Showtacular 2016 by Little Creek Farm

2 | Showtacular 2016

ON THE COVER:

Contents

Accoyo America Senshi at Little Creek Farm in North Salem, NY Photo by Lynn Edens.

Can a Cria’s Immunity Be Predicted By the Dam’s IgG Before Birth?

A Practical Approach To Our Next Big Breeding Challenge: Managing Fleece Traits Independently

“The Slow Alpaca” Share the Story

Showtacular 2016 Editor Susanne Bienenstock Production Design Selle Design Group Jared Johnston Ryan Price Diedre Cole Printing: Smart Source, LLC No material from the magazine may be copied, reproduced, republished, uploaded, posted, transmitted or distributed in any way without the express written permission of Showtacular. Modification of the materials for any other purpose is a violation of copyright and other proprietary rights.

Morning Beckons’ Award Winning Alpaca Reuben Recipe

44 Auction Items – Showtacular 2016 46 Showtacular Show Sponsors & Show Committee

Contact: Susanne Bienenstock Susanne@LCFAlpacas.com

48 Empire Alpaca Association Roster

Knitting Pattern: Imperial Yarn’s Textured Tundra Scarf

58 New England Alpaca Owners & Breeders Association Roster Showtacular 2016 | 3

Can a Cria’s Immunity Be Predicted By the Dam’s IgG Before Birth? 1

Kim Gleason1, PhD, Lynn Edens2, and Arturo Pena2

Dancing Horse Farm, Pemberton, NJ; 2 Little Creek Farm, North Salem, NY

hat is one question that Kim Gleason and Lynn Edens asked over a year ago when they began a multi-faceted, multi-site research study. One of the goals of their research project was to determine if an IgG sample taken from females within 60 days of anticipated birth could predict failure of passive transfer. Cria are born without a functional immune system and rely on immunity passed from mom in the form of IgG at birth through colostrum. In a normal healthy dam at birth, a large bolus of immunity is passed into her colostrum that is ingested by the cria as soon as it stands and begins to suckle. Because of mechanics within the rumen of a neonate, the highest rate of IgG absorption from colostrum into the cria’s bloodstream occurs within a few hours of birth. By 24 hours after birth, that absorption declines to nearly zero percent. That is why it is so important that a newborn cria is able to stand and nurse from its mom within a few hours of birth-to get the most immunity when they can absorb it at the maximal efficiency. Failure to obtain these necessary immunoglobulins

at birth results in a condition referred to as Failure of Passive Transfer (FPT), and is the leading cause of neonatal mortality in alpacas. It is estimated that approximately 1 in 4 (25%) of all cria born in the U.S. have some degree of FPT. There are many circumstances that contribute to FPT, both from the cria’s perspective and from the dam’s perspective. For instance, cria that are born prematurely, cold, or weak or after a difficult birth (dystocia) are at risk of not being able to stand and suckle their mom’s rich colostrum within a few hours. Also, cria that are born with overly lax or contracted tendons, or weakness in the stifle/ hip may have difficulty standing to nurse, or even demonstrate a complete inability to stand at all. All of these visually obvious situations would be considered critical and would require prompt managerial intervention in the form of supplemental colostrum, or even costly hospitalization with such risky procedures as plasma transfer. Showtacular 2016 | 7

Left unattended to, these cria could easily succumb to life threatening septicemia and weakness. Besides physical impairments, there are also physiologic problems within the cria that may prevent proper absorption of IgG from the colostrum, even though it is able to immediately stand and nurse. From the dam’s perspective, there are numerous factors as well that may contribute to FPT, including dystocia, no or low colostrum, initial rejection of the cria by the dam (not unusual for maiden females in particular), or failure to transfer IgG into her own colostrum. It is this area that the authors set out to study and to determine if it is possible to test the dam and predict FPT in the impending birth, and thus be proactive with therapeutic and managerial intervention to possibly prevent costly medical care and/or cria mortality. In addition, the authors sought to determine if the dams’ IgG levels would in any way predict weight gains and growth curves of their cria. For this prospective observational study, blood samples were taken from dams within 60 days of impending birth, and from their cria within 36 hours of birth. Cria weights were recorded at birth, and at 2 weeks and 2 months. All blood samples were prepared at Little Creek Farm, where serum was extracted and analyzed on a commercial spectrophotometry analyzer for IgG level. Sixty

if you don’t have these...

Kendall Creek Farms then you don’t have Jack! Captain Jack Sparrow that is. multiple champion herdsire, producing champion offspring in many colors. co-owned with Peterson Creek Ranch

Kendall Creek Farms Alpacas • Bradford, PA • 814.362.4561 • www.kcfalpacas.com

8 | Showtacular 2016

Alpacas

total dam/cria birth pairs from both study locations were included in the study over a period of one year. Births occurred in all four seasons. Based on initial prepartum IgG levels recorded for dams, they were divided into 3 distinct groups: 1000-1499 mg/dl, 1500-2000 mg/dl, and IgG >2000 mg/dl. All data was analyzed by Analysis of Variance statistical methods. A couple of interesting results were apparent. First, this study did not find a correlation between dam’s prebirth IgG and subsequent cria birthweights or growth curves. In other words, the dam’s IgG level did not appear to be a predictor for slow or fast weight gain by her cria. However, when considering the dam’s prepartum IgG level relative to her own cria’s IgG level at birth, there were significant, and perhaps counterintuitive, findings. Specifically, when the dam’s IgG level was in the range of the lower and mid-level group, cria were born with “normal” IgG levels by industry standards. However, when the dam’s prebirth IgG was > 2000 mg/dl, there were significantly more cria with FPT. Because this is an important finding and possible prebirth indicator for FPT in alpacas, the authors wrote a scientific paper that was recently accepted for publication in the prestigious veterinary scientific journal, Theriogenology. Results of this study were also presented to the veterinary scientific community at

the national conference of Theriogenologists in Asheville, North Carolina this past July. For a possible explanation as to why a higher IgG level in dams might result in FPT in cria, it was necessary to review previous veterinary research studies conducted in other livestock species. Several studies were published in cows that linked heat stress to higher blood IgG levels and correspondingly lower concentrations of IgG in colostrum. This research suggested that when a cow is heat stressed, IgG is diverted away from the udder for some reason, and this results in higher circulating levels of IgG in the bloodstream. Additional studies in cows also reported that heat-stressed calves had a lower ability to absorb IgG into their systems, so that heat stressed calves developed FPT at a rate of 25%. The results of the present study of alpacas are consistent with those previously reported in cattle. A deeper analysis of the dams with prebirth IgG >2000 mg/dl revealed significantly more births in spring months. Since herd practices in the northeastern U.S. states typically concentrate breeding efforts in spring months, and alpacas are typically not shorn until mid to late spring, alpacas could be routinely birthing while carrying nearly 365 days of fiber growth. With this in mind, it is not inconceivable that many prepartal dams, at least in our region

Kestrel half pg ad_Layout 1 9/11/16 10:02 PM Page 1

3X Champion 9 Blues

Conopa Kahuna’s Kestrel ARI#32705430 DOB 8/15/14 Snowmass Conopa’s Kahuna x Quarry Ridge Marimba

For sale or stud Maternal Brother to Spartan’s Silver-Lining Faith & Herb Perkins Salem, NY Faith@QRalpacas.com

518 854.7008

Leda Blumberg & Steve Cole Yorktown Heights, NY Leda@FarawayFarmAlpacas.com

914 962.2110

Showtacular 2016 | 9

of the northeast, have some degree of heat stress prior to birth – in fact, the authors have anecdotally noted elevated temperatures in fully fleeced, healthy alpacas even when weather conditions are normal for spring. This provides potential further validation for the study finding that more births with FPT occurred in the spring months from dams that demonstrated an elevated prebirth IgG level. The preliminary results of this multifaceted study suggest that it may indeed be possible to use a dam’s blood IgG level before birth as a predictor for potential problems in the cria. Even if the cria presents normally and stands and nurses within a couple of hours, FPT is still possible if the quality of the mother’s colostrum is compromised. This is a finding that is not as readily observable as contracted tendons or inability to stand, which makes this so concerning. In this type of situation, FPT may go unnoticed until a day or two after birth when the cria isn’t gaining weight properly or is not active, by which time it is past the window of optimal IgG absorption. Further data and analysis will hopefully lead to a predictive tool that will give breeders the opportunity to cost-effectively adjust management practices to reduce the risk of FPT and expensive remedial interventions. For instance, if we can demonstrate a link between dam colos-

10 | Showtacular 2016

trum levels and prepartum body temperatures, this could result in a type of screening tool to help breeders identify at-risk cria even before they are born, and perhaps take measures to cool dams in the weeks prior to birth. The potential difficulty of identifying which cria are at risk of FPT raises a related question, which is whether breeders should implement a more hands-on approach and supplement every cria with bottle-fed colostrum at birth to prevent FPT, or milk the dam and bottle-feed the first colostrum to the cria to ensure sufficient intake. Interestingly, the preliminary data from our research hints that the act of cria suckling on its dam is the best route for the cria to receive IgG with optimal absorption (or, possibly, the way that the dam provides the best or most colostrum for the cria,) and, correspondingly, that milking the dam and hand-feeding the colostrum does not produce the same degree of benefit. More broadly, this study highlights the potential importance of identifying dams that may have inferior colostrum due to environmental influences or inherent factors, and to only target their cria for supplementation at birth. The authors are currently further investigating the role of heat stress on passive transfer in alpacas and hope to share their findings with both the scientific and breeder communities in the near future.

