Farmers packing up alpacas for NJ’s first certified show

By: Jessica Loughery
   MANSFIELD — Alpaca farmer Ingrid Wood of Columbus is set to superintend the Alpaca Heritage Budget Caper Halter Show in Ringoes Saturday. The event is the first of its kind in New Jersey to be certified by the national Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association.
   Small-scale alpaca farmers from as far as Virginia and as near as Columbus are registered to show up to four alpacas each. Ms. Wood, who sits on the board of the show’s sponsor, Alpaca Heritage Events, will take entries and prepare paperwork for the show’s catalogue. She will also have family members show two alpacas from her own farm, Stormwind Alpacas.
   Before she began breeding alpacas, Ms. Wood says, she always wanted to own and run a farm. Born and raised in Germany, she came from a farming background; most of her relatives were involved in the agricultural industry in some fashion.
   But, as Ms. Wood points out, she "didn’t marry a farm boy." It took years of convincing, along with her discovery of North American alpaca breeding, before her husband David Wood was ready to purchase land and start farming.
   In 1995, after spending time learning the alpaca business, they purchased their first two alpacas. By 1997, they were ready to start breeding and selling. They now have 18 alpacas.
   "I have always been happy about my decision to breed alpacas," Ms. Wood says. "They are wonderful animals, and they are extremely suitable for small farms."
   Alpacas are calm, but intensely aware animals. Originally from South America, they were brought to North America around the mid-1980s. For this reason, their life span in the North American climate is yet to be determined, but is believed to be around 20 to 25 years.
   Naturally an animal of prey, alpacas instinctively suspect humans. When they are raised too closely with humans, Ms. Wood points out, they often act strangely as adults.
   "You have to accept them for what they are," she says—farm animals, but not necessarily farm pets.
   Cria, or baby alpacas, are ready for sale after they are weaned, which takes from seven to eight months.
   Determined to see that the alpacas she sells are properly cared for, Ms. Wood conducts private instructional sessions with each buyer on alpaca ownership and care. She also stipulates that she visit a farm before delivering any alpacas.
   "(Some) breeders tell people that alpacas are super easy to care for and give people the impression that you don’t need to know a lot to keep alpacas," Ms. Wood says. "That’s absolutely not true. There’s a learning curve."
   Since the beginning, Ms. Wood has been dedicated to breeding for a diversity of functional traits in her alpacas.
   "A functional trait to me is an animal that has an open face, meaning it doesn’t have so much fiber on the face that it can barely see," she says. The best traits support the alpaca’s ability to reproduce, she says. Females should be easy to get pregnant and should have a good natural milk supply.
   "You also want to choose animals that have an easy, functional gait," she adds.
   According to Ms. Wood, the two main concerns when choosing an alpaca for competition in a show are conformation and fiber. The animal should have straight front legs positioned close together, and the line of fiber down its back should be level.
   As far as fiber goes, Ms. Wood says, the main criteria are fineness, crimp and density. "The end product is just fabulous," she says. "You actually have to put your hands into an alpaca fleece to appreciate how soft they are."
   Stormwind alpacas are shorn once a year in the middle of spring. Ms. Wood then sells the fiber, which can be spun or felted, for use in hats (which are waterproof), rugs and other handmade items. She actually sports a felted hat herself, made by fellow breeder Carol Masters out of fiber from one of Ms. Wood’s own alpacas.
   Alpaca Heritage, which has organized Saturday’s show, was formed in 2002 by Ms. Wood and alpaca breeders Yvette Kirilenko of Flemington and Kate McKelvie of Glen Rock, Pa.
   Ms. Wood points out that marketing for alpaca sales can be incredibly expensive, especially for small producers. Because alpacas were introduced to the United States fairly recently, the business is still relatively unknown. As a marketing co-op, Alpaca Heritage sponsors sales and shows, which give local breeders the opportunity to show their products.
   The organization has grown to include seminars focused on educating breeders. "We’re extremely concerned that people learn as much as they can before they get the alpacas," Ms. Wood says. She will present a seminar titled "Alpaca Nutrition" Saturday. There will also be seminars on barns and fences, working with veterinarians and alpaca handling.
   One of the primary concerns for Alpaca Heritage regarding this weekend’s show is cleanliness in the alpaca quarters. The organizers have arranged the stalls in an effort to prevent the animals from picking up diseases from animals of other farms.
   "We’re extremely concerned about bio security and the health and safety of the animals at the show," Ms. Wood says. "The barn is set up in such a way that no alpacas from one farm are within touching distance of another farm."
   Equally as important to the organization is the show’s atmosphere. "We like to make those breeders comfortable who have never shown before," Ms. Wood says. "It’s a learning experience."
   And for non-alpaca breeders, a small show like this provides the opportunity to come out and see this fairly unfamiliar animal face to face.
   "You (can) talk to enough different breeders to get a good picture of the business," Ms. Wood says.
   The Alpaca Heritage Budget Caper Halter Show will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday at the Hunterdon County Fairgrounds, Route 179, Ringoes, Hunterdon County. Admission is free to the public. For more information, visit www.alpacaheritage.com.