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PAY ATTENTION CLASS - It's Alpaca School
Ten years ago, I was introduced to alpacas and at that precise moment my endless thirst for camelid information began. The internet was not commonplace back then, so I was left to do my research the old-fashioned way: reading stacks of books and periodicals, networking with breeders, and attending whatever seminars I caught wind of. And that is exactly what I did: all alpaca, all the time. I just couldn’t get enough.
A decade later, my desire to learn continues. Not only has the internet enhanced the channels of communication, but the opportunities for hands-on learning have also taken a quantum leap forward.
Last summer I attended a two-day seminar offered through the Alpaca Breeder’s Fiber School (ABFS) at Chase Tavern Farm (CTF). The topic was “Advanced Alpaca Fiber” taught by Maggie Krieger and it was superb. Over the years, I have attended numerous classes on both animal and fiber that have provided useful, accurate information. However, few have combined the depth of information with Maggie’s gifted teaching style. She is undeniably one of the top camelid fiber and conformation experts in North America and she has an international reputation for excellence. Her class provided a good balance of visual materials, exercises, hands-on labs, and the necessary dose of humor in a relaxed environment.
Pay attention class!
ABFS was established in September 2003 by Maggie and Bonnie Samuel. They had come to the realization that there was a need for increased educational opportunities designed specifically to benefit grassroots alpaca breeders. According to Samuel, “There was a need in the market to thoroughly educate buyers beyond what was being offered. The school is geared toward increasing specific fields of interest, along with setting a standard of excellence. Students who successfully complete our accreditation program will have to pass a series of standardized tests and hands-on evaluations.” ABFS has developed a curriculum of 2-day seminars held at various locations across the country throughout the year. All classes are taught by industry experts in their respective fields and ABFS is constantly adding to its curriculum. Some of the topics covered to date include fiber, nutrition, birthing, showing, and marketing.
The “Advanced Alpaca Fiber” seminar was geared toward the serious alpaca owner seeking information beyond the basics. Although the class focused primarily on fiber, other subjects were incorporated. The class began with an in-depth presentation on alpaca conformation: What is ideal? What faults occur and why? And why is conformation truly so important? From there, the class ventured ‘into the field’ to do some on-site evaluations as CTF owners Cindy and Tim Lavan graciously offered one “guinea pig” after another for our inspection.
The afternoon session concentrated exclusively on fiber. Maggie has developed a comprehensive Power Point presentation that begins with the definition of fiber: “a slender and greatly elongated natural or synthetic filament typically capable of being spun into yarn.” From there, the discussion becomes highly detailed, including examining alpaca fiber at the microscopic/cellular level (more than 11 slides of teeny-tiny alpaca cells!). Although I don’t get really excited about anything at the microscopic level (I didn’t in college either), every time I see it, my understanding of why alpaca fiber retains its unique characteristics becomes clearer, and as it becomes clearer, it becomes more interesting.
Hand's on assessment.
From the teeny-tiny cells we progressed to identifying how alpaca fiber varies within the breed, and what qualities are most desirable and why. And then, it was off to the fleece table to think with our hands, learn proper skirting techniques, critique the fleece as a whole and evaluate lock structure. This is where it all came together. The discussion was open and lively and everyone had their hands in the action.
Day two of the seminar was devoted to bringing fleece and conformation together on the animal. So it was off ‘to the field’ once again to work as a class, learning from Maggie how to evaluate fleece on the animal. The class was separated into small groups and assigned an animal (more CTF “guinea pigs”) to evaluate. At the end of the given time period, each group presented their findings to the class and further discussion ensued.
The final class was a study of Breeding Considerations, which included a discussion of the importance of taking into account ethics, the animal’s health and reproductive histories, along with strong conformation and fleece qualities in choosing an alpaca. The objective of this particular session was to encourage students to really think about the entire package when purchasing an animal or making a breeding decision. The following questions were posed as guidelines for making these decisions:
“Were you truly aware of a female’s birthing abilities at time of purchase?
* Have you chosen a sire because of his reputation and the marketing behind him without doing a hands-on assessment or looking into his genetic background at all?
* Have either of the pair (dam or sire) had any history of genetic anomalies or produced any progeny with the same? (e.g., one testicle, one ovary, poor milk production, etc.)
* Have you conscientiously assessed the conformation of each dam and sire?
* Have you ever bred a female to a male that you have selected solely for his winning abilities in the ring?
After moving through the list an exercise was conducted to match a wide variety of females with appropriate stud males. Not all of the options were suitable: some of the males were not stud-worthy (one testicle, for instance), some of the females were not mother-worthy (non/poor milkers, for example), while others were siblings. It was a great lesson in emphasizing the importance of gathering as much information as possible about prospective foundation stock or studs for hire.
The two youngest ABFS students at Lavan's,
Chase Tavern Farm!
This ABFS class proved to be time well spent and I plan to attend more ABFS offerings in the future. These seminars are designed for alpaca breeders looking to sink their teeth into some hard core information - dabblers need not register! For more information about the Alpaca Breeders Fiber School please visit www.abfschool.com
About the author: Dawn and John Brooker own and operate Fiber Fields Alpaca Farm in Palermo, Maine. During her term as president of the Maine Alpaca Association (MAA), Dawn was instrumental in initiating the MAA Veterinary Education Fund to assist Maine vets seeking camelid education and establishing the strong education curriculum of the association. She is active in the show ring as well as an AOBA apprentice alpaca judge. Dawn can be contacted at dawn@fiberfields.com
Written by Dawn Brooker
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