A Practical Approach To Our Next Big Breeding Challenge:

Managing Fleece Traits Independently Lynn Edens

Historically, U.S. alpaca breeders working to improve the fleece characteristics of their herds have benefited from the favorable correlations seen in the expression of some of these characteristics. For instance, while we don’t yet know if this is because the same genes are involved in the expression of the traits, or because the relevant genes tend to “travel together” when they are inherited (or some of both), it is broadly true that finer-fleeced animals generally show more micron uniformity than their coarser counterparts, and it has also been historically true that, looking across a broad micron range, finer animals have tended to be more densely fleeced. As a result, breeders seeking to 16 | Showtacular 2016

produce animals that were finer, denser, and more uniform than the previous generation could seek to improve all these measures simultaneously. In fact, many sought for their breeding programs animals which would improve all of these characteristics as much as possible, to produce the greatest change in a single generation. Now, however, many breeders have improved their herds to the point that this “everything all at once” strategy will not continue to benefit their herds. In fact, going forward, they will likely seek animals that can improve a single trait without changing the herd’s phenotypic profile in other respects – or even seek to move aggregate individual traits within the herd in an opposite direction,

Chart 1: Examples of the Increasingly Problematic Link Between Uniformity & Fineness AFD 12.5 12.7 13.5 13.8 13.9 14.2 14.4 14.5 14.5 14.7 14.7 15.1

on average, than that dictated by their underlying genetic correlations. Let’s look at one example of why breeders will likely want to manage correlated traits more independently going forward, and then consider how they might accomplish this. Chart 1 at right, which illustrates histogram results for a group of juvenile and yearling animals, helps illustrate one correlation-based challenge breeders are facing. Many animals in this group are demonstrating a highly desirable degree of micron uniformity within their histogram samples, as evidenced by their low SDs. However, most if not all of these animals are also currently carrying fleeces that are too fine to earn top value for their owner. Few processors are willing to process fleeces (or bales of fleece) with AFDs less than 15, and those that will must charge more to do so profitably. Those exceptionally fine fleeces also weigh less than their slightly coarser counterparts, further depressing their value. To improve the value of the fleece harvest in the offspring of these animals, they must be bred to produce animals that maintain that high degree of micron uniformity but carry somewhat coarser fleeces. But how can a breeder accomplish this when fineness and micron uniformity are positively correlated genetically? The answer is to actively manage the herd composition and breeding decisions so that in-herd correlations between traits that the breeder no longer wishes to move together are minimized. So, for instance, the breeder who wishes to continue to improve the micron uniformity of a herd without producing increasingly finely-fleeced animals must choose as breeding stock, and breed to produce, animals that are extremely uniform relative to their fineness and, more importantly, are prepotent to produce the same. This means identifying relative outliers by looking not at single trait measures but at measures that combine the results for two (or more) traits. And it also means breeding to produce more of these outliers over time, using a strategy of breeding “relative strength to relative strength,” also known as positive assortative mating. For a number of reasons, EPDs are the best trait measures to use for this type of in-herd analysis and strategic management, and so they have been used in Chart 2 example at right, where we explore an example of breeding towards a goal of improved uniformity of micron without an accompanying reduction in micron. But the same type of reasoning can be applied to an evaluation of histogram results, or an analysis of the subjective observations of the breeder, with productive results. In other words, this con-

SD 2.1 2.5 2.8 2.6 2.9 2.8 2.3 2.6 3.3 2.4 2.7 2.4

CV 16.6 19.7 20.6 18.5 20.6 19.3 15.7 17.9 22.6 16.2 18.1 15.7

%>30u 0.0 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.7 0.2 0.3 0.4

Chart 2: Breeding For Micron Uniformity Without Increasing Fineness EPD for AFD Breeding Dams’ Average Herdsire #1 Herdsire #2 Herdsire #3

EPD For SD

-1.20 -2.20 -1.20 -1.56

-0.40 -0.72 -0.46 -0.68

Estimated Offspring EPDs for AFD 0

Male 1 Cria Avg

Male 2 Cria Avg

Male 3 Cria Avg

Dams’ Avg

-0.2 -0.4 -0.6 -0.8 -1 -1.2 -1.4 -1.6 -1.8

Estimated Offspring EPDs for SD 0

Male 1 Cria Avg

Male 2 Cria Avg

Male 3 Cria Avg

Dams’ Avg

-0.1 -0.2 -0.3 -0.4 -0.5 -0.6

Showtacular 2016 | 17

ceptual approach can be used within whatever evaluative framework a breeder currently uses.

putting him across the herd will not improve its uniformity. Too cold!

Consider a simple “Goldilocks” example, with some hypothetical breeding animals’ EPDs for AFD and SD shown in Chart 2 (on previous page) and the estimated offspring results in Graphs 1 and 2. Our example breeder’s production females have an average EPD for AFD of -1.20 and an average EPD for SD of -0.40. And our breeder is seeking to improve the micron uniformity of the herd without decreasing its average EPD for AFD, and is evaluating three possible herdsires within the herd with that goal in mind. The first has an exceptional, “Top 1%” EPD for micron uniformity, making him seem like the obvious choice. However, he has a similarly exceptional EPD for AFD, and as the first bar in each chart shows, breeding to this male will result in offspring that are more uniform than their dams on average, but also much finer. Too hot!

The third sire prospect has an EPD for SD that is significantly better than the average of the production females. And he has an EPD for AFD that is only marginally lower than that of the production females’. Putting this male across the production females should result in offspring that are phenotypically appreciably more uniform but not significantly finer, and that are genotypically likely to produce similar results in their own offspring. As you will have guessed, this is our “Just Right” male for the breeder’s strategy. It’s worth emphasizing again that he would not have stood out as such based on a decision based on either single trait – he is an outlier in the context of this example in that he is prepotent for producing uniformity relative to fineness. Using him will help the breeder counter the genetic correlations that work to move fineness and uniformity closely together.

The second sire prospect has an EPD for AFD that, at -1.20, is identical to the average for the herd’s production females – so breeding to him will not continue to increase the propensity to produce fineness in the herd, and help meet one part of the goal. However, this male’s EPD for SD is not significantly better than the females, either, so

Of course, few breeders will choose to use a single sire over their entire herd in any given breeding season, and this will constrain the progress made to less than the optimized example shown here. And more broadly, the progression of the entire U.S. herd (or any group of breeding animals) is constrained by the number of outliers,

18 | Showtacular 2016

In Chart 3, we see the results of such a strategy. In this case, our example EPD For SD breeder has analyzed the larger group of production females and identified the -0.62 10% among them that, like our “just right” sire, are best at improving the EPD -0.65 for SD relative to the EPD for AFD. As implied by the relationships between the -0.67 two males’ EPDs, breeding these females to the “Just Right” male will increase the number of animals that are especially uniform relative to their fineness compared to breeding these females to the “Too Hot” male, which would result in offspring with a similar propensity to produce uniformity of micron in their offspring, but accompany it with the problematic propensity to produce a even greater degree of fineness. In other words, breeding to “Too Hot” does not help this breeder reduce the correlation between uniformity and fineness within the herd, but breeding to “Just Right” does.

Chart 3: Using a “Just Right” Male to Improve Uniformity Relative to Fineness EPD for AFD Best Females for Uniformity Relative to Fineness

-1.65

“Just Right” Male Offspring Average

-1.61

“Too Hot” Male Offspring Average

-1.93

and their degree of outlying-ness, relative to the number and average of animals within the group. As a result, it is important to not just breed for improvement, but also to breed for outliers that can continue or even accelerate the rate of improvement within a group of animals. These outliers are most likely to be produced by positive assortative mating – breeding strength to strength.

Even more importantly perhaps, the strength-tostrength breeding strategy increases the likelihood that the breeder will produce a next generation outlier that is even better at improving uniformity relative to fineness. Meanwhile, our breeder can use the common “strength to weakness” breeding strategy, or negative assortative mating, to improve the offspring of the remaining females in his or her herd. This type of combination approach will make sense in many herds and will likely be preferable to most breeders, who must take into account not just other phenotypic traits but also marketability and related business issues when making breeding decisions. In summary, it’s a worthwhile effort for alpaca breeders to consider which traits they need to improve on average within their herds, and use this type of relative trait analysis to discover how much room they have within their own programs to manage that improvement without creating issues with the results for other, genetically correlated traits. Thoughtful positive assortative breeding strategies will help breeders produce outlier animals that give them latitude to manage genetically correlated fleece traits with some degree of independence. Those who take the lead on this are likely to produce the breeding stock most in demand as the rest of the marketplace catches up.

