Huacaya Although these were separate sections it makes sense to write about them together. Breeders had a go at assessing major traits on suri and huacaya and found that there really is not a huge difference but rather just a different style to the fleeces. The traits which are important in a huacaya are the same in a suri. Many huacaya breeders were surprised to find that what they knew about huacaya could be utilized when judging suri. Each group had the job of assessing all the different traits, describing them and then weighing up the different positive and negatives of each alpaca to come up with a line up, as is done in a show. Not always an easy thing to do when there is no such thing as a perfect alpaca, so there was a lot of discussion around which traits are more important to bring an alpaca to the top of the class.

Feedback from these two days has been very good and the SJSC would like to run more of these type of events in your region.

“The breeders workshop last weekend was really excellent and I learnt a huge amount. It was fabulous to have the judges freely sharing their knowledge and experience with us all. It was great to work in groups – and everyone was able to contribute. It was nice to see a number of the huacaya breeders going away with a lot more respect for suri than they had before the start of the day!!!! Thanks to all the SJSC for organising such a valuable event.”

AUSTRALIAN ALPACA FIBRE TESTING Dedicated to the specific needs of Alpaca breeders

AAFT

Australian Alpaca Fibre Testing PO Box 246, Crookwell, NSW 2583, Australia Phone: 61 2 4834 2132 Email: info@aaft.com.au Website: www.aaft.com.au

– South Island Breeder

“Just a quick note to thank you for organising such a great day yesterday. What a breath of fresh air to actually get ‘hands on’ and have the judges there to bounce questions off. Every breeder should attend a course like this. So educational and lots of fun.”

– North Island Breeder

Astelia and her

C窶全ection by Ineke van Neuren, Otaio Bridge Alpacas

We had been keeping a very close eye on our pregnant dam OTB Astelia for several days. We were getting concerned as she was obviously restless and uncomfortable. On the Monday morning the discomfort slowly changed to distress, and we called the vet. At first examination, with Astelia in cush everything appeared to be fine and the cria was ready to birth. Our vet Esther decided to go ahead and unpack it. We were able to get Astelia to stand up to enable easier access, which is when Esther could feel that there was a twist in the uterus. After a quick call to the veterinary clinic it was decided to take her to the clinic and perform a C-section. We put a halter on Astelia and she walked to the van. We had to help her in, but on arrival at the clinic she actually jumped out and walked into the surgery. (Halter training is so worth the time and effort!) She was initially sedated with triple mix, and then prepped for the operation starting by shaving a rectangle on her side. This area was injected with local anaesthetic and she was lifted on to the operating table. Astelia had two veterinaries, Esther and Dougal, in attendance and two Vet nurses, while

Preparation of the area for surgery. 40

we stood nervously on the sidelines. The initial incision was made and after a bit of searching a cria leg was located, still safely in the uterus. With Dougal holding the leg, Esther made an incision into the uterus. Within seconds Dougal found the head and lifted the cria out. We were surprised at how little time it all took. It was just so quick. While the vets carried on with the slow job of stitching all the different layers we turned our attention to the cria - a 10kg+ girl! We placed her on top of her dam with the cria's tail under her dam's nose. We rubbed the cria all over her. This was our second C-section. Our first (Erik, so named after the vet Erik van Schreven) ended up with Mum not accepting the cria. We were determined to try to prevent that this time. As soon as the stitching was finished we were able to get the cria, now named Esther, to suckle from her mum.

Gently lifting Astelia on to the table.

As Astelia was starting to wake we carried her to the van, but once home she scrambled out herself, before we could help her. We made sure the cria suckled frequently while Astelia was still partly sedated, but when she was fully awake she would not let her feed. We found if we put her on a lead and fed her pellets she was distracted enough, and the cria confident enough, to sneak some quick drinks. We did supplement the cria with colustrum, first with a syringe and later with a bottle, just to make sure she was getting enough.

Finding a cria leg still safely in the uterus.

Working quickly…

…to remove the cria.

A very fit healthy cria – and a girl.

The painstaking job of stitching everything back into place.

Esther – 1.5 hours old.

The placenta is not removed during C-section as the risk of damage to the uterus is too great. Astelia was given oxytocin after surgery and again after 24 hours. She was increasingly reluctant to let the cria feed. It took about 48 hours for the placenta to be delivered and after that life for both cria and dam became much easier. They haven’t looked back. We are very pleased they have bonded so well. We are not sure if all everything we did made a difference, but maybe it did. We were very lucky Astelia is a very easy going alpaca and Esther is a quick learner. We did discuss the possibility of untwisting the uterus, but according to our vets they hardly ever attempt it now, with any species. They find it easier on Mum and baby to do the C-section, with much less internal damage. Thank you to Esther and Dougal of the Waimate Vet Services. PS. We are also happy to report that 4 months later both dam and cria are doing well. Astelia was happily remated 6 weeks post surgery. We are now looking forward to an uneventful birth.

Astelia at home after the Caesarian.

Astelia 16 weeks later and pregnant.

Highway Star Herd Sale Susan Wise 03 310 7935 0221501596

Selling Up Great $$$

susanthewiselady@gmail.com 42

Waste Not, Want Not! by Heather Candler, Oak Hills Alpacas

Where do you get your inspiration? I’m inspired by many things. Most folks who spend as much time in nature as alpaca farmers do find their inspiration there. Profit is a strong inspiration for me every day on the farm. I am always looking for ways our alpacas can support themselves and make us money. In our first year of farming, discovering a market for alpaca beans as a natural fertilizer inspired me to keep those pastures clean. We recycled the bags that my husband’s sand comes in for monument lettering and filled those, and our feed bags with beans. These sold to local gardeners and landscape companies. In that same year, manure sales paid for our hay. I was inspired! Recently, as we have worked to develop farm products, I have been inspired by the creativity of others in the industry who have developed unique products from waste fleece. As you sweep the floors after shearing, or carry that bag of waste fibre to the compost, consider what you can do with this resource and discover inspiration from these ideas.

Pot Liners Let’s be practical. Have you ever met a gardener that’s not? Well Caroline Gregg of Rocaro Alpacas in Upper Kennetcook, Nova Scotia (www.rocaroalpacas.ca) found inspiration at her potting bench. Her quick solution to creating pot liners is a 3-minute rough felting job. Using raw, waste fleece, she Nesting Ornaments. 43

creates a felted circle, roughly the size and shape of her plant pot that lines the bottom of the pot, preventing soil loss and retaining moisture. The liner lasts all summer long and biodegrades. A natural solution! She advises that the process works best with carded fibre, but raw fibre is suitable for this product. Create a thin layer of fibre in the size and shape needed for your pot. Lay the fibre in one direction, working with small tufts at a time. Add another thin layer atop this one in the opposite direction. Then add a third and fourth layer, alternating directions. Sprinkle with dish soap. Then sprinkle with hot water. Caroline uses a jar with holes poked in the top for this. Place bubble wrap on top and start patting. Rub until it starts to felt. Place in the pot while still damp. Then watch your garden grow!

Felted Soap Caroline (Rocaro Alpacas) admits that felting has become a bit of an obsession. “I was making felt outside one day and I had to rush into the house. I picked up a bar of soap with fleece on my hands and it stuck.” That was all the inspiration it took for one of her most successful farm products – felted soaps. These beautiful, decorative items are as practical as they are pretty, and they have been hot sellers for Rocaro Alpacas year round. Made from hand crafted goats milk soap encased in 100% alpaca fleece, these soaps feature a built-in washcloth or loofah. The felt shrinks as the soap is used, leaving you with a ball of fibre. One customer offered the suggestion, “throw it in the dryer and make a cat toy with what’s left.” With a bit of experience, each felted soap takes about 15 minutes to create. Start with handcrafted goats milk soap or any hard soap that lathers really well. It takes a good handful of fibre to felt one, 6 oz bar of soap. A little bit of hay in the fibre works well to create a natural look and exfoliating effect. And your fibre does not have to be washed, as the felting process washes it for you. Spread the fibre on the table and place the bar in the centre. Ball the fibre up around the bar, ensuring you have the soap completely covered with fleece. Wet it with water as hot as you can stand under the tap and squeeze, squeeze,

squeeze. Work gently at first otherwise you will dislodge the fibre. Check periodically to ensure every bit of the soap is covered with fibre. Caroline cautions, “the felt won’t stick to the soap if water gets in there.” As it felts you feel it tighten. Then you start rubbing to harden it. When complete, leave a couple of days to dry, “or in the winter it dries quickly by the woodstove,” explains Caroline. Expect to make about 6 felted soaps in an hour. “And that’s enough because it is hard on your hands,” explains Caroline. To use felted soap, place it in a sink of warm water for a few minutes, then use it as you would a loofah or washcloth. The addition of dyed fibre creates a coloured product that sells very well. Natural fawn highlighted with blue is a popular combination. Wrap with raffia for a finishing touch. Caroline reports that the price point is right on this item for gifts under $10 and has been particularly popular with children for teachers’ gifts. Rocaro Alpacas sells felted soaps on their website, in their farm store and at craft sales, reporting healthy profit margins.

