The More We Learn, The More We Know

The alpaca industry is a young one and as such, we are continuing to learn and share our knowledge and expertise. Over the years we have tried to learn from our mistakes and document our successes with an eye on helping others more quickly trod down the path that we have enjoyed so much. Below are some of the articles that we have written and we trust that you will enjoy reading them as much as we enjoyed writing them.

Links!

The links on this page are a rich source of information about the industry and the animals and each web site can lead you to others to explore. So, let's begin the adventure:

Here is a link to the Suri Network, where you can find more about Suris and Suri farms across the USA, Canada, Bolivia and Peru.

We are a member of a couple of regional alpaca associations. Both MAPACA and VAOBA are great souces of information and other alpaca farms around the area.

And of course, you need to find out about AOBA (The Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association). AOBA is a great marketing organization. Here you can get a lot of information and help as you explore the alpaca universe. "The association was formed for the following purposes. (1) To promote public awareness and membership appreciation of the Alpaca's unique qualities; (2) To educate the membership on the care and breeding of the Alpaca; (3) To promote the growth of the Alpaca industry as a whole; and (4) To foster the establishment of the breed outside of its native land by encouraging husbandry and breeding practices based upon, but not limited to, herd health, overall soundness, and wool production." Note that on the AOBA home page there is a link to Amazon.com which takes you directly to some llama/alpaca books.

The next stop should be the Alpaca Registry, where the official alpaca records are meticulously kept, including DNA records. "The Alpaca Registry is a database housing the genealogy, blood typing and ownership records of alpacas in North America and those of a few alpacas outside this area. Since its inception in late 1988, the Registry has mandated blood typing as a requisite for registration and accepts only offspring of registered alpacas that qualify by blood typing."

The Alpaca and Llama Show Association tells you the upcoming show events as well as the show rules and regulations. There is also a list of show and judging clinics that are offered. There is a tremendous amount of experience at ALSA in putting on shows.

You should sign up with the Alpacasite Forum which has been established for alpaca questions, answers and opinions . This is a very good service and the volunteers deserve a lot of "attaboys" for setting it up and running it.

AlpacaNation is a good place to go for information.

Australia has a very lively alpaca breeding program and they have been very active in establishing a viable industry in alpacas. Here is a good example of the Australian influence in the marketplace: Australian Alpacas. Here is a site from Peru, where the alpaca is a way of life. This International Alpaca Association is an interesting site to visit and a place to learn.

Alpaca FAQs	There is a lot to learn and experience if you are interested in getting into the alpaca business. These FAQs will get you started on the basic questions and answers but feel free to email us with any question. As we get new questions, we will update the FAQs and you will be helping to educate the next new alpaca owner.
	We at Black Meadow Suris like to have fun as we learn about our alpacas. As such, we came up with these two word search games. The first one is, to use my Mother's term, "Pretty darn big". So she suggested that we also create a "junior version" which we have done. So if you have a little time or a lot, try and see if you can find all the alpacas terms that we use every day on the farm.	Black Meadow Word Search Black Meadow Word Search Junior
So You Want to be an Alpaca Farmer?	This article explores the advantages of becoming an alpaca owner. The articles focuses on the financial and lifestyle benefits of being an alpaca farm owner. This article was published in American Livestock Magazine in the Fall 2006 edition.
	When we first started our farm on the east coast, we bought an older horse farm that had seen better days. The pastures were run down and overgrown with weeds. As with many new alpaca owners, the first step is to create a pasture that can support your alpacas. This article describes the steps that we took to make our pastures a better place for our alpacas. We were lucky in the fact that this article was picked up by American Livestock Magazine in the Spring of 2006.	Has Your Pasture Got The Right Stuff?
It Takes a Village to Raise Alpacas	There are many more people that we interact with than we ever thought about as we started our alpaca farm. But all of these people are important to us in running our farm. Without them all, we would be missing important information or assistance that helps us provide care and assistance to our alpacas. Also, the longer we stay on the farm, the more people we realize it takes to make a successful farm. This article highlights who these people are and why they are important. This article was published in American Livestock Magazine in the Spring 2007 edition.
	A business plan is a roadmap for how your farm will be developed. Therefore, the first step in evaluating whether you should get into the alpaca business is in developing a business plan. This article steps you through the questions that we had to ask (and answer) ourselves in order to develop a realistic plan.	Alpaca Business Plan: It's All in the Planning!
Alpaca Feeding is in the Gutter	Alpacas love to eat! The problem comes in when the dominant ones push or spit out the others. In addition, what is a good way to slow down the critters from gobbling their food and possibly choking? This article describes a method that our West Coast farm had been using for awhile and seems to fit the bill. This article was picked up by the New Zealand Lifestyle Farmer Magazine in 2006 and was published by American Livestock Magazine in the Spring 2007 edition.