20 | Showtacular 2016

Showtacular 2016 | 25

By Sean Riley

The New England Alpaca Fiber Pool Over the last 30 years there’s been a noticeable shift in consumer mentality around the globe, particularly in regards to our modern day food systems. Through the democratization of knowledge, populations across the planet have gained access to more information and have become better informed about the food and products they consume daily. In 1986, when a McDonald’s franchise was being constructed in Rome, Italy, an Italian Journalist Carlo Petrini became outraged and the Slow Food movement was officially born.

eat Fast Foods... A Firm defense of quiet material pleasure is the only way to oppose the universal folly of Fast Life... May suitable doses of guaranteed sensual pleasure and slow, long-lasting enjoyment preserve us from the contagion of the multitude who mistake frenzy for efficiency. Our defense should begin at the table with Slow Food. Let us rediscover the flavors and savors of regional cooking and banishing the degrading effects of Fast Food.” (Excerpt from the Official Slow Food Manifesto, as published in “Slow Food: A Case for Taste” in 2001).

Petrini saw the uprising of the industrial, multinational corporatization of the global food system as a direct threat to Italy’s rich culinary history and ultimately the rest of the world’s national and regional food systems.

The Slow Food movement at its core strives to counterbalance the growth of global, industrial, centralized food systems that destabilize regional economies while prioritizing profit margins over all else. With profit and growth the underlying motivation behind all decisions, it becomes inevitable that the quality and nutritional value of the food and food products produced will deplete over time while

“We are enslaved by speed and have all succumbed to the same insidious virus: Fast Life, which disrupts our habits, pervades the privacy of our homes and forces us to 28 | Showtacular 2016

off balance sheet resources are exploited. What we end up with is a food system that’s disconnected with its natural origins and no longer serves the people it’s feeding or the land it’s grown on. Fast, industrialized food in it’s current form, is simply not sustainable. Out of necessity, comes invention, and the Slow Food movement was born. One major sign of the Slow Food Movement that we’ve all experienced in the last decade is the rise of Farmers Markets. Over the last 20 years Farmers Markets have grown by almost 500% in the U.S. These markets have sprung up as community places where local and regional farms can bring their products direct to consumer. According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, a farm selling produce through a typical grocery chain store distribution model will only make upwards of 19% profit on the food they produce. By taking their produce direct to the retail market, the farm is able to see a much higher profit margin, allowing them to be more sustainable on smaller scale operations. Across the country, many alpaca farms take part in this grass-roots community movement by sharing their alpacas, the fiber, and the products it produces with their local communities. The slow and steady rise of the Slow Food Movement and the localized

community food markets that have sprung up to support it are the result of people asking new questions about the food they consume: What is the food that I eat made from? Where and Who grows it? How is it grown and made? Is it grown in a healthy and sustainable manner? Who benefits from its sale and consumption? With the growth of the Slow Food movement across the globe over the last 30 years, it’s apparently clear the impact the general consumers shift in purchasing has had on the larger food industry. Local, Regional based food economies have grown exponentially, along with the rise of organic, non-GMO, and farm to table business and marketing initiatives. It is safe to say that the Slow Food movement has officially become an industry in its own right, as well as begun influencing industries outside of food itself. Food, being one of the, if not the most essential need for human survival, was the first of many global industries to be disrupted through this shift in consumer

RedMaple

Novelty Alpaca socks for kids and adults

www.RedMapleSportswear.com Call toll free 888-748-0022

Showtacular 2016 | 29

perspective. Another pillar on the base of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Pyramid is Clothing; the next logical step for this growing frontier. The Slow Fashion term was officially coined by Kate Fletcher in 2007, at the Centre of Sustainable Fashion in the UK. Slow Fashion is not a seasonal trend that comes and goes like animal print, but a sustainable fashion movement that defines itself as: a term which describes clothing which lasts a long time and is often made from locallysourced or fair-trade material, ultimately contributing to a more sustainable society and economy. The Slow Fashion movement, like the Slow Food Movement, is a direct response to the off the accounting book costs to the Fast Fashion world we find ourselves in today where clothes are made to be worn once, fall apart after a few wears, and be thrown away and replaced soon after. It’s time we started to embrace the Sustainable Fashion Movement. With the rise of Fast Fashion over the last 20 years, where trends are measured in days instead of seasons and the life span of a garment is measured in months instead of years, the Fashion industry has proven to be ripe for disruption via the Slow ideals movement. Like the Slow Food movement that grew organically as a direct response to Fast Food threatening a rich culinary history, Slow Fashion is positioning itself as a counterbalance to the recent wear once retail trends of the late 90s and 2000s. Much like Fast Food, Fast Fashion lacks connectedness, soul, and integrity. Cheap, mass produced garments are generic and expendable and don’t hold any true value besides making the purchaser feel trendy for that small window of time the garment is indeed considered “fashionable.” In order to drive sales, Fast Fashion brands offer their garments at the lowest possible cost to consumers and

maintain profitability by producing goods as cheaply as possible. To reduce the cost of the products they produce and maintain profitability, they’ve turned to moving the true cost of these products off their accounting balance sheets. These true, “unaccountable” costs of the Fast Fashion industry are the exploited labor force in developing nations, the rampart pollution in countries with lax environmental protection laws, the wasteful use of energy to move material and goods across the globe, and the loss of self sustainability of national and regional economies. Besides the true costs of Fast Fashion piling up on the manufacturers end, we are also starting to see the indirect result on the consumer side. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the EPA Office of Solid Waste, the average American Family spends over $1700 on clothes a year while each member of the household throws away 65 lbs of clothing during that same period. In 1930, the average American Woman owned 9 complete outfits, today it’s 30 (Forbes). Although the average American’s wardrobe and need for closet space is expanding, the majority of us still wear only 20% of our clothing 80% of the time. The alternative to all of this is the slowly growing alternative of ethically sourced and produced Slow Fashion. The garments are made from low impact, renewable resources and designed to be durable and last. Produced in an ethical environment, free of exploitative labor, hidden pollution and environmental costs through global transport and finishing/dyeing techniques, and the reduction of hazardous chemicals in the manufacturing process. The movement calls for accountability through the entire production life cycle of a product, from the time it’s raw material, all the way through its manufacturer, purchase, and use. Much like the Slow Food movement, as more people become aware of the true, off balance sheet costs of the clothing they purchase and wear everyday, people are looking to educate themselves and seek out alternatives and the Slow Fashion movement is a direct result in this shift in consumer behavior.

30 | Showtacular 2016

and fertilizers to grow and flourish. Once harvested, it begins consuming vast amounts of energy to be transported across the globe and turned into yarn and fabric. The cotton fabric will be dyed using hazardous chemicals that if not handled properly will pollute the local environment. From there it will travel across the globe again, to be cut, sewn, and finished, in most cases by exploited labor in developing nations with little to no labor protections in place. Now that it’s a finished t-shirt, it will travel even further to eventually reach a retail rack near you; to be purchased, worn, lost in the back of the closet, and eventually forgotten.

In order to truly understand the impact of any particular product, we have to analyze its life cycle. We can follow it from raw material, processing, assembly, and distribution to the end user to better understand its true impact and story.

As we learn about the true costs behind fast fashion, it’s natural that alternatives begin to pop up on the other end of the spectrum. The U.S. alpaca fiber industry is a great example of one such counter balance point. When following the flow of a U.S. alpaca products life cycle, we can see the stark differences.

5 AOA GRAY C 201 HA

RO AE

H – 7X CHA SMIT M

PI O N!