Nesting Ornaments An old practice of hanging dryer lint out in the spring for birds to collect for their nests evolved into a beautiful garden ornament that supplies backyard birds with nesting material at Oak Hills Alpacas in Stirling, Ontario (www.ohalpacas.com). When I discovered a wired topiary form that had decorative appeal, my first thought was to fill it with our raw, waste fleece and hang it for the birds to enjoy and to add decor to the garden. The concept worked well. Taking only minutes to make, and using a handful or two of fleece, each form is filled with a variation of colours creating bold colour statements or decorative blends. Each ornament is hung with nylon cord to resist the weather, and labelled with photograph and the name of the alpaca that supplied the fleece. The hinged lids of the topiary forms make the ornaments refillable, creating a market for refill bags of raw fleece. We have since added a line of suet feeders that allow our customers to provide nesting material during nesting season, and then suet feed through the autumn and winter months.

Local bird shops have not only picked up on the ornaments, but also the refill bags, encouraging customers to use this material to fill suet feeders for the same purpose. “We’ve been delighted to find not only bird shops interested in carrying nesting ornaments, but gift shops that like to feature local products.”

Heather Candler, co-owner of Oak Hills Alpacas (OH Alpacas) with husband Michael and daughters Samantha and Ruby lives in Stirling, Ontario, Canada. Their sustainable farm is home to 15 alpacas, a small flock of laying hens and honey bees. Heather works as general manager of a development corporation by day and Michael is a monument craftsmen. Their alpaca farm is their commitment to slower living to balance their busy careers and full family life. All members of the Candler family play an active role in farm life.

Once this creative craft hit the market we took time to calculate our profit margins. We were pleased to see that sales from this product brought a higher price per pound for fleece than selling the raw fleece outright. And it’s another opportunity to introduce a new segment of the community to alpacas and their unique end product.

Insulation Canadian Comfort Alpacas have found inspiration in the comfort and practicality of the insulating properties of alpaca fleece. This large Niagara area farm has a herd of over 200 alpacas. With that volume of fleece available, owners Leslie and Bob Comfort (www.canadiancomfortalpacas.com) have a lot of waste fleece to work with. Though details weren’t available at time of publication (Leslie was too busy shearing and preparing for a show to sit still for an interview!), watch for a future article on how they turned their waste fleece into an insulation for their boilers that has resulted in greater efficiency and savings.

Visit www.ohalpacas.com, follow the farm on Twitter (@ohalpacas), or contact the Candlers at farm@ohalpacas.com.

As you head to the shearing table in the weeks ahead, consider what you too can do with waste fleece, inspired by the creativity of others.

Book Review

A Definitive Guide to Alpaca Fibre By Cameron Holt To my knowledge this is the first publication to combine scientific subjects such as alpaca fibre histology and modern testing techniques with invaluable information on skirting and classing protocols for alpaca fleece production. While also incorporating advice on practical topics like shearing methods and shearing shed design it includes a chapter on alpaca fleece judging principles which will satisfy even the most devoted show ring fanatic. The subject matter concludes with an overview of the varied procedures surrounding alpaca fleece processing; a book in total summation reflecting the author’s many years of dedication and commitment to his subject. It is a culmination of over 45 years of Cameron Holt’s work in natural fibre industries throughout the world. In that time he has been associated with training and marketing in the sheep industry (merino and other breeds), conducting research and training in the mohair industry followed by a long and comprehensive journey into the world of alpaca fleece. His interest and research into alpacas and alpaca fleece has taken him around the world educating, training and advising the various alpaca breed organizations and processors across four continents on the properties and attributes of alpaca – justifiably earning him a reputation as an “alpaca fibre expert”. Cameron is equally at home working with individuals or small groups of growers to improve their hands‑on knowledge of fleece or presenting at large international conferences and gatherings of alpaca enthusiasts.

In the contemporary, high‑tech era it is essential that alpaca fleece prepared for the end market is not only classed accurately but tested and described correctly to meet the demands of today’s high speed processing equipment. With that in mind, the extensive knowledge and information contained in this one book is a must for growers, teachers and classers alike. I am sure it will also be a platform to assist organizations and companies to initiate systems for qualified classers that will aid in the standardisation of alpaca fleece lines that can be recognised worldwide. The overall text and graphics contained herein will guide all students of that remarkable animal – the alpaca – to discover much about the distinctive qualities of alpaca fleece while ensuring that fleece educators, trainers and classers, across all levels, will have a valuable reference resource. In short, I believe that Cameron Holt’s book will be referred to as the alpaca fleece growers’ and classers’ “bible” for many years to come.

Graeme Dickson Breeder & member of the Australian Alpaca Association Ltd. Served on the AAA National Committee and chaired several sub‑committees; Registered teacher of Alpaca Agricultural Certificate, TAFE NSW; Life member of AAA.

This first edition hardcover book "A Definitive Guide to Alpaca Fibre" is currently available from Alpaca Culture www.alpacaculture.com/index.php/store/merchandise and Australian Alpaca Association www.alpaca.asn.au/merchandise-services/online-shop until sold out.

El dos Cadena Alpacas Coloured Suri Alpacas “The silken fibre of the future”

www.alpacas-nz.co.nz 1029 Two Chain Road, Swannanoa, North Canterbury Alpacas for Sale from Pets to Breeding Packages, Stud servicing Range of Prices to suit every budget Alpaca Yarn, Knitwear, Felt Products, Carded fibre for sale Buyers and Sellers of Quality Raw skirted Alpaca fibre PLUS a new range of Alpaca Inspired giftware and home decor, Alpaca fibre Art

Alpacas in the Attic Alpaca Inspired Giftware

Come along to our Trade Site at the NZ National Alpaca Expo

Breeding for fine coloured Suri Fleece Enquiries for stud services, alpaca sales or to come and visit us, please contact Laurell MacDonald phone 07 872 2886 or email zulli@xtra.co.nz 168 Aotearoa Road, Te Awamutu

Reclass, Proce Alpaca, Black and Specialty richard@woo

WOOL TECHNOLOGIES CASH PAID FOR ALPAC

Reclass, Processing and Marketing Alpaca, Black and Coloured Wool and Specialty Fibres richard@wooltechnologies.co.nz

NORTH ISLAND CASH Philippa Wright PAID FOR FIBRE PhilippaALPACA Wright Wool Merchants 8 Coughlan Road, Waipukurau NORTH ISLAND Ph: 06 858Philippa 9434 orWright 027 242 2033 philippa@wrightwool.co.nz Philippa Wright Wool Merchants 8 Coughlan Road, Waipukurau Ph: 06 858 9434 or 027 242 2033 philippa@wrightwool.co.nz

SOUTH ISLAND Lindsay Riddle Sherlin Suri Alpaca Stud Lawford Road, RD5, Christchurch Ph: 03 349 7524 or 0274 331 094 leriddle@xtra.co.nz

www.surisupre.co.nz

Search or Advertise Alpacas for Sale Alpaca Stud Services Alpaca Breeders Alpaca Auctions Rosala Alpacas Ross & Alanah Brabham Breeders of Top Quality Coloured Huacaya 293 Ararimu Valley Road RD2, Waimauku Auckland 0882 P: 64 9 411 9188 E: info@rosala-alpacas.con.nz W: rosala-alpacas.co.nz

www.AlpacaSeller.co.nz

Online Alpaca Advertising at Affordable Prices

She Lawford Roa Ph: 03 349

Mystery Creek

FIELDAYS Wednesday June 11th – Saturday June 14th 2014 by Marketing & Promotions Sub-Committee

The Team Jackee & Ashlee Peters, Miriam & Peter Dixon, Andi Ewen & Gene Rigney, Brenda & Ivor Gainsford, Ron Pedder, Russell Nelson, Martyn Ellwood‑Wade, Terri Cattell, Chris Leach, Bob & Joyce Martin, Leonie & Neville Walker, John & Rosanna Waterman, Stuart & Ann Weir, Keenan Scott, Bruce & Wendy Johnstone, led by John Bush and supported by alpacas from Sue Richards. Long distance support from Marketing & Promotions sub‑committee.

