Southern Select Alpaca Show

It's that time again. Tomorrow Tara and I will be going to the Southern Select Alpaca Show in Shelbyville, TN. It's the premier alpaca show in the southeast and is held each year on the first weekend in March. The venue is the Calsonic Arena which is part of the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration grounds. The show features a halter show, a fleece show, a spin-off, the SeAA store, and a live auction of herd sire breedings which each year raises money for alpaca research.

We will also attend an alpaca care seminar by Dr. Norm Evans of Lama Wellness Service. Dr. Evans is well known in the alpaca industry as one of the foremost experts on alpaca health and nutrition. Dr. Evans is the author of the Alpaca Field Manual, which is considered an essential resource for veterinarians and breeders alike.

It should be a fun-filled weekend and we're looking forward to it.

Trellianna's Fleece

I forgot to mention that I sent Trellianna's fleece to Kim Upper aka "The Spinning Guy" to spin into yarn. We purchased Anna from Kim and Pam Upper @ Upper Alpacas

As part of the contract for Anna, came the spinning of one fleece. I don't know much about the fiber end of the alpaca business and I'm not sure if I want to know because it sure looks like a lot of work. For right now, I'll leave that to the professionals. At any rate, I think it's exciting and I will keep you posted on that.

You can check out Kim's blog by clicking the link either in the sidebar or above. They have since moved from Oregon to Alabama and are now under an hours drive to our farm. They are welcome to come see their "girl" at anytime.

In the picture below is a bag of fleece that was shorn off Peruvian Marilyn last May. Alpacas are shorn once a year, usually in the spring. In addition to harvesting their fleece, shearing is important in assisting the alpaca to tolerate the heat of summer.


In the picture you can see the bag with the blanket portion of the fleece or prime fleece which is separate from the coarser portion that is bagged as seconds. A smaller zip lock baggie holds a sample of the fiber to send off for grading.

Wierd Winter Weather!

I haven't posted in a while. I've been working on year end paperwork, lining up a shearer for spring, re-designing the website, making business cards and other marketing tools. There are also the daily chores of feeding alpacas, trimming nails, cleaning dung piles, making sure the water is fresh and tending to the dogs.

After last weeks devastating string of tornadoes that ripped through our state, fortunately, we came away unscathed and our hearts go out to the families who were affected by the tornadoes. The last several days have been warm so I've been taking advantage of the nice weather. I've been fencing in a barn lot for the "boys". It was 68 degrees yesterday which was nice but it plummeted to 24 degrees for the high today with snow. Yes, we had our first snowfall today and I took a picture for all to see. It was nothing like the days growing up in New England when you could get a couple of feet of snow or more in a day. It'll be gone tomorrow.

As you can see the dogs are loving it but all the alpacas are hunkered down inside the barn.