S– NI

! ON PI

The alpaca fiber starts off in the field, being grown on an animal that is an efficient eater, consumer of water, requires little intervention, and with its padded feet physically treads lightly on the land. Once humanely harvested, the fiber is collected before being sent off to domestic tex-

Although the U.S. accounts for 28% of the world’s clothing purchases, only about 2% of those garments are made in U.S. based textile mills. When analyzing a typical Fast Fashion cotton t-shirts’ product life cycle, from raw material in the field to finished product ready to wear, we can start to appreciate the true environmental and social costs behind the limited time $4.99 price tag. The typical cotton t-shirt starts off as cotton in the field, consuming tremendous amounts of water, petroleum based pesticides, herbicides,

Showtacular 2016 | 31

tile mills and turned into yarn and fabric. The U.S. based textile mills are in many cases century old businesses, with strong labor and environmental protections put in place to ensure the quality of their work environments and to safeguard their local communities from unwanted pollution. From here the finished yarn and fabric goes off to be knit, woven, cut, sewn, and finished by a U.S. skilled craftsman earning a living wage. In the case of the current U.S. alpaca fiber industry, a vast majority of those finished products end up back on the farm to be brought directly to local market. When the same alpaca farmer who raised the animal, and harvested the fiber is also sharing those finished goods with their local communities, they receive the highest profit margin on the fiber. This is a simple analysis of the production life cycle when comparing the status quo fast fashion cotton t-shirt, to the ever Slow U.S. alpaca good, but it’s very clear to see the stark contrast. Due to the size of the U.S. alpaca industry and being a high cost producer of fiber, U.S. alpaca farms will not be able to compete on the global commodity market. Although we can’t compete on price and volume of raw alpaca fiber in international markets, we are positioned

32 | Showtacular 2016

to take our goods directly to one of the largest textile market places in the world which happens to be located right in our backyards. We don’t need to compete with the existing Fast Fashion paradigm, but rather define our own game where we already have a strategic advantage. As farmers, fiber growers, and in many cases the retail distributor, it’s important that we acknowledge this growing shift towards Slow Fashion, its ideals, and how we can position ourselves as individual businesses and an industry to cater to it. The Fast Fashion system we have in place today is simply not sustainable and its true underlying costs are beginning to pile up around the planet and can no longer be ignored. As more people wake up to the truth behind the garments they purchase everyday, the demand for more sustainable and transparent options will rise.

It boils down to sharing our story, about the alpacas, their fiber, and the finished goods they produce. Along with the normal selling attributes like warmth, strength, and comfort factor, we need to also be sharing its back story. The majority of U.S. Alpaca products that are being produced in the U.S. have a positive, low impact supply chain behind them that directly benefits many local and regional economies around the country. We need to study Slow Food and the problems that it is solving, and contemplate the questions that people are beginning to ask about their clothes. We already have the answers that our future customers are asking: What is it made from? Where and How is it made? Who benefits from its sale? Each purchase of a product made in the U.S. from U.S. grown alpaca fiber, supports the farm or small business that brought it to market, the farm and alpacas that produced the fiber, and the many textile mills that helped manufacturer it. As people become conscious of where, how, and of what their clothing and accessories are made from, the

U.S. alpaca fiber industry will be there to service and grow with this expanding market. With the democratization of knowledge, through the growth of the internet age, it’s never been easier to connect to our peers and share our story. We have the tools to send information across the planet and back in a split second, it’s time we crafted our message and positioned ourselves and our alpacas as the poster children of the rising Slow Fashion movement. While showcasing our animals, the great attributes of their fiber and clothing made from it, we need to humanize the people and the mills behind their production. At every step along the way, from raw fiber in the field to finished goods at the farmer’s market, U.S. alpaca products feel warm and fuzzy at each step of the way, it’s time we showcase and share that love with everyone.

Showtacular 2016 | 33

The Textured Tundra Scarf You can knit this appealing scarf pattern in your favorite sport weight yarn — but of course, we recommend an American alpaca yarn for this next-toskin treasure! Originally designed by Deborah Newton for Imperial Yarn’s Denali American alpaca/wool blend yarn, the Tundra scarf pattern features three different stitch patterns and can be knit with a solid color or with color blocks as shown. An entertaining knit, it has been very popular with yarn stores and knit-along groups, introducing them to the pleasure of working with the fine alpaca fiber this country’s growers are producing. Enjoy!

Designer: Deborah Newton

YARN

GAUGES

4 hanks for Solid-Color Scarf; color shown: #32 Glacier (Color A)

Take time to check your gauges.

Imperial Yarn Denali (50g/1¾oz ea approx 195yds/178m, 50% wool, 50% alpaca):

2 hanks ea color for Color-Blocked Scarf; colors shown: #02 Pearl Gray (Color A) and #04 Charcoal (Color B), or #02 Pearl Gray (Color A) and #01 Natural (Color B).

NEEDLES

U.S. size 5 (3.75 mm) needles or size to obtain gauge.

Notions

Stitch markers; cable needle; tapestry needle.

SIZE

One size: Width: 7”/18 cm, Length: 74½”/189 cm.

38 | Showtacular 2016

27½ sts and 38 rows = 4” (10 cm) in Chart A; 28 sts and 36 rows = 4” (10 cm) in Charts B and C.

Notes

The instructions are written for the Color Blocked Scarf. If you are making the solid color scarf, omit the color changes and work the whole scarf in one color. Stitch markers are used to indicate the edges of the chart patterns, and placement for both markers is changed each time the pattern changes. Slip markers as you come to them. Stitches for the edgings are picked up and knitted along the cast-on and bind-off edges after completing the main part of the scarf to contrast with the color at each end of the Color Blocked Scarf.

Abbreviations

approx: approximately. beg: begin(ning). BO: bind off. cm: centimeter(s). cn: cable needle. CO: cast on. cont: continu(e)(ing). dec: decrease(s)(ing). ea: each. g: gram(s). inc: increase(s)(ing). k: knit. k1 tbl: knit 1 stitch through the back loop. k2tog: knit 2 together. m: meter(s). mm: millimeter(s). oz: ounce(s). p: purl. patt: pattern(s). pm: place marker. rem: remain. rep: repeat(s). RS: right side. st(s): stitch(es). WS: wrong side. yd(s): yard(s).

Stitch Guide

LT (Left twist): Skip the first stitch on left needle, knit the 2nd stitch through the back loop but do not slip stitch from left needle, knit the first stitch, then slip both stitches from the left needle. RT (Right twist): K2tog but do not slip stitches from left needle, knit the first stitch again, then slip both stitches from left needle. 2/2LC (2 over 2 left cross): Slip 2 stitches to cn and hold in front, k2, then k2 from cn. 2/2RC (2 over 2 right cross): Slip 2 stitches to cn and hold in back, k2, then k2 from cn. Garter stitch (any number of sts) Knit every row.

Cable Pattern (multiple of 10 sts plus 6) (see Chart A)

Row 1 (RS): Knit. Row 2 (WS): Purl. Row 3: K1, *2/2RC, k6; rep from * to last 5 sts, 2/2RC, k1. Rows 4 and 6: K1, *p4, k6; rep from * to last 5 sts, p4, k1. Row 5: P1, *k4, p6; rep from * to last 5 sts, k4, p1. Row 7: P1, *2/2RC, p6; rep from * to last 5 sts, 2/2RC, p1. Rows 8–10: Rep Rows 4–6. Row 11: Rep Row 3. Rows 12 and 14: Purl. Row 13: Knit. Row 15: *K6, 2/2LC; rep from * to last 6 sts, k6. Rows 16 and 18: *(K1, p1) 3 times, p4; rep from * to last 6 sts, (k1, p1) 3 times. Row 17: *(P1, k1) 3 times, k4; rep from * to last 6 sts, (p1, k1) 3 times. Row 19: *(P1, k1) 3 times, 2/2LC; rep from * to last 6 sts, (p1, k1) 3 times. 40 | Showtacular 2016

Rows 20–22: Rep Rows 16–18. Row 23: Rep Row 15. Row 24: Purl. Rep Rows 1–24 for Chart A patt. Trellis Pattern (multiple of 8 sts) (see Chart B) Row 1 (WS): P1, *k2, p2; rep from * to last 3 sts, k2, p1. Row 2 (RS): *K1, p1, RT, LT, p1, k1; rep from * to end. Row 3: *P1, k1, p1, k2, p1, k1, p1; rep from * to end. Row 4: *K1, RT, p2, LT, k1; rep from * to end. Row 5: P2, *k4, p4; rep from * to last 6 sts, k4, p2. Row 6: Knit. Row 7: Rep Row 1. Row 8: *LT, p1, k2, p1, RT; rep from * to end. Row 9: *K1, p1, k1, p2, k1, p1, k1; rep from * to end. Row 10: *P1, LT, k2, RT, p1; rep from * to end. Row 11: K2, *p4, k4; rep from * to last 6 sts, p4, k2. Row 12: Knit. Rep Rows 1–12 for Chart B patt.

Textured Rib (multiple of 5 sts plus 1) (see Chart C)

Row 1 (RS): K1 tbl, *p1, k2, p1, k1 tbl; rep from * to end. Row 2 (WS): P1, *k1, p2, k1, p1; rep from * to end. Row 3: K1 tbl, *p4, k1 tbl; rep from * to end. Row 4: P1, *k4, p1; rep from * to end. Rep Rows 1–4 for Chart C patt.