All the planning was worth it, with a great team effort by all concerned. We were a small part of the overall show, but this was hardly surprising when you consider there were 120,000 visitors, with 900 exhibits on a show ground covering 114 hectares. Yes, a big event, but our alpacas made quite an impression, and already we have ideas on how to enhance our presence next year. The weather on Tuesday, the set up day, and Wednesday, the first public day, were not good at all with strong winds, heavy rain showers and a ‘little’ cold, but this did not deter the team from going walkabouts with the animals, much to the delight of the

public. On Friday, there were 42,000 visitors to the Field Days [almost a record], so walking about drew big numbers of “oohs” and “ahs” from the public. There were endless photos taken, with both adults and children enchanted with the Alpacas. This was the third trade stand undertaken by the AANZ this year, with the largest audience. The trade stand was located for the first time in the ‘Breeds’ Arena’ which is a new initiative by the Fieldays team, designed to house a number of specialty animal breeds in the same area. We were allocated several time spots each day when we were asked to broadcast to the public anything and everything about the fabulous alpaca. M&P had invited breeders to display their farm brochures for a small fee, and alongside the information about alpaca, information about AANZ, beautiful alpaca product, and the new Fibre Toolkit, the stand looked smart and appealing. The stand was manned by a large team of enthusiastic breeders, ready to share their knowledge and admiration of the alpaca. The public loved being able to interact with the alpacas and many took the opportunity to lead them around, and find out more about them. Photos overleaf… 47

MYSTERY CREEK FIELDAYS 2014

SCRUM PRACTICE One of the many introductory sessions in the street

OUR DISPLAY

WE WERE RAIDED by the local cops for having a peeeeeee lab

WALKING IN THE RAIN. Wednesday was very wet, cold but we kept on walking

PRESENTATION TIME WITH RON

LOOK OVER THERE BABY, You smooth dude

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Our featured breeders were drawn from the pool of advertisers from the previous magazine. If you would like a chance to have your profile featured in the Alpaca magazine, make sure you advertise in the next issue of New Zealand Alpaca.

ADVERTISING BREEDER

PROFILE Toni & Greg Charteris Waters Edge Alpacas

When the editor of the magazine rang us to say we had won the draw for the breeder profile article in the current magazine I was shocked. “What do people want to know about us for? We are so boring!” I exclaimed. It seems that a draw is held running up to each edition of the AANZ Alpaca Magazine from breeders who buy advertising in the magazine and they are given a chance to write about themselves in a breeder profile article. So I thought about it and realized that even though we are boring, maybe we can share some of our thoughts with you and show that what we all have in common is an absolute passion for our alpacas. We are Toni & Greg Charteris and we live in Karaka and are in our early sixties. Like many of you, we have day jobs, work that brings in the money to support our alpaca farming. Our business that runs alongside our alpaca farm is called Timber Construction Solutions Ltd. It designs, manufactures and exports houses throughout the pacific region, often to the far-flung smaller islands where infrastructure is very basic. It can be challenging at times but also very rewarding. Currently we are working with the worldrenowned Fred Hollows Foundation building hospitals in the islands where doctors can restore sight through cataract surgery to many people who would otherwise be blind for life. In our main business of TCS we had a well worked out business plan and would not dream of entering into complex arrangements with others without this thorough approach. When it came to alpacas however the concept of a business plan, be it one year, five years or ten years went out of the window. Like many people our first exposure to alpacas was as a paying member of the public wandering around an A&P show one fine sunny day. Toni saw them in the ring and fell in love with their grace and beauty. From that

point on we were smitten. We think we are not alone in this way as I believe many of you bought your first alpacas from the same starting point. It was emotion not business that drew us in! How many of you reading this fell in love at first sight? It is a powerful thing and we must not lose sight of the fact that other poor unsuspecting members of the public at A&P shows will feel similar emotions. If you are there, supporting you're A&P show by exhibiting your alpacas it may be you that they come and talk to first. Think ‘Marketing opportunity’ each time an A&P schedule drops through the mail. Maybe I was a little harsh, we did have a bit of a plan: our age played a major part in our original decision-making about our herd. We don’t have years ahead of us in which to build a quality herd from a mediocre starting point. Our earlier farming experience in cattle, sheep and angora goats taught us that if we wanted to produce top quality offspring we needed to buy top quality stud stock to begin with. A potted history of how we got to where we are today is in Greg’s President’s message at the beginning of this issue so I won’t repeat it here. However, whilst farming as a young couple with two children Toni wanted to learn how to do artificial

insemination (AI) on their goats, as this was a way to get ahead faster using frozen semen from top males around New Zealand and Zimbabwe. Toni then became an AI Technician for Ambreed and then went on to become an Instructor. Greg and Toni became the first Angora stud to collect and use fresh semen and implant it into their goats, which was a great success. Back to our alpacas. We have selected a small number of lovely females in a range of colours who carry some of the most respected, tried and tested bloodlines in Australasia. We originally set out to breed just white but soon realized that coloured alpaca look so beautiful in the paddock too. We have females who are white, light fawn, medium fawn, brown, rosegrey, steel grey and black. I suppose we have a little bit of everything. We like to enjoy ‘the look’ of our girls as they graze around our property so selecting stock that is pleasing to the eye is an important selection criteria. Like you, a lot of pleasure is derived from just being with our alpacas and enjoying seeing them acting naturally in a herd environment doing what alpacas do best. We have also selected our males with a view to them being able to produce a wide range of colours whilst not compromising on fleece quality. Benleigh Sancho is our oldest male who has a wonderful track record of producing lovely fawn progeny with all the fleece qualities that you could hope for. He is very dear to our hearts.

Newer to our stable of males are Shanbrooke Accoyo Shere Respect who brought with him a proven history of quality through the forebears from the Shanbrooke stud in Australia. His first cria are now on the ground and we are exceptionally pleased with them. Shere Respect is white. Our third male EP Cambridge Invictus is the youngest of our boys but like Shere Respect carries genetics that are well known as his sire is Windsong Valley Firedragon. Firedragon is fawn and has produced exceptional progeny in a range of colours so we hope Invictus will do the same for us. Time will tell. Invictus was the 2012 AAA National Supreme Champion huacaya alpaca and we are so excited to have him on our farm. We have been very lucky to have a chance to carry out ET breeding methods using Dr Jane Vaughan, from Australia. We have recently completed our fourth cycle of ET implantations which is going very well. The success of such a procedure depends entirely on a meticulous attention to detail, not only when administering the drugs but also in the general health of the donors, males and recipients alike. This is where Toni’s knowledge from her time as an AI technician comes into play.

than just stay in one narrow mindset. It seems to be working well. Just recently Greg has been confirmed as the President of the AANZ and he hopes to bring his business skills to the table as well as his passion for all things alpaca throughout his tenure. It is always a difficult task, volunteering at any level, for any responsibility in an association like ours. There are some members who will always be on the sidelines believing they can do it better but we both feel that if we want our alpaca venture to succeed we have to be prepared to share the responsibilities of making it work. We believe in the importance of marketing, we have a website and are active on facebook (thanks Sue Richards for writing a previous AANZ magazine article about joining facebook). We now have contacts across the world and we get pleasure from knowing that like all of you reading this, we share a common passion and that is alpacas. Boring or not, we are just like you.