	Once of the toughest challenges that people face is how to market the alpacas that they have come to love and adore. After all, being an alpaca farmer is a business that we all hope will turn out to be profitable. Here is a series of three articles that we wrote to show some of the activities that we have successfully used in the past to market our farms. The first in this series talks about how to set your farm identity by establishing the right customer facing marketing messages. This article was published in MAPACA Newsletter in 2006 and American Livestock Magazine in 2007.	Marketing For Alpaca Farms, Part I
Marketing For Alpaca Farms, Part II	Part II of Alpaca Marketing Article - The second article in the series on marketing your alpacas focuses on ways to get your messages out through a variety of media to include the internet, mailing and personal contact. This article was published in MAPACA Newsletter in 2006 and American Livestock Magazine in 2007.
	Part III of Alpaca Marketing Article - The third and final article in the series on marketing your alpacas focuses on the people aspect of marketing. Even if you are not a marketing professional there are certain techniques that you can use to make a better and longer lasting impression. This article was published American Livestock Magazine in 2007.	Marketing For Alpaca Farms, Part III
Agisting - The Farmless Way to Farm?	Agistment is another word for boarding or hotelings. In this article we explore the reasons that alpaca owners would agist their alpacas and some of the questions that should be asked in order to find just the right farm to meet your needs.
	Before the alpacas arrive on the farm there are a number of important activities that need to occur to ensure that the alpacas can be taken care of. As we prepared to receive our first alpacas on our farm in the East, we discovered that it wasn't as easy as just buying alpaca food and having a shelter for them. This article highlights the activities that we went through in order to prepare for our alpacas. This article was published in the Summer 2006 edition of American Livestock Magazine.	Getting Ready For Your Alpacas
Heat Stress In Alpacas	One of the principle dangers that many alpacas face in the Summer is exposure to excess heat and humidity. This article describes how to detect the early signs of heat stress in alpacas and some preventative measures that can be taken to minimize the risk that your alpacas will be exposed to heat stress. This article was published in Small Farm Today Magazine in a series of two articles in 2006 and was published in the 2007 Herdsire Edition of the Alpacas Magazine.
	One of the scariest events in an alpaca owners daily life is when an alpaca goes down and needs immediate medical attention. This article describes what should be in place before this happens so that it will minimize your stress and increase the likelihood that your alpaca will get the medical attention it needs as quickly as possible. This article was published in American Livestock Magazine in the Fall 2006 edition.	Alpaca Down
My Kingdom For Some Water	Our East Coast farm received their first alpacas in November 2005. At that time it was easy to put out a bucket of water to feed the thirsty alpacas. However, as Winter approached and the temperatures dropped below freezing, a new method had to be found to convert the blocks of ice into drinking water. This article was featured in the December 2005 MAPACA Newsletter and also as a project of the month in The Progressive Farmer in 2006 and was published in American Livestock Magazine in the Spring 2007 edition.
	It seems like yesterday that we were leading the alpacas off of the transport to their new home on our farm. We thought that we had everything that we needed or that we would ever need. This articleexplores many of the projects that have made life on the farm easier and fun This article was published in the American Livestock Magazine in the Winter 2006 edition.	Has It Been a Year Already?
SHOW TIME	When is a good time to prepare for alpaca shows? The obvious answer is long before you attend a show for the first time. Another good time is after returning from a show to reflect on what worked and what didn’t. Say …. How about the Summertime?
	This is a non-technical article that explains how genetics play into breeding alpacas. For Suri breeders, it shows why there is always a chance that you may produce a Huacaya. This article points out the importance of researching your alpacas and potential sires to ensure a strong and reliable Suri bloodline.	Some Suris Produce Huacayas
Alpaca Sitting 101	Hawaii or maybe just a quick family weekend up in the mountains? All you have to do is pack your bags, make sure that you have your tickets and hotel reservations are confirmed. So just lock up the ol’ homestead and off you go, right? Well, not so fast, Bucko. Did you forget about your alpacas? Who is going to take care of them while you are gone? And more importantly, have you set them up to succeed or fail?
	The alpaca industry like many other industries in the United States is experiencing a slow down and in many parts of the country a recession. Find out what you can do to reduce costs and get ready to take advantage of the coming market rebound.	Alpaca Farms Changing Landscape


Dr. David Anderson's Environmental Impact Statement	Alpaca Environmental Impact Statement