INSTRUCTIONS SCARF

With Color A, CO 48 sts. Note: If you use the long tail CO method, purl 1 WS row. Row 1 (RS): Work 6 sts in garter st, pm, work Row 1 of Chart A over next 36 sts, pm, work 6 sts in garter st. Note: work the first st of every row firmly to keep garter st edge tight. Cont in established patt until 48 rows of Chart A have been worked (2 full rep), ending with a WS row. Remove markers on last row. Next (inc) row (RS): Change to Color B. Knit and inc 2 sts evenly spaced – 50 sts. Next row (WS): Work 5 sts in garter st, pm, work Row 1 of Chart B over next 40 sts, pm, work 5 sts in garter st. Cont in established patt until 47 rows of Chart B have been worked (1 row less than 4 full rep), ending with a WS row. Remove markers on last row. Next (dec) row (RS): Change to Color A. Knit and dec 1 st at center of row – 49 sts rem. Next row (WS): K4, purl to last 4 sts, k4. Next row (RS): Work 4 sts in garter st, pm, work Row 1 of Chart C over next 41 sts, pm, work 4 sts in garter st. Cont in established patt until rib section measures 5” (12.5 cm), ending with a WS row, and dec 1 st in center of last row – 48 sts rem. Remove markers on last row. Next row (RS): Change to Color B. Work 6 sts in garter st, pm, work Row 1 of Chart A over next 36 sts, pm, work 6 sts in garter st. Cont in established patt until 71 rows of Chart A have been worked (1 row less than 3 full rep), ending with a WS row. Next (inc) row (RS): Change to Color A. Knit and inc 2 sts evenly spaced – 50 sts. Next row (WS): Work 5 sts in garter st, pm, work Row 1 of Chart B over next 40 sts, pm, work 5 sts in garter st.

Cont in established patt until 35 rows of Chart B have been worked (1 row less than 3 full rep), ending with a WS row. Remove markers on last row. Next (dec) row (RS): Change to Color B. Knit and dec 1 st at center of row – 49 sts rem. Next row (WS): K4, purl to last 4 sts, k4. Next row (RS): Work 4 sts in garter st, pm, work Row 1 of Chart C over next 41 sts, pm, work 4 sts in garter st. Cont in established patt until rib section measures 8” (20.5 cm), ending with a WS row and dec 1 st at center of last row – 48 sts rem. Remove markers on last row. Next row (RS): Change to Color A and rep from Row 1 once more (2 full rep of entire sequence have been worked). Scarf should measure approx 73” (185.5 cm) from beg. BO all sts knitwise with Color B.

FINISHING

First edging With Color B and RS facing, pick up and k41 sts evenly along CO edge. Knit 9 rows. BO all sts knitwise. Second edging With Color A and RS facing, pick up k41 sts evenly along BO edge. Knit 7 rows. BO all sts knitwise. Weave in ends. Block to finished measurements.

Showtacular 2016 | 41

Two great programs, one great family farm FEMALE CRIA GUARANTEE Breed with any of our high quality herdsires and be guaranteed a female cria. In the event that a male cria is born you have the option to keep or return the weaned male to Eastcoast Alpacas and rebreed until you have your girl.

Female CRIA

Superior Genetics at their Best: • Snowmass Matrix • Snowmass Supreme Impact • Snowmass Quechua

• Peruvian Hemingway • Peruvian Bueno • Snowmass Messiah

• 6Peruvian Accoyo Elite • TGF Messiah’s Messenger • 4Peruvian Pacacuti

We’re buying culls through your participation! The Alpaca-X-Change Program was developed to help breeders obtain high quality genetics while at the same time reducing the overall size & cost of their breeding operation.

Farm located in Southern Maine • EastcoastAlpacas.com Call Marc and Melissa Worrell • 207-590-5630

Showtacular 2016 Herdsire Breeding Auction Plus Other Fabulous Stuff!

Sunset Hills Zagato

Captain Midnight

Donated By: Alpaca Palace

Donated By: Copper Star Alpacas, Cinco Câ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Alpacas

Color: Fawn

Color: True Black

Accoyo America Kingfish

Snowmass Enlightenment

Donated By: Little Creek Farm/Accoyo America

Donated By: Morning Beckons Farm

Color: White

Color: Classic Silver Grey

44 | Showtacular 2016

Fan ta

ff ! stic Aucton Stu

• Matt Best Shearing Seminar at your farm (Donated by Little Creek Farm)

Spartan’s Silver Lining Donated By: Quarry Ridge Alpacas, Faraway Farm Alpacas and Clover Bottom Alpaca Ranch Color: Modern Rose Gray

• Alpaca Scale and Husbandry Items (Donated by Light Livestock) • Copper Star Breakfast Basket Including Copper Star Bacon (Donated by Copper Star Alpacas)

• Two Dwarf Nigerian Goat Doelings (Donated by Morning Beckons Farm)

• New Stihl Chain Saw (Donated by Elf-Paca Meadows)

WP Supreme Justice Donated By: West Penn Alpacas Color: Brown

• Alpaca Show Wine and Cheese Party at your Farm Display (Donated and staffed by Lynn and Susanne of Little Creek Farm) • The Industry’s Best Marketing Support: A full page ad in Alpaca Culture Magazine, along with a directory listing and a subscription. (Donated by Alpaca Culture)

Buyer’s Choice of any of our sires

• 4 Great Tickets to Nov. 17th Patriots/Seahawk Game (Donated by Morning Beckons Farm) • Stunning 5x7 Alpaca Rug (Donated by Autumn Mist Farm)

The Herdsire Breeding of Your Choice Donated By: the collective Stud Rows of Autumn Mist, Cabin View, Virginia Breeze and Pactamere Alpacas Color: Your Choice!

• One of a kind Handbag by Jo Padgett (Donated by A Paca Fun Farm) • Luxurious American Alpaca Alpaca/Wool Throw (Donated by Imperial Yarn) Showtacular 2016 | 45

Sponsors The Empire Alpaca Association and NEAOBA would like to thank the following farms, vendors, exhibitors and show committee members for their dedication in making this show a success.

Double Diamond Sponsors

A Paca Fun Farm • Alpaca Palace • Alpaca Road LLC • Cas-Cad-Nac Farm, LLC Elf-Paca Meadows • Little Creek Farm • Morning Beckons Farm • Red Granite Ranch Rosehaven Alpacas • Stillmeadow Farm • West Penn Alpacas

Diamond Sponsors

Cabin View Alpacas • Clear Mountain Alpacas, LLC • Copper Star Alpaca Farm • Faraway Farm Alpacas

Platinum Sponsors Buck Brook Alpacas

Gold Sponsors

Cinco C’s Alpacas • Kendall Creek Farms Alpacas • Long Acres Alpaca Farm • Sugartown Farms

Silver Sponsors

Purgatory Falls Alpacas • Shepherd’s Creek Alpacas • Woodland Meadow Farm

Championship Sponsors Sallie’s Fen Alpacas • Tall Grass Farm

Halter Class Sponsors

Alpacas of NH • Camo Alpacas • Dunrovin at Ashby Alpacas, LLC • Humming Meadows Alpacas LLC • OakHill Alpacas LLC

Vendor Sponsors

Classic Alpaca-Wholesale Alpaca • Gore Trailer • New England Alpaca Fiber Pool Inc. • Peruvian Link, CO

Showtacular Staff Show Coordinators Ken Clark & Joe Crocco Barn Managers Julie Butler & Lennie Foss Show Superintendent Sue Ives Fleece Show Superintendent Cheri Seiler Showtacular Liaison Sue Foss Youth Exhibition Liaison Cindy Cuykendall Auction Julie Butler, Lynn Edens & Susanne B. Photo Contest Ruth Fegela Product Booth Leslie Jorritsma Silent Auction Holly Jacobs & Leslie Jorritsma Showbook Editor Susanne Bienenstock 46 | Showtacular 2016

Spartan’s Silver-Lining

11X Champion

ARI# 32705416 DOB 8/23/13

Reserve your breeding now! SPARTAN’S SILVER-LINING [DRG] CRYSTAL SPARTAN [DB] MFI PERUVIAN MESQUITE [TB]

MISS HAYE’S HANNAH [DRG]

stud fee $2,000

QUARRY RIDGE MARIMBA [DB] MY PERUVIAN MAJESTIC OBSIDIAN PERUVIAN [TB] CARMELA [LF]