We like to practice a mixture of mainstream health-care methods but also like to offer our alpacas a holistic approach too. Toni is very interested in what are often called ‘alternative health practices’ but we like to balance our care and welfare practices rather

Each issue AANZ

NEW MEMBER

profiles a new member,

PROFILE

taken from a draw from the ranks of those who have joined the Association since the last magazine. This issue we

Hans & Sandra Baerselman

feature Hans & Sandra Baerselman of Ruby

Ruby Downs Alpacas Ltd

Downs Alpacas Ltd.

Hans and Sandra went through the building process of a new home nearly two years ago now – this was quite a large, hilly section with beautiful views over the Nelson Port and the whole of Tasman Bay.

While they loved their new home, once the section was fully developed, they started to think about owning a piece of land so that they could have no close neighbours, and some animals, as they are both animal lovers. Sandra cant go past any animal without having to go over and pat it and say “hello”.

So Hans and Sandra set about looking for a prospective piece of land and came across a beautiful piece of rolling land near Ruby Bay with a building site which looked over the valley, and this time with only minimal sea views – what a change. They have now purchased this block of land and are once again undergoing the building process. Then Hans and Sandra needed to decide on what animals they would like for “lawn mowers”. Originally angora goats were chosen, however they appeared to be quite elusive and then there was also the aspect of the goats getting their heads stuck in the fence while they are away in town at work. After talking to another new neighbour in their new area

they started to think about Alpaca. Sandra got stuck into the computer and looked around for someone to advise them on how to get started. Sandra entered “Alpaca in Nelson” into google and came across Kate Mander’s name of Pejo Alpaca, and promptly emailed her. Kate was very happy to assist and suggested Hans and Sandra visit her property. So that was it – it was going to be Alpaca on the new land. Hans and Sandra have now purchased their first seven Alpaca in varying colours and will take possession of them once they are living on their new land in October. Two of the alpaca are currently pregnant and they are very excited that the new cria will be born in January. After that, three of their current alpaca will be remated. And so it starts for them – a new wealth of knowledge to be learned. Kate has been a great help to Hans and Sandra and they hope they will have an ongoing friendship with her, enabling them to gather enough knowledge to be able to “stand on their own two feet” with their new lifestyle in the Alpaca world.

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We have NOW a limited selection of quality Suri Alpaca for Sale. There is breeding Males and pets as well with GREAT GENETICS. Even females with character and style, Maiden and other as well. Some females offered we will do free mating with Top Males. All stock are white or light fawn Suri. Please contact Ruth or Pete, 07 357 5338 or email greenbankalpaca@clear.net.nz

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Contact Vicky Tribe, Gear Girl: email kvnexus@xtra.co.nz website www.willowfarm.co.nz 53

Disclaimer

2014 Herd Sire Directory

The information contained in these herdsire listings has been provided by the individual advertisers. The AANZ does not accept responsibility for any errors, or for the accuracy of information contained in the advertisements or text. Views expressed in the advertisements are not necessarily endorsed by the AANZ.

Index HUACAYA HERD SIRES Aquaviva Hermes Homestead Farm Apollo Silverstream Godsend ET Waratah Flats Limited Edition Wildflower Gnangara Aquaviva Quintus McKenzie Fields Harrison Silverstream Infinity

Colour Guide: 54 54 54 55 55 55 55 56

Waiheke Golden Shadow Bonitas Pito Greenwood Greylord Minffordd Dean Canchones Atonement Canchones Bleecker Street Canchones Ferragamo ET Canchones Tycoon Pejo Grenadier

56 56 56 57 57 57 57 58 58

Sunsetestate Manolito Sunsetestate Nitro Sunsetestate Serengeti Sunsetestate Tanzania Sunsetestate Urban Myth Sunsetestate Yuudai Warramunga Downs Kalarni

Aquaviva Hermes IAR: 1005036 Born: 05 February 2010 SIRE: Waratah Flats Achilles DAM: EP Cambridge Commishka STUD FEE: $500 +GST drive‑by mating, ($1,000 +GST for three matings). Some conditions apply.

White/Light Fawn 58 58 59 59 59 59 60

Fawn

Brown

Grey

Black

SURI HERD SIRES Bromfield Park Sugar Daddy Cedar House Prince of Stars Greenbank Pars Romeo Greenbank Valentino Greenbank Valvador Excellenz Grigio El Rocio Waiheke Midnight Oil

60 60 60 61 61 61 61

DESCRIPTION / COMMENTS: Hermes continues to excel and his progeny show great improvement, with long, lustrous, soft handling, advanced style fleeces, with excellent density. Our very friendly stud fee is for drive by matings and some conditions apply. We are happy to negotiate a package for you. Hermes may be available for matings in the North Island. We have females for sale already pregnant to Hermes.

SHOW CREDITS: 2014 BAFINZ – Best White Huacaya Fleece 2014 BAFINZ – 2nd Best Huacaya Fleece Producer (for Hermes progeny) 2014 Supreme Champion Fleece Banks Peninsula Fleece 2014 Champion Senior White Male Fleece MacKenzie CONTACT DETAILS: 2013 Supreme Champion Fleece Royal Manawatu Awatere Alpacas 2013 Supreme Champion Fleece Royal Waikato 2013 Champion Senior Male Temuka Geraldine Philip & Robyn Anderson 2013 Champion Senior Male Winchester 224 Curries Road, Springston South 2012 Senior Male White/Light Fawn Oxford RD4, Christchurch 7674, Canterbury 2012 Champion Adult Male Winchester Ph: 03 329 5654 Mob: 027 292 8373 (027 AWATERE) 2011 Champion National Junior Male Fleece Email: alpaca@awatere.co.nz Web: www.awatere.co.nz 2011 Supreme Champion Huacaya Fleece Canterbury 2011 Champion Fleece MacKenzie 2011 Reserve Champion Junior Male Fleece – Royal Waikato 2011 Reserve Champion Intermediate Male MacKenzie FIBRE DETAILS: Last shear – 01/12/2013 – 22.9µm, 4.3SD, 18%CV, 95%CF

Homestead Farm Apollo IAR: 84280 Born: 25 April 2004 SIRE: Benleigh Bellisimo DAM: Benleigh Debut STUD FEE: $900 +GST CONTACT DETAILS: Muxlow Alpacas John & Norma Bush 57 Speedy Road, RD4, Pukekohe Ph: 09 236 4227 Mob: 021 641 572

Silverstream Godsend ET IAR: 126706 Born: 26 November 2007 SIRE: Jolimont Attitude DAM: Pucara Juliana STUD FEE: $1,400 +GST CONTACT DETAILS: Silverstream Alpaca Stud, Kit & Sheryl Johnson North Canterbury Ph: 03 327 3020 Web: www.alpaca-stud.co.nz Brenor Alpaca, Brenda & Ivor Gainsford 58 Ward Road, Hamurana, RD 7, Rotorua Ph: 07 332 2336 Email: alpaca@brenor.co.nz Web: www.brenor.co.nz

DESCRIPTION / COMMENTS: Now owned by Muxlow Alpacas and Sarau Hills Alpacas. This magnificent LF male is stamping his superiority on his progeny and is passing on his wonderful fleece characteristics. With Show Credits too numerous to list, but including 3 New Zealand National Supremes, one in breed and two in fleece. He took out two Championships with his 7th fleece showing style and character. Apollo is undoubtedly one of the best LF stud males in the country, consistently reducing guard hair in his progeny – increasing density, extreme fineness, structure and super soft fleece. FIBRE DETAILS: Last shear – 14/10/2013 – 27.7µm, 5.2SD, 18.5%CV, 70%CF 7th Fleece – 23.4µm, 4.4SD, 18.6%CV, 92.4%CF 6th Fleece – 21.9µm, 4SD, 18.2%CV, 96.7%CF 3rd Fleece – 22.3µm, 3.69SD, 16.5%CV, 97.5%CF 2nd Fleece – 20.4µm, 3.51SD, 17.2%CV, 99%CF 1st Fleece – 17.5µm, 3.57SD, 20.4%CV, 99.3%CF

DESCRIPTION / COMMENTS: A son of Pucara Juliana whose progeny have won 21 supreme champion huacaya titles including two National titles (Faberge 2008 & Déjà vu 2009). Silverstream Czar another son of Pucara Juliana won 10 supreme champion titles until he was sold to the UK. Silverstream Godsend ET has an impeccable show record in his own right including seven supreme champion titles and twelve age group championships. From 26 show appearances he has been placed first 17 times, second 6 times and third three times. For a working stud male, we think this is a rather impressive record. Godsend ET has a very fine, soft handling fleece with excellent density. SRS Results - 2010 Secondary to Primary Follicle - 12.9 Follicle Density - 60.8 FIBRE DETAILS: Last shear – 10/12/2013 (6th)– 21.6µm, 3.9SD, 17.9%CV, 60.4CRV, 97%CF

2014 Herd Sire Directory

Waratah Flats Limited Edition IAR: 1000162 Born: 12 February 2009 SIRE: Homestead Farm Apollo DAM: Waratah Flats Crystal STUD FEE: $750 (discount for multiple matings) CONTACT DETAILS: Stoney Meadows Alpacas Wayne & Sandra Allison 502 North Eyre Road, RD6, Rangiora 7476 Ph: 03 312 0512 Mob: 027 404 4000 Email: info@stoneymeadows.co.nz Web: www.stoneymeadowsalpacas.com

Wildflower Gnangara IAR: 152496 Born: 01 May 2009 SIRE: Wildflower Kokoda DAM: Amberley Park Evelyn STUD FEE: $800 +GST (discount for multiple matings) CONTACT DETAILS: Stoney Meadows Alpacas Wayne & Sandra Allison 502 North Eyre Road, RD6, Rangiora 7476 Ph: 03 312 0512 Mob: 027 404 4000 Email: info@stoneymeadows.co.nz Web: www.stoneymeadowsalpacas.com

DESCRIPTION / COMMENTS: Limited Edition is a well conformed, well boned, bold, up right male with a real presence about him and an obvious natural lack of guard hair. His sire is the well known Homestead Farm Apollo (IAR 84230) and his dam is Waratah Flats Crystal (IAR 47452) who in her 9th fleece was 24.2micron, 4.6SD 38.1CRV and 90.9%CF. Limited Edition is a proven male with cria on the ground, including Supreme Championship winner Stoney Meadows Honeydew (Mid/dark fawn) and appears to be throwing the colour of the dam. All crias to date are a substantial improvement on their dams. Free agistment for up to 60days (includes scanning). Mobile matings by arrangement. Additional fee may apply depending on location. FIBRE DETAILS: Last shear – 2013 – 21.8µm, 3.2SD, 59.7CRV, 99%CF

DESCRIPTION / COMMENTS: Gnangara has only been lightly shown but has ribbons from both Australia and New Zealand including Championships. Gnangara started working early and his first pregnancies confirmed at 21 months, first crias on ground February 2012. His sire, Wildflower Kakoda still had a 19 micron fleece at the age of four years old. Imported in November 2010 for his fleece qualities and excellent genetics which include: Jolimont Warrior, Jolimont Conquistador and Jolimont Marilu, Swan Valley Majestic, Mokare Mignon, ILR Pperuvian Pluro, Shanbrook Elite, Purrumbete Ledgers Dream and Sumerset Peruvian Excellence. Gnangara has now been proven with several on the ground and all cria are an improvement on their dams. We have one very nice cria (dark fawn female) from him which we are looking forward to showing this coming summer. Gnangara appears to be throwing to the colour of the dam. Improve your bloodlines with Gnangara's excellent line up of genetics. FIBRE DETAILS: Last shear – 2013 – 20.3µm, 4.3SD, 65CRV, 98%CF

Aquaviva Quintus IAR: 1001013 Born: 22 January 2009 SIRE: ILR Alpine Fiber's Brutus DAM: Eringa Park Aroma STUD FEE: $1,100 CONTACT DETAILS: Wainui Heights Alpacas Bruce & Wendy Johnstone Ph: 07 312 4049 Bruce: 027 483 4395 Wendy: 027 235 8257 Email: bruce.wendy@farmside.co.nz

DESCRIPTION / COMMENTS: Aquaviva Quintus is an outstanding dark fawn male who is holding his extreme fineness and density as he ages, as his genetic background would suggest. He has a show record to envy being a multiple broad ribbon winner in the breed ring, fleece tent and a multiple supreme show winner. Quintus is passing on his extreme fineness, density along with his placid nature and temperament to his progeny. These progeny are now excelling in the show ring with a stunning brown daughter winning supreme champion at only 11 months of age. She along with other Quintus progeny have already accumulated many show prizes. Quintus tends to leave progeny which are the same colour or darker than their dams. Along with all these qualities and his genetic background Quintus is a very attractive option for those wanting to inject quality coloured animals into their herd. FIBRE DETAILS: Last shear – 11/2013 – 20.8µm, 4.2SD, 20.2%CV, 96.6%CF

McKenzie Fields Harrison IAR: 1000581 Born: 17 February 2010 SIRE: Arcady Zegna DAM: Waimarie Farm Harmony STUD FEE: $800 +GST CONTACT DETAILS: McKenzie Fields Alpacas Ros & Andy Scott 1306 Tangimoana Road RD3, Palmerston North Ph: 06 324 8904 Mob: 021 733 033 Email: info@mckenziealpacas.co.nz Web: www.mckenziealpacas.co.nz

DESCRIPTION / COMMENTS: As soon as Harrison was born I could tell he was something special. He has a great pedigree. His dam, has produced my best cria to date with both ILR Ppperuvian Allin Capac (son of legendary Shere Khan) and Hope Downs El Gordo (a broad winning grey male based in Australia) in her background. His sire, Arcady Zegna, is also the son of champions - Jolimont Conquistador and Arcady Dior. Harrison has a very gentle nature and is a dream to handle. FIBRE DETAILS: Last shear – 12/12/2013 – 24µm, 4.6SD, 19%CV

2014 Herd Sire Directory

Silverstream Infinity IAR: 1004737 Born: 26 December 2009 SIRE: Blue Grass Southern Warrior DAM: KC Charm STUD FEE: $1,200 +GST CONTACT DETAILS: Silverstream Alpaca Stud Kit & Sheryl Johnson North Canterbury Ph: 03 327 3020 Web: www.alpaca-stud.co.nz

DESCRIPTION / COMMENTS: Infinity is one of those males that just commands your attention. He pumps out a huge fleece and has gorgeous teddy bear looks. The fleece has excellent crimp and lustre and is extremely uniform. The dam (KC Charm) keeps on turning out champions. All three of her progeny have been reserve age group champions at the National Alpaca Expo, only being beaten by white males. The sire, Blue Grass Southern Warrior is packed with superior genetics including Jolimont Warrior and Purrumbete Vanilla. Infinity is now working and we look forward to his offspring. SHOW CREDITS: From 22 show appearances, Silverstream Infinity has been placed in the first three on all 22 occasions. His broad ribbons include 2 supremes, 8 champion fawn titles, 5 age group and 7 reserve age group championships. FIBRE DETAILS: Last shear – 10/12/2013 (4th)– 22.9µm, 4.5SD, 19.7%CV, 60CRV, 92%CF

Waiheke Golden Shadow IAR: 1005669 Born: 10 May 2010 SIRE: Alpaca Specialist Elvis (Black) DAM: Alpaca Specialist Minevera (Brown) STUD FEE: $800 CONTACT DETAILS: Wainui Heights Alpacas Bruce & Wendy Johnstone Ph: 07 312 4049 Bruce: 027 483 4395 Wendy: 027 235 8257 Email: bruce.wendy@farmside.co.nz