Leda Blumberg & Steve Cole Yorktown Heights, NY Leda@FarawayFarmAlpacas.com

914 962.2110

Faith & Herb Perkins Salem, NY Faith@QRalpacas.com

518 854.7008

Clover Bottom Alpaca Ranch

Terry Passanante Washington, MO tjpassanante@aol.com

816-582-6494

Empire Alpaca Association Membership A~C Alpacalachin Farms Don & Jennifer Tompkins 2571 Chestnut Ridge Road Apalachin, NY 13732 607-972-4617 don@alpacalachin.com www.alpacalachin.com Alpacas In The Glen Todd & Holly Jacobs 701 Route 41 Smithville Flats, NY 13841 607-863-3180 hblod625@aol.com Alpacatrax, LLC Elyse and Joshua Arnow 12 Fancher Road Pound Ridge, NY 10576 914-764-4778 arnow@optonline.net Alpacaville Shauna & Dan Anderson 4463 Mahanna Road Bemus Point, NY 14712 716-664-0663 anrsun@yahoo.com ARRIBA Linea Alpacas Lori Jones and Tom Vanhanen 755 Sandford Road Uxbridge, ON L9P 1R2 Canada 905-862-0222 lori@arribalinea.com Autumn Mist Alpaca Farm & Fiber Mill LLC Jeff & Leslie Jorritsma 11579 Wessie Road Prattsburgh, NY 14873 607-868-5401 www.autumnmistalpacafarm.com autumnmistalpacafarm@gmail.com Blue Opal Alpaca Farm LLC Ruth Fegela 24 Mohawk Trail Way Strafford, NH 03884 malibruthi@metrocast.net 603-332-9833

48 | Showtacular 2016

Blustery Hills Farm Christine Dietz 1525 North Road Tully, NY 13159 315-263-2997 Breezy Meadows Alpacas Conrad & Charlene Arnold 2061 Moravia Venice Townline Rd Moravia, NY 13118 315-497-0168 www.BreezyMeadowsAlpacas.com BreezyMeadowsAlpacas@yahoo.com Buck Brook Alpacas Justin & Kara McElroy 99 Bestenheider Road Roscoe, NY 12776 845-807-3104 www.buckbrookalpacas.com BuckBrookAlpacas@yahoo.com Cabin View Alpacas Christine & David Houseworth 9435 Congress Street Ext Trumansburg, NY 14886 607-279-3567 www.cabinviewalpacas.com info@cabinviewalpacas.com Cardinal Acre Alpacas Sue Hornberger 9759 Manley Hill Road Little Valley, NY 14755 SueHornberger@yahoo.com Cinco C’s Alpacas Chris & Carol Howard 198 Sartwell Creek Road Port Allegany, PA 16743 814-544-2626 www.cincocsalpacas.com carol@cincocsalpacas.com Claddagh Farm Alpacas Sarah & Carl Lamanna 6905 Stebbins Road LaFayette, NY 13084 315-243-3782 www.claddaghfarmalpacas.com claddaghfarms@gmail.com

Cleo’s Alpacas, LLC Betty Lou Herter and/or Cleo Ellen Kuhl 211 Cedarcrest Drive Mooresville, NC 28115 704 663-9785 www.keuka-lake-pitos.com/alpacas bherter66@aol.com Copper Star Alpaca LLC Barbara & Joe Crocco 132 Carson Road Millerton, NY 12546 914-924-9197 www.copperstaralpacafarm.com barbara@copperstaralpacafarm.com Countyline Alpacas Dana and Tim Pence 12946 West Main Street Randolph, NY 14772 716-720-8323

D~H Dresserville Alpacas John & Kathi Sovocool 5196 Dresserville Road Moravia, NY 13118 315-406-1774 sovocool@verizon.net Dun Roving Farm Darlene Lander 454 Dodge Road Frewsburg, NY 14738 716-569-2198 www.dunrovingfarm.com darlene@dunrovingfarm.com Elf Paca Meadows LLC Lennie & Sue Foss 296 Walnut Street Rochester, NH 03867 603-765-4696 www.elfpacameadows.com lennie@elfpacameadows.com Enchanted Forest Alpacas David & Martha McCutchen 7477 Selden Road Leroy, NY 14482 585-786-7219 mamccutchen@earthlink.net

Empire Alpaca Association Membership Finger Lakes Alpacas Polly & Ken Michaelis 8418 Cooper Road Weedsport, NY 13166 315-258-8770 www.FingerLakesAlpacas.com info@fingerlakesalpacas.com

Hilltop Alpacas Scott & Kathy Young 7823 County Hwy 67 Hancock, NY 13783 607-637-2389 www.hilltopalpacas.com sayoung@hancock.net

Little Creek Farm Alpacas Lynn Edens 321 Hardscrabble Rd North Salem, NY 10560 917-952-5184 www.lcfalpacas.com lynn@LCFAlpacas.com

Four Season Alpacas & Rug Weaving Brett Wicker 4418 Six Corners Rd Dundee, NY 14837 607-243-7076 floydwicker@frontiernet.net www.fourseasonalpacas.webs.com

Humming Meadows Alpacas Denise Spina & Mitch Sparrow 131 Halsey Road Newton, NJ 07860 973-362-0429 www.hummingmeadowsalpacas.com hummingmeadowsalpacas@gmail.com

Log Cabin Alpacas Karen Clark & Helen Harris 178 Hurd Road Harpursville, NY 13787 607-693-2299 www.logcabinalpacas.com logcabinalpacas@tds.net

Gentle Breeze Alpacas Kevin & Martha Cady 1079 County Hwy 19 Burlington Flats, NY 13315 607-965-8729

Hy-Haven Farm Debby Carlson-Filer & Mike Filer 516 Johnson Hollow Road Cuba, NY 14727 716-378-0457 www.hy-havenfarm.com grandmagoats1@hotmail.com

Lone Spruce Alpacas Jeanne Angell 683 County Road 13 South Otselic, NY 13155 315-653-7582 www.lonesprucealpacas.com jeanne@lonesprucealpacas.com

J~O

Mager Mountain Alpacas Paul & Suzanne Mager 69 Mountain View Drive Little Valley, NY 14755 716-938-9077 www.magermountainalpacas.com sue@magermountainalpacas.com

Heavenly Sunset Farm Gail & Carolyn Clark – Dan & Susan Clark 1134-1166 County Rte 99 Woodhull NY 14898 607-458-5499 hsf@zoominternet.net Hemlock Hills Alpaca Farm Bob & Mary Ann Thompson 4151 Clay Street Livonia, NY 14487 585-339-8642 Hickory Meadows Alpaca Farm LLC Bob & Kelly Foster 382 Ridge Rd Newton, NJ 07860 973-300-0388 www.hickorymeadow.openherd.com Dksfoster123@earthlink.com

Jay Mountain Alpacas Calvin & Pat Coolidge 284 Glen Road Jay, NY 12941 518-946-7617 www.jaymtnalpacas.com silentcal@frontiernet.net Lazy Acre Alpacas Inc. Mark & Sharon Gilbride 8830 Baker Road Bloomfield, NY 14469 585-455-1203 lazyacrealpacas.com lazyacrealpacas@frontier.com

Hidden Pastures, LLC 35 Newtown Avenue Branchville, NJ 07826 973-948-6800

Lilymoore Farms, LLC 21 Moore Road Pleasant Valley, NY 12569 lilymoorefarm@gmail.com 845-605-7002

Highland Airs Alpaca Ranch Joy & Colin Scott 10 River Rd Hackettstown, NJ 07840 908-852-2241 www.highlandairsalpacaranch.com joyscott@highlandairsalpaca.com

Limestone Creek Alpacas Leslie Oliver 3537 Pompey Hollow Road Cazenovia, NY 13035 315-655-4898 www.limestonecreekalpacas.com lcalpacas@windstream.net

50 | Showtacular 2016

Maple View Farm Alpacas 185 Adams Road Brandon, VT 05733 info@mapleviewfarmalpacas.com 802-247-5412 Marble River Alpacas Susan Holbrook 127 County Route 39/PO Box 44 Chateaugay, NY 12920 518-497-6009 www.marbleriveralpacas.com hobysue2@gmail.com Nether Walnut Hill Alpacas Rebecca W. Wadsworth 4516 DeNeef Road Lyons, NY 14489 315-483-6443 www.netherwalnuthill.com woodruffbwads@aol.com

Empire Alpaca Association Membership Never Ending Alpaca Farm Jerry & Kathy Scutt 1285 Lillibridge Road Portville, NY 14770 716-933-8561 www.openherd.com/farms/478 jkscutt@roadrunner.com

Ruebarb Alpacas Larue S. & Barbara E. Austin 10089 Co. Rd. #23 Houghton, NY 14744 585-567-8255 www.ruebarbalpacas.com larue_barb@ruebarbalpacas.com

Sugartown Farms Helen & Timm Herman 6277 Sugartown Road Elicottville, NY 14731 716-699-2902 www.sugartownfarms.com helen@sugartownfarms.com

Nyala Farm Alpacas Andy & Ann Merriwether 104 Rockwell Road Vestal, NY 13850 607-785-8226 www.alpacanation.com/nyalafarm.asp andym@binghamton.edu amerriwe@binghamton.edu

Russell’s Alpaca Acres Jay & Jean Russell 4047 Newtown Road Burdett, NY 14818 518-817-1805 www.russellsalpacaacres.com jrussell7522@yahoo.com

T~Z

P~S Patchwork Meadow Alpacas Susan & Ike Caston 151 S Buel Road Canajoharie, NY 13317 518-673-5130 www.patchworkmeadowalpacas.com sue@patchworkmeadowalpacas.com Pohopoco Creek Alpacas, LLC Mary Baxter 216 Merwinsburg Road Effort, PA 18330 570-242-3587 www.PohopocoCreekAlpacas.com PCAlpacas@gmail.com Preston’s Alpacas 805 Co Hwy 39 Worcester, NY 12197 607-397-8051 prestonsalpacas@yahoo.com Red Granite Ranch Marc & Sharon Milligan 1021 Red Granite Ranch Rd Livermore, CO 80536 970-493-0959 www.RedGraniteRanch.com rgralpacas@hughes.net Rosehaven Alpacas Michele Armour & Rob Bruce 540 County Road #164 Callicoon, NY 12723 914-953-2506 www.rosehavenalpacas.com michelearmour@yahoo.com robbruce2@yahoo.com 52 | Showtacular 2016

Seven Acres Alpaca Farm Bill Bundy 9457 Dinglehole Road Phoenix, NY 13135 sevenacresalpaca@aol.com 315-678-5038 Shalimar Alpacas Patricia & Olivier Gillotin 164 East Ridge Road Warwick, NY 10990 info@shalimaralpacas.com 845-258-0851 Shepherd’s Creek Alpacas Barb & Marc Sodums 5797 Stilwell Rd Trumansburg, NY 14886 607-387-7260 www.shepherdscreekalpacas.com shepcreekalpacas@aol.com Song Meadows Alpacas Cindy & Karl Cuykendall 5197 DeWitt Road Skaneateles, NY 13152 315-685-7410 www.songmeadows.com cuykendallfarms@aol.com Stagecoach Trails Alpacas LLC 255 Promenade St #345 Providence, RI 02908 Stillmeadow Farm Pam Brewster 116 Al Harvey Road Stonington, CT 06730 stillmeadowfarm1@gmail.com 860-821-9492

Tall Grass Farm Marion & Michael Beaudry 125 Christian Lane Whately, MA 01373 413-665-6622 www.tallgrassfarm.biz info@tallgrassfarm.biz Tartan Acres LLC Brenda & Ken Clark 707 Houghton Hill Road Homer, NY 13077 315-729-9358 www.tartanacres.com tartanacres_2001@verizon.net Thistlecreek Alpaca Farm Jeanne MacLeod-Lang; Brad Lang 1091 Ostrander Road East Aurora, NY 14052 716-725-8199 www.thistlecreekalpacas.com thistlecreekalpaca@gmail.com Twilight Alpacas LLC Irene & Jeff Kulis 2670 State Route 34 Venice Center, NY 13147 315-730-5925 www.jeffandirenekulis@yahoo.com twilightalpacas@yahoo.com Woodland Meadow Farm Chuck & Elaine Gerber 40 Bullard Lane Saratoga Springs, NY 12866 518-368-1106 woodlandmeadowfarm@gmail.com Woodside Farm Alpacas Manfred & Ann Richter 12858 Gowanda State Rd Lawtons, NY 14091 716-241-7013 www.woodsidefarmalpacas.com woodsidefarmalpacas@gmail.com

Farming with Love, Honor and Respect. Denise Spina & Mitchell Sparrow

Humming Meadows Alpacas

131 Halsey Road Newton, New Jersey 07860 973-362-0429

Hummingmeadowsalpacas@gmail.com

hummingmeadowsalpacas.com

Instagram@hummingmeadowsalpaca s

Agisting Available

NEAOBA Membership

A~D Alpaca Obsession, LLC Amylynn Kemp 386 Porter Pond Road Moosup, CT 06354 alpacaobsession@live.com 860-564-6960 www.alpacaobsession.com Alpacas of NH at Sleeping Monk Farm Sue Evon 116 Ashby Road New Ipswich, NH 03071 www.sleepingmonkfarm.com Alpacatrax, LLC Elyse and Joshua Arnow 12 Fancher Road Pound Ridge, NY 10576 arnow@optonline.net 914-764-4778 www.alpacatrax.com Andean Dawn Alpacas Lisa Prozzo 313 Ball Hill Road Princeton, MA 01541 prozzo@icloud.com Autumn Leaves Farm Alpacas LLC (A) Glen and Sue Raymond 67 Wooster St Naugatuck, CT 06770 Big Red Acres Jennifer and Tom Boshar 159 Holt Road Andover, MA 01810 bigredacres@verizon.net 978-475-8913 www.bigredacres.com Blue Opal Alpaca Farm, LLC Ruth Fegela 24 Mohawk Trail Way Strafford, NH 03884 malibruthi@metrocast.net 603-332-9833

58 | Showtacular 2016

Blueberry Farm Alpacas, LLC Abigail Fitzgerald 170 Melvin Heights Road Camden, ME 04843 Blueberry Fields Alpaca Farm, LP Steve and Hope Rowley 40 Birch Hill Road York, ME 03909 hrowley@maine.rr.com 207-752-4747 Borgstein Alpaca Farm Karen and Niels Borgstein 86 Plain Street Medfield, MA 02052 borgsteinalpacas@earthlink.net 508-654-0225 www.borgsteinalpacafarm.com Lori Borys (A) 175 Burnt Hill Road Hope, RI 02831 Empath02919@yahoo.com Bramblecroft Farm Michael & Stephannie Quick 1354 Lancaster Avenue Lunenburg, MA 01462 mike@bramblecroftfarm.com 480-229-1848 www.bramblecroftfarm.com Burgis Brook Alpacas Mark & Alisa Mierzejewski 44 North Canterbury Road Canterbury, CT 06331 info@burgisbrookalpacas.com 203-605-0588 farm cell www.burgisbrookalpacas.com Carrageen Alpacas Carol And John Furman 82 West Gray Road Gray, ME 04039 carrageens@securespeed.us 207-657-3678 Cas-Cad-Nac Farm, LLC Ian and Jennifer Lutz 490 Wheeler Camp Road Perkinsville, VT 05151 alpacas@cas-cad-nacfarm.com 802-263-5740 www.cas-cad-nacfarm.com

Clear Mountain Alpacas LLC Ed and Cindy Garrow 45 Pioneer Heights Somers, CT 06071 cindy@clearmountainalpacas.com 860-749-2510 Contoocook Alpaca, LLC Karen and Tom Berry 897 Gould Hill Road Hopkinton, NH 03229 contoocookalpaca@gmail.com 603-746-3385 www.contoocookalpaca.com Cooper Shearing Malcolm Cooper 37 Tarbell Road Peterborough, NH 03458 CooperShearing@gmail.com 603-924-6684 Copper Star Alpaca Farm Barbara & Joe Crocco 132 Carson Road Millerton, NY 12546 copperstaralpacafarm@gmail.com Countryside Alpacas Pam and Jon Stenman 172 Rugg Brook Road Winsted, CT 06098 info@countrysidealpacas.com 860-738-1490 www.countrysidealpacas.com Dream a Little Dream Alpaca Farm Tammy Armstrong 156 Armstrong Lane Cavendish, VT 05142 Tammyjarm@gmail.com 802-484-7360

E~I El-Dorf Alpacas (A) Doris Foss 244 Willowick Way Venice, FL 34293

NEAOBA Membership

Elf-Paca Meadows LLC Lennie & Sue Foss 294 Walnut Street Rochester, NH 03867 lennie@elfpacameadows.com 603-332-9276 www.elfpacameadows.com Faraway Farm Alpacas Leda Blumberg & Steve Cole 1315 Baptist Church Road Yorktown Heights, NY 10598 Leda@FarawayFarmAlpacas.com 914-962-2110 www.FarawayFarmAlpacas.com Foggy Bottom Ranch Alpacas, LLC Tracey Upton and Kathy Parsons 814 Merrill Mountain Road Landaff, NH 03585 info@foggybottomranch.com 603-838-6515 www.foggybottomranch.com Foss Mountain Farm Lana Nickerson 35 Foss Mountain Road Eaton Center, NH 03832 fossmtnfarm@msn.com 603-447-6548 Carolyn Fox shepardfox@mindspring.com 617-699-7126 Fraggle Rock Farm Megan & Damon Burt Garfield Road Strafford, NH 03832 Happy Snowman Alpaca Farm Janice & David Ciszkowski 51 Slater Street Attleboro, MA 02703 happysnowmanalpacafarm@yahoo.com 774-254-0332 Hill Crest Alpacas Shirley Lanouette / Roger Lanouette 338 Old Fall River Road North Dartmouth, MA 02747 shirlrog@comcast.net 508-998-2414 www.hillcrest-alpacas.com 60 | Showtacular 2016

Ice Pond Farm Jeff Greene & Sonya Hanson 30 Roberts Avenue Hope, RI 02831 401-374-9827 In The Meadow Farm Jacqueline Chabot 40 Page Street Lunenburg, MA 01462 Jchabot212@comcast.net 978-696-3332 Island Alpaca Company Barbara Ronchetti 1 Head of the Pond Road Vineyard Haven, MA 02568 info@islandalpaca.com 508-693-5554 www.islandalpaca.com