Bonitas Pito IAR: 137335 Born: 24 January 2012 SIRE: Silverstream Governor Grey DAM: Bonitas Felice STUD FEE: $1,000 +GST CONTACT DETAILS: McKenzie Fields Alpacas Ros & Andy Scott 1306 Tangimoana Road RD3, Palmerston North Ph: 06 324 8904 Mob: 021 733 033 Email: info@mckenziealpacas.co.nz Web: www.mckenziealpacas.co.nz

Greenwood Greylord IAR: 39474 Born: 23 February 2005 SIRE: Hope Downs El Gordo DAM: Greenwood Mischa STUD FEE: $1,000 +GST CONTACT DETAILS: Silverstream Alpaca Stud Kit & Sheryl Johnson North Canterbury Ph: 03 327 3020 Web: www.alpaca-stud.co.nz

DESCRIPTION / COMMENTS: Golden Shadow is a compact fawn male who grows a large, superfine fleece from champion dark coloured lines that are hard to come by in NZ. With his bloodlines, Shadow will be one to put quality fleeces into brown and black animals. Shadow's first crop of cria is showing good fleece coverage and style. They are confirmationally correct and have good even fleece coverage. An opportunity to use a well bred sire from champion coloured lines at an affordable price. FIBRE DETAILS: Last shear – 11/2013 – 24.3µm, 4.7SD, 19.3%CV, 89.7%CF

DESCRIPTION / COMMENTS: Pito is an exceptional medium grey boy. He has an even well structured fleece, hardly any spots, and is very fine – hardly surprising given the quality of his sire Silver Stream Governor Grey. Pito has plenty of grey on in his background, so would be a great choice for those wanting to breed greys. FIBRE DETAILS: Last shear – 15/12/2013 – 19.9µm, 4.3SD, 21.7%CV

DESCRIPTION / COMMENTS: Silverstream are delighted to announce the purchase of Greenwood Greylord from Australia. He is an impressive looking male with great frame and bone. He grows a good length of staple and has absolutely no spots. Greylord has 81 progeny on the ground and over grey females, has been very consistent in producing grey offspring. FIBRE DETAILS: Last shear – 10/12/2013 (9th)– 24.9µm, 4.3SD, 18.2%CV, 52.4CRV

2014 Herd Sire Directory

Minffordd Dean IAR: 1003793 Born: 12 March 2011 SIRE: NZ Southern Black Adder DAM: Minffordd Twilight STUD FEE: $800 +GST CONTACT DETAILS: McKenzie Fields Alpacas Ros & Andy Scott 1306 Tangimoana Road RD3, Palmerston North Ph: 06 324 8904 Mob: 021 733 033 Email: info@mckenziealpacas.co.nz Web: www.mckenziealpacas.co.nz

Canchones Atonement IAR: 134537 Born: 11 February 2008 SIRE: Canchones Shogun DAM: Jolimont Adriana 2 STUD FEE: $1,300 +GST

DESCRIPTION / COMMENTS: Dean’s fleece is absolutely gorgeous and we just love it at shearing time as we get the opportunity to use it. Dean has some great genetics in his background including ILR Alpine Fiber’s Brutus, Peruvian Hemmingway and Purrumbete Brigantine a celebrated Australian white male. To date he has produced some absolutely stunning greys. FIBRE DETAILS: Last shear – 12/12/2013 – 21.1µm, 5.1SD, 25.2%CV

DESCRIPTION / COMMENTS: Atonement’s sire is a top Australian based sire Canchones Shogun, with many of his progeny being certified as stud male or sold overseas. His dam is a Peruvian female from the well known Jolimont herd. Atonement himself is also a full Peruvian stud male with excellent bone, sound conformation and a very black fleece. This is the male we use to give us blue black progeny. Virtually all of them turn out blue black.

CONTACT DETAILS: Sunset Alpaca Stud Dita & Willem Alblas 1764 Te Matai Road, RD8, Te Puke 3188 Ph: 07 573 4480 Mob: 027 608 6672 Email: info@sunsetalpacas.co.nz Web: www.sunsetalpacas.co.nz

Matings to be done onsite (drive-by) at Sunset Alpaca Stud, Te Puke. Mobile matings by arrangement.

Canchones Bleecker Street

DESCRIPTION / COMMENTS: Bleecker Street’s sire is the Australian based stud male Canchones Criadero Provocateur with an outstanding reputation. Many of his progeny have been Black Champions in shows in Australia. Bleecker Street’s dam is a female selected by Peter Kennedy in Peru.

IAR: 161607 Born: 24 October 2009 SIRE: Canchones Criadero Provocateur DAM: Canchones Bustinza STUD FEE: $1,300 +GST CONTACT DETAILS: Sunset Alpaca Stud Dita & Willem Alblas 1764 Te Matai Road, RD8, Te Puke 3188 Ph: 07 573 4480 Mob: 027 608 6672 Email: info@sunsetalpacas.co.nz Web: www.sunsetalpacas.co.nz

Canchones Ferragamo ET IAR: 114407 Born: 28 September 2006 SIRE: Canchones Gendarme DAM: Canchones Kenzoki STUD FEE: $1,300 +GST CONTACT DETAILS: Sunset Alpaca Stud Dita & Willem Alblas 1764 Te Matai Road, RD8, Te Puke 3188 Ph: 07 573 4480 Mob: 027 608 6672 Email: info@sunsetalpacas.co.nz Web: www.sunsetalpacas.co.nz

FIBRE DETAILS: Last shear – 11/2013 – 26.7µm, 5.4SD, 19.2%CV, 78%CF

Bleecker Street himself is a full Peruvian male with excellent bone, sound conformation and an unbelievably dense fleece. Also his fleece length is amazing and he is passing on these characteristics to his progeny. Many of them will be shown this season. So, don’t hesitate to come and check them out in our pens at shows or on our farm. Matings to be done onsite (drive-by) at Sunset Alpaca Stud, Te Puke. Mobile matings by arrangement. FIBRE DETAILS: Last shear – 11/2013 – 26.1µm, 5.2SD, 19.9%CV, 81%CF

DESCRIPTION / COMMENTS: Ferragamo’s dam and sire are two of the best black alpacas around. His dam is Canchones Kenzoki and his sire is Canchones Gendarme. Both these two alpacas have won multiple classes and black championships in Australia. Ferragamo is a full Peruvian black stud male with excellent conformation and good bone. His fleece is blue black with good structure and density and has a micron of only 25.9 and a CF of 86.1%. And all this at 7 years of age. So, if you are after the best black genetics you can get, this is your stud male. Matings to be done onsite (drive-by) at Sunset Alpaca Stud, Te Puke. Mobile matings by arrangement. FIBRE DETAILS: Last shear – 11/2013 – 25.9µm, 5.6SD, 21.6%CV, 86.1%CF

2014 Herd Sire Directory

Canchones Tycoon IAR: 123943 Born: 09 April 2007 SIRE: Canchones Gendarme DAM: Pachamama Tinina STUD FEE: $1,300 +GST CONTACT DETAILS: Sunset Alpaca Stud Dita & Willem Alblas 1764 Te Matai Road, RD8, Te Puke 3188 Ph: 07 573 4480 Mob: 027 608 6672 Email: info@sunsetalpacas.co.nz Web: www.sunsetalpacas.co.nz

Matings to be done onsite (drive-by) at Sunset Alpaca Stud, Te Puke, Cuesta Alpacas, Papakura, Auckland or Martina Lifestyle Alpacas, Bombay, Auckland, depending on Tycoon’s residence at the time. Mobile matings by arrangement.

Pejo Grenadier

DESCRIPTION / COMMENTS: Grenadier is a handsome, well built male. He is fine and carries his micron all the way round with very little guard hair. Grenadier has produced some stunning coloured cria who have done well in the show-ring. His genetics include Purrumbete Highlander, Purrumbete El Dorado and Timbertop the Scud.