J~N

Scott Johnson (A) 355 Kearsarge Mt Road Warner, NH 03278 scottfjohnson@juno.com Juniper Knoll Farm (A) Thomas and Gail Garfield 307 Bean Hill Road Belmont, NH 03220 juniperknollfarm@gmail.com 603-267-5905 Kerfluffle Farm/ The White Picket Fence Amanda McDonald 175 Lower Cross Road Lebanon, ME 04027 mandelaykay@yahoo.com Kings Highway Alpacas Ellen Barlow and Gary Barlow 108 Kings Highway Middleton, NH 03887 e.barlow@kingshighwayalpacas.com 603-473-8341

Limerick Heritage Alpacas @Atlantic Star Ranch Kate and Tim Whalen 158 Fox Farm Hill RD North Berwick, ME 03906 katestantonwhalen@gmail.com 978-302-5103 Maple View Farm Alpacas Deborah Bratton 185 Adams Road Brandon, VT 05733 mvfalpacas@gmail.com 802-247-5412 Marlee Farm Alpacas Barry Meinerth 330 Rupert Hill Road Pawlet, VT 05761 Meinerth@aol.com 802-325-2668 Misty Acres Alpaca Farm Connie Laliberte 3071 West River Road Augusta, ME 04330 cllaliberte@roadrunner.com 207-547-2268 www.mistyacresalpaca.com Moonlightrose Alpacas David and Amy Rose 91 Chace Street Swansea, MA 02777 drose15095@aol.com 508-642-3767 Morning Beckons Farm LLC Julie and Vern Butler 343A Sand Dam Rd Thompson, CT 06277 Julie@morningbeckonsfarm.com 860-821-0627

Music Vale Alpacas (A) Carrie Neri 65 Music Vale Road Salem, CT 06620 Mystic Meadow Alpacas Theresa Larouche Michael Olson & Marlene Souligny 504 Nashua Street 210 Olson Drive Milford, NH 03055 Brattleboro, VT 05301 tlarou07@aol.com contact@mysticmeadowalpacas.com 802-ALPACAS www.mysticmeadowalpacas.com

NEAOBA Membership

NODROG Farms Gordon & Robin Long 125 Mallego Road Barrington, NH 03825 nodrog@metrocast.net 603-664-7206 www.nodrogfarms.com

Purgatory Falls Alpaca Farm Timothy Welch 195 Purgatory Falls Road Lyndeborough, NH 03082 twelch11@mac.com 603-654-7690 www.purgatoryfallsalpaca.com

Sallie’s Fen Alpacas Jack Dibb 186 Swain Rd Barrington, NH 03825 jack.dibb@unh.edu 603-664-2916 www.sfalpacas.com

Northern Solstice Alpaca Farm, LLC Robin Fowler Pratt & Corry Pratt 141 Crosby Brook Road Unity, ME 04988 northernsolstice@uninets.net 207-948-3828 Farm www.northernsolsticealpaca.com

Quarry Ridge Alpacas Faith and Herb Perkins 453 Quarry Road Salem, NY 12865 Faith@QRAlpacas.com 518-854-7008 www.quarryridgealpacas.com

Seahill Alpaca Farm Paula Ickeringill 61 Hale Road Kittery Point, ME 03905 seahillfarm@comcast.net 207-439-3635

P~S

Quinnipiac Valley Alpacas Linda Hettrick 30 Homestead Place Cheshire, CT 06410 leolalin5@sbcglobal.net 203-271-0773

Paca-Luv Farm Miriel & Bill Dorsey 210 Town Farm Road Pascoag, RI 02859 townfarmgirl@cox.net 401-568-7961 Parris Hill Farm Alpacas Linda and Bill Ley 637 Brownsville Hartland Road Brownsville, VT 05037 Leys@ParrisHillFarm.com 802-484-3200 www.ParrisHillFarm.com Pine Hill Alpaca Farm LLC Howard and Becky Hopps 148 Pine Hill Rd Sterling, CT 06377 info@PineHillAlpacaFarm.com 860-564-7204 www.PineHillAlpacaFarm.com Plain View Farm Keith Tetreault 130 Gardner Road Hubbardston, MA 01452 ktetreault@charter.net 978-820-1199 www.plainviewfarmalpacas.com

Red Granite Ranch Marc & Sharon Milligan 1021 Red Granite Ranch Rd Livermore, CO 80536 rgralpacas@hughes.net 970-493-0959 Rock and Pebble Farm (A) Marilyn Plowman 19 Bridges Point Road Penobscot, ME 04476 mcaplowman@gmail.com 207-326-9748 Rock ‘n Root Ranch Donna A. Young 70 Coffey Hill Road Ware, MA 01082 ruhorsingaround@comcast.net 413-967-9087 Rough Cut Farm Betty Anders 7 Candle light Road Rindge, NH 03461 Round Hill Alpacas Randy and Cindy Hall 56 Round Hill Road Coventry, CT 06238 roundhillalpacas@gmail.com 860-742-5195

62 | Showtacular 2016

September Morning Alpacas Maryann & Dominick Giglio 30 County Route 59 Buskirk, NY 12028 dmgig1947@gmail.com 518-686-7330 Shechem Alpacas Andrew Schilling-Payne 66 Baer Road Rollinsford, NH 03869 603-560-2319 Shimmering Pond Farm Alpacas Judy & Brian Rafferty 2103 Stagecoach Road Morrisville, VT 05661 snowpugs@comcast.net 802-888-0020 www.shimmeringpondfarmalpacas.com Six Paca Farm Linda Adelman 38 Bozrah Street Bozrah, CT 06334 bozrahsss@aol.com 860-887-8168 www.SIXPACA.com Skyeview Alpacas Sue King P.O. Box 299 102 Wilmot Center Rd Elkins, NH 03233 swking@tds.net 603-526-2580 www.skyeviewalpacasnh.com

NEAOBA Membership

Snowfield Alpacas Sandra Chouinard and Doug Evans 105 Oak Hill Road Enfield, NH 03748 snowfieldalpacas@yahoo.com 603-632-7274

Stagecoach Trails Alpacas LLC Alyssa Hallstead 255 Promenade St Apt 345 Providence, RI 02908 ajhallstead@att.net 775-843-1005

Snowshoe Farm, LLC Ron and Terry Miller PO Box 280 520 The Great Road Peacham, VT 05862 terry@snowshoefarm.com 802-592-3153 www.snowshoefarm.com

Stone Bridge Farm Denise Curran 116 Crary Road Griswold, CT 06351 stonebridgealpacas@ct.metrocast.net 860-376-5027 www.stonebridgealpacas.com

Southwind Farms, LLC James and Penny Mullen 223 Morris Town Line Road Watertown, CT 06795 info@southwindfarms.com 860-274-9001 www.southwindfarms.com Spring Pond Farm Ray and Debbie Cilley Â 81 Muzzey Hill Road Greenfield, NH 03047 rcspringpond@aol.com 603-547-2964 www.springpondfarm.com Spudland Alpacas Richard A. Porter 140 Bubar Road Box 43 Blaine, ME 04734 raporter@mfx.net 207-425-5121 www.spudlandalpacas.com

64 | Showtacular 2016

StoneGate Alpaca LLC Suzanne Provost 638 Poker Hill Rd Underhill, VT 05489 802-922-4402 Stonewall Fields Alpaca Farm Ronald Berg 142 Mathews Road Fitzwilliam, NH 03447 Stonycroft Farm Pam and Sandy Stoddard 340 Moose Hill Road Guilford, CT 06437 pamstod@hotmail.com 203-453-1408 www.stonycroftfarm.com Sunny Knoll Farm Alpacas Jennifer Baum & Andrew Baum 119 Williamsville Rd Hubbardston, MA 01452 sunnyknollfarmalpacas@gmail.com 774-364-2154 www.sunnyknollfarmalpacas.com

T~Z Tall Grass Farm Marion & Michael Beaudry 125 Christian Lane Whately, MA 01373 info@tallgrassfarm.biz 413-665-6622 www.tallgrassfarm.biz Tartan Acres Ken Clark 707 Houghton Hill Rd Homer, NY 13077 607-749-6275 www. tartanacres.com Thorn Hill Alpacas Paul and Megan Stackelberg 57 Irish Hill Road Nassau, NY 12123 info@thornhillalpacas.com Tilton Hill Goat Farm Noreen Rollins 310 Tilton Hill Road Pittsfield, NH 03263 603-715-5318 Wildwood Acres Alpacas Vikki Butynski 8 Wildwood Acres Newfane, VT 05345 bellawolf@hotmail.com 802-365-7053 www.alpacanation.com/ wildwoodacres.asp