IAR: 141663 Born: 03 April 2008 SIRE: Aviana Farms Jefferson DAM: Pejo Gabriella STUD FEE: $800 +GST CONTACT DETAILS: McKenzie Fields Alpacas Ros & Andy Scott 1306 Tangimoana Road RD3, Palmerston North Ph: 06 324 8904 Mob: 021 733 033 Email: info@mckenziealpacas.co.nz Web: www.mckenziealpacas.co.nz

Sunsetestate Manolito IAR: 1011055 Born: 17 December 2011 SIRE: Canchones Atonement DAM: Canchones Murmur ET STUD FEE: $1,200 +GST CONTACT DETAILS: Sunset Alpaca Stud Dita & Willem Alblas 1764 Te Matai Road, RD8, Te Puke 3188 Ph: 07 573 4480 Mob: 027 608 6672 Email: info@sunsetalpacas.co.nz Web: www.sunsetalpacas.co.nz

Sunsetestate Nitro IAR: 1003199 Born: 06 December 2009 SIRE: Banksia Park Moonraider ET DAM: Waiheke Gladiator Lass STUD FEE: $1,200 +GST CONTACT DETAILS: Sunset Alpaca Stud Dita & Willem Alblas 1764 Te Matai Road, RD8, Te Puke 3188 Ph: 07 573 4480 Mob: 027 608 6672 Email: info@sunsetalpacas.co.nz Web: www.sunsetalpacas.co.nz

DESCRIPTION / COMMENTS: Tycoon, a son of the top, Australian based, black stud male Canchones Gendarme, is a stunning male winning multiple Championships in breed and fleece. Even today, at 7 years of age, he is still doing the same. Tycoon is producing elite progeny which are also doing very well on the show circuit. Tycoon’s fleece style is still today breathtaking with a curvature of 56.6 and a micron of only 25.7.

FIBRE DETAILS: Last shear – 11/2013 – 25.7µm, 5.7SD, 22%CV, 78%CF

FIBRE DETAILS: Last shear – 19/01/2013 – 29.1µm, 5.5SD, 18.8%CV

DESCRIPTION / COMMENTS: Sunsetestate Manolito is a full Peruvian stud male. His sire is Atonement, out of Shogun. Manolito has very good bone and conformation. He has a very blue black fleece with unbelievable soft handle. It is long, dense and has good structure. Matings to be done onsite (drive-by) at Sunset Alpaca Stud, Te Puke or Cuesta Alpacas, Bombay, Auckland, depending on Manolito’s residence at the time. Mobile matings by arrangement. FIBRE DETAILS: Last shear – 11/2013 – 22.9µm, 5SD, 21.8%CV, 93.9%CF

DESCRIPTION / COMMENTS: Sunsetestate Nitro is one of only two black males in New Zealand from the late Banksia Park Moonraider ET. His first cria are on the ground and look absolutely stunning. You will be able to see his progeny on the show circuit this season. So, if you are after some rare top quality genetics to improve your black herd, here is a stud male for you. Matings to be done onsite (drive-by) at Sunset Alpaca Stud, Te Puke or Cuesta Alpacas, Papakura, Auckland, depending on Nitro’s residence at the time. Mobile matings by arrangement. FIBRE DETAILS: Last shear – 11/2013 – 28.5µm, 4.1SD, 14.3%CV, 80.7%CF

2014 Herd Sire Directory

Sunsetestate Serengeti IAR: 1008858 Born: 05 December 2010 SIRE: Canchones Baladin DAM: Canchones Sabi STUD FEE: $1,200 +GST CONTACT DETAILS: Sunset Alpaca Stud Dita & Willem Alblas 1764 Te Matai Road, RD8, Te Puke 3188 Ph: 07 573 4480 Mob: 027 608 6672 Email: info@sunsetalpacas.co.nz Web: www.sunsetalpacas.co.nz

Sunsetestate Tanzania IAR: 1011081 Born: 09 February 2012 SIRE: Canchones Ferragamo ET DAM: Criadero Tierra STUD FEE: $1,300 +GST

DESCRIPTION / COMMENTS: Sunsetestate Serengeti’s sire, Canchones Baladin, is a son of the well known black stud male Somerset Peruvian Black Reign. Serengeti’s dam, Canchones Sabi, is a very fine fleeced black alpaca. At 9 years of age she still has a 22.4 micron fleece with 89% CF. This is where her fleece stats have been for the last 6 years. Serengeti has a beautiful nature which he inherited from his sire as well as his dam. He has a dense fleece with good structure and a curvature of 53.7. Like all our stud males, he has very sound conformation. Matings to be done onsite (drive-by) at Sunset Alpaca Stud, Te Puke. Mobile matings by arrangement. FIBRE DETAILS: Last shear – 11/2013 – 22.2µm, 5.3SD, 23.9%CV, 92%CF

DESCRIPTION / COMMENTS: Sunsetestate Tanzania needs hardly any introduction. He is the 2013 National Black Huacaya Champion. Tanzania's dam is out of the well known stud male Jolimont Cassiano. Tanzania's sire is out of Gendarme & Kenzoki. You can't ask for much better black genetics. He has a dense blue black long fleece with beautiful handle. Get in quick, because Tanzania will only be available till March 2015. After that Tanzania will move to Europe.

CONTACT DETAILS: Sunset Alpaca Stud Dita & Willem Alblas 1764 Te Matai Road, RD8, Te Puke 3188 Ph: 07 573 4480 Mob: 027 608 6672 Email: info@sunsetalpacas.co.nz Web: www.sunsetalpacas.co.nz

Matings to be done onsite (drive-by) at Sunset Alpaca Stud, Te Puke. Mobile matings by arrangement.

Sunsetestate Urban Myth

DESCRIPTION / COMMENTS: Sunsetestate Urban Myth is a son of, the award winning, Canchones Tycoon. Urban Myth’s dam, Canchones Urban Energy, did very well on the show circuit in Australia before coming to New Zealand. She also produced Sunsetestate Shine, who was Black Champion at the 2011 National Expo and has since been exported to Europe. Urban Myth himself is also doing very well at shows. He has an excellent fleece structure with a curvature of 53.4 and has very sound conformation with good bone.

IAR: 1008872 Born: 27 April 2011 SIRE: Canchones Tycoon DAM: Canchones Urban Energy STUD FEE: $1,300 +GST CONTACT DETAILS: Sunset Alpaca Stud Dita & Willem Alblas 1764 Te Matai Road, RD8, Te Puke 3188 Ph: 07 573 4480 Mob: 027 608 6672 Email: info@sunsetalpacas.co.nz Web: www.sunsetalpacas.co.nz

Sunsetestate Yuudai IAR: 1011051 Born: 18 October 2011 SIRE: Blaka Galahad DAM: Canchones Yohji Essential STUD FEE: $1,200 +GST CONTACT DETAILS: Sunset Alpaca Stud Dita & Willem Alblas 1764 Te Matai Road, RD8, Te Puke 3188 Ph: 07 573 4480 Mob: 027 608 6672 Email: info@sunsetalpacas.co.nz Web: www.sunsetalpacas.co.nz

FIBRE DETAILS: Last shear – 11/2013 – 23.3µm, 5.2SD, 22.3%CV, 90%CF

Matings to be done onsite (drive-by) at Sunset Alpaca Stud, Te Puke or at Kerdon Alpacas, Maungaturoto, Northland. Mobile matings by arrangement. FIBRE DETAILS: Last shear – 11/2013 – 22.6µm, 5.7SD, 25%CV, 90%CF

DESCRIPTION / COMMENTS: Yuudai is a very good natured male laden with top black genetics: Galahad, Gendarme, Cassiano, Yatagan & Phenomenon. He is only 1 of 2 Galahad males in the North Island. He has very good substance of bone and perfect conformation. His fleece is soft, long and has very good structure with beautiful handle. He has done, and is still doing, very well on the show circuit. His first progeny are due later this year. Matings to be done onsite (drive-by) at Sunset Alpaca Stud, Te Puke or Wainui Heights Alpacas, Opotiki depending on Yuudai's residence at the time. Mobile matings by arrangement. FIBRE DETAILS: Last shear – 11/2013 – 23.7µm, 5SD, 21.2%CV, 90%CF

2014 Herd Sire Directory

Warramunga Downs Kalarni IAR: 141935 Born: 28 April 2009 SIRE: Warramunga Downs Paladin DAM: Warramunga Downs Ko Ko STUD FEE: $1,200 +GST CONTACT DETAILS: Belise Alpacas Sue & Barry Bishop 19 Alessio Lane, Swannanoa Ph: 03 312 0278 Mob: 027 434 2708 Email: pacas@belisealpacas.co.nz

Bromfield Park Sugar Daddy IAR: 1004010 Born: 24 January 2009 SIRE: Bromfield Park Pluto Ivory DAM: Bromfield Park Sugar Baby STUD FEE: $500

Kalarni’s first full breeding season produced 5 cria with the following show results: Belise Paco Rabanne, Champion Black Huacaya at SI Colourbration, Bonitas Raphael Reserve Champion Junior at South Otago, Belise Gucci 3rd Place Junior Female National Expo. Kalarni was selected to improve fleece structure and density. His cria have soft handling, well aligned, dense fleeces with increased yields of up to 50% on first fleeces from the same dam. FIBRE DETAILS: Last shear – 24/11/2013 – 30.2µm, 5.3SD, 17.5%CV, 65%CF, 3.2kg

DESCRIPTION / COMMENTS: Sugar Daddy is certified 26 April 2011. He has a pleasant nature and is a good sized Suri; His fleece has a nice handle. His genetic line on his Sire side includes Sommerset Peru Ivory Adsail and Summerset Peruvian Maestro. On his dam side: Surilana Accoyo Adonis and Cedar House Raphael. He has been shown at the Waikato A&P 2013 and received a 2nd placing. He has 2 Cria on the ground both female one also a ribbon winner.

CONTACT DETAILS: Nifty Nature Alpacas Hans & Olga van den Bosch 2121 Hetherington Road, Huntly 3772 Ph: 07 826 6802 Email: niftynature@farmside.co.nz

“Swap” a Stud Service is available Suri only. Mobile mating is available; this will incur an additional mileage cost.

Cedar House Prince of Stars

DESCRIPTION / COMMENTS: A real Macho man and true to type of Suri. He is proving to be a constance male who has sired many Supreme Champions and he continues to do so. His Dam Silken Queen is by Peruvian Senator also imported from the USA. Senator has had a huge impact on the Suri breed in Australia. Although now 14yrs old he's still one of the best Suri Sires in New Zealand. He produce sired several animals for us last season of which were Supreme Champion and Champion in their respective colour classes. Plus we were privileged to have a Champion fleece and Supreme Champion fleece winners as well from offspring.

IAR: 47014 Born: 08 June 2000 SIRE: PPeruvian Amador DAM: Cedar House Silken Queen STUD FEE: $1,200 CONTACT DETAILS: Greenbank Alpaca (Silken Suris) Ruth Hutton & Peter Jackson Ph: 07 357 5338 Ruth Mob: 021 607 515 Peter Mob: 027 484 6960 Email: greenbankalpaca@clear.net.nz

Greenbank Pars Romeo IAR: 1002356 Born: 08 November 2008 SIRE: Surilana Parsifal DAM: Surico Roma STUD FEE: $900 CONTACT DETAILS: Greenbank Alpaca (Silken Suris) Ruth Hutton & Peter Jackson Ph: 07 357 5338 Ruth Mob: 021 607 515 Peter Mob: 027 484 6960 Email: greenbankalpaca@clear.net.nz

DESCRIPTION / COMMENTS: Kalarni is from the Warramunga Downs Paladin line that has produced champions in Australia and includes Kalarni’s half brother, former NZ National Champion Warramunga Downs Nadahl.

SHOW CREDITS: Waikato A&P 2013 – 2nd in class

FIBRE DETAILS: Last shear – 28/10/2013 – Awaiting results 02/01/2007 – 24.4µm, 6.2SD, 24.5%CV, 12mths, 5.9kg 02/01/2002 – 19.2µm, 5.2SD, 27%CV, 18mths, 6.8kg

DESCRIPTION / COMMENTS: Romeo is a dominating male. He carries the Massey Mo stamp of the solid strong bone from the head, neck to his extremities covered with this dense solid locking fleece. He was our first born Alpaca and won 2nd at National as a junior male, which we felt very pleased with. Since then he’s won numerous ribbons. His mother and grandmother are both fantastic breeding females and always produce great crias. His 1st offspring are on the ground and are displaying solid chest with great conformation as well. FIBRE DETAILS: Last shear – 28/10/2013 – Awaiting results

2014 Herd Sire Directory

Greenbank Valentino IAR: 1002358 Born: 04 April 2009 SIRE: Kaihere Accoyo Brilliante DAM: Surico Valykrie STUD FEE: $900 CONTACT DETAILS: Greenbank Alpaca (Silken Suris) Ruth Hutton & Peter Jackson Ph: 07 357 5338 Ruth Mob: 021 607 515 Peter Mob: 027 484 6960 Email: greenbankalpaca@clear.net.nz

Greenbank Valvador IAR: 10052456 Born: 31 March 2010 SIRE: Surico Ronaldo DAM: Sommerset Vivacious STUD FEE: $1,000 CONTACT DETAILS: Greenbank Alpaca (Silken Suris) Ruth Hutton & Peter Jackson Ph: 07 357 5338 Ruth Mob: 021 607 515 Peter Mob: 027 484 6960 Email: greenbankalpaca@clear.net.nz

Excellenz Grigio El Rocio IAR: 141430 Born: 29 December 2008 SIRE: Sherlin Santa Laureano DAM: Celtic Arielle STUD FEE: $800 +GST CONTACT DETAILS: McKenzie Fields Alpacas Ros & Andy Scott 1306 Tangimoana Road RD3, Palmerston North Ph: 06 324 8904 Mob: 021 733 033 Email: info@mckenziealpacas.co.nz Web: www.mckenziealpacas.co.nz

Waiheke Midnight Oil IAR: 1005664 Born: 15 May 2010 SIRE: Surilana Blackbeard DAM: Surilana Joanne STUD FEE: $800 +GST CONTACT DETAILS: McKenzie Fields Alpacas Ros & Andy Scott 1306 Tangimoana Road RD3, Palmerston North Ph: 06 324 8904 Mob: 021 733 033 Email: info@mckenziealpacas.co.nz Web: www.mckenziealpacas.co.nz

DESCRIPTION / COMMENTS: Valentino has developed into a well nourished solid male. He carrys a very full dense fleece with a soft lock across his body. He has Accoyo background, giving him good strength of bone and a great confirmation. He’s a must for someone wanting great coverage and lustre. He has good show results as a youngster as well. FIBRE DETAILS: Last shear – 28/10/2013 – Awaiting results

DESCRIPTION / COMMENTS: Valvador is very much a Macho Boy. He is keen and nothing gets missed by him. He’s very vocal in protecting his patch. He is a well conformed male with very fine bone and a soft golden fleece. This male has excellent breeding in his background, with Surilana Ruffino, Kaihere Accoyo Brilliante, and Surilana Parsifal this boy is stacked with promise. He’s the image of his sire Surico Ronaldo. His 1st cria are on the ground and are a very fine soft creamy colour. He was junior male Champion at Hawkes Bay 2010, and won many more ribbons as well since. FIBRE DETAILS: Last shear – 28/10/2013 – Awaiting results

DESCRIPTION / COMMENTS: We bought Excellenz Grigio El Rocio (or Rocco as we call him) in 2013 as we were wanting to introduce some grey into our lighter coloured females. Rocco’s fleece qualities are excellent with lustre, fineness, density and uniformity. The feel of his fleece is very good and it grows back soft and nicely penciled. He is a well conformed alpaca with solid bone. FIBRE DETAILS: Last shear – 12/12/2013 – 25.6µm, 6.2SD, 29.3%CV

DESCRIPTION / COMMENTS: Midnight Oil started his mating career with enthusiasm early 2013. He has lustrous fleece, great independence of lock structure and very evenly distributed. The bonus with Midnight is that his he has some different genetics on his sire's side - Surilana Blackbeard who is sadly deceased. He also has plenty of grey on his dam's side with the famous silver grey sire, Somerset Stirling Moss and Jolimont Joady a silver grey female. This of course is great news for those those wanting to breed greys. FIBRE DETAILS: Last shear – 12/12/2013 – 26.7µm, 5.3SD, 19.7%CV

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