The term “pure suri” is misunderstood. There are a number of ways to define a pure suri. The Suri Network breed standards as adopted, define a pure suri as the phenotypic product of mating a suri male with a suri female. The zoological definition of a pure breed is: A population of a species that have distinct characteristics that differentiate them from other populations in that species. Individuals within that population that reproduce with another individual of the population will produce offspring that are recognizable as members of that population.Animal breeding books allow that a breed can be defined by a breed association and does not necessarily need be “pure”. There is no doubt that a suri can be born of a huacaya parent and that a huacaya can be born of two suri parents. Suri breeders may be better served to use science, not subjective definitions, to accomplish their goal of breeding pure suri. I created the Suri Selection Toolbecause I don’t think a Suri breeder should have to get on their horse and go looking for a homozygous or “pure suri” male. Read more

It was in 1997 when Dr. Raul W. Ponzoni of the South Australian Research and Development Institute released his paper titled "Phenotypes Resulting From Huacaya by Huacaya, Suri by Huacaya and Suri by Suri Alpaca Crossings", stunning the alpaca industry.

He wrote it together with D.J. Hubbard, R.V. Kenyon, C.D. Tuckwell, B.A. McGregor, and G.J. Judson, and made the amazing claim that "The results indicated control by a single gene (or by an haplotype), and dominance of the allele responsible for the suri type (AlFs) over that responsible for the huacaya type (AlFh)." Read more

      The idea of crossbreeding suris with huacayas is controversial. The concept creates cognitive dissonance. Many, maybe most of you, may not like the ideas presented here. Don Julio Barreda, a man I greatly respect, has made clear that, in his opinion, the suri breed should not be crossbred with huacayas. In the past, a huacaya with a suri parent in its pedigree has been less valuable than a similar animal without a suri parent. These crosses were considered impure or intermediate. Read more

      It is a fact that many of the exhibitors at a given alpaca show are often dissatisfied with the judge. This dissatisfaction ranges from mild displeasure to outright disbelief in the results. Show participants fully expect judges to make decisions in a scientific fashion that dictates highly predictable placings that should be obvious to everyone concerned. They believe that judging is science. I have judged 1000's of classes over the past 10 years and I would like to suggest that each decision is not necessarily scientific; there is by necessity a certain art to judging alpacas. Read more

By Mike Safley

By Elizabeth Paul

B.App.Sci., (App.Biology) R.M.I.T.,
Cert. Animal Technology, F.I.T.

Reprinted by permission of Elizabeth Paul and the Australian Alpaca Association (AAA)

The author wishes to thank Dr David Propert, formerly Associate Professor of Human genetics, Department of Applied Biology and Biotechnology, R.M.I.T., for his constructive comments and advice.

Introduction

Coat colour in mammals is almost entirely dependent on the presence or absence of the pigment, melanin, in the skin and hair. There are two distinct forms of this pigment: eumelanin (brown/black) and phaeomelanin (red/yellow).

Melanin is produced in granules by cells called melanocytes, which are concentrated in the hair follicles, the skin epidermis and the retina of the eye. Colour in these areas is determined by the size and shape, as well as by the type, number and distribution of the granules. The nature of the granules is affected by many factors, both internal and external. Colour inheritance patterns for small laboratory animals, particularly mice, and some larger domestic animals such as dogs, cats, horses and cattle have been intensively studied. Many of their genotypes and phenotypes have been described (Searle, A.G., 1968).  Read more.

By Mike Safley

The Spaniard, Cieza de Leon, made the first written record of alpaca and llama colors in 1553. The Indian herds of Chile and Bolivia that graze the altiplano still exhibit all the colors found in that original list. Today, the herds owned by Julio Barreda and the big Peruvian cooperatives are primarily white; the smaller Quechua herds of Peru still contain all the colors, but tend to be populated by light-colored alpacas.

Genetically, there are two basic alpaca colors: red and black. The original South American camelids, vicuñas and guanacos were reddish-fawn. Since alpacas are the descendants of these two species, the base color of alpacas is most likely reddish-fawn. Guanacos have both gray and black colors around their heads and this is probably the source of the black gene in alpacas. White is simply the absence of any of these colors. Read more.

Aust Vet J

Vol 78, No 6, June 2000

Because of the high value of individual animals, and the possibility that South American camelids evolved from a narrow gene pool, organisations in Australia and North America have established guidelines for the importation and prepurchase examination of alpacas. These guidelines list disqualifying congenital and heritable traits including malformed and absent tails. Little information is available on congenital and heritable conditions in South American camelids, but as the Australian alpaca industry develops it will be important that such defects are documented. Congenital caudal vertebral malformation in the alpaca has not been previously reported in the literature.  Read more

By Mike Safley

      A light rain fell as we forded the river on our way to Macusani from Nunoa. It was exactly a year since I last visited Don Julio Barreda at Accoyo on November 17, 2006. The rain turned to hail as we approached the white stucco casa; Elena was there to greet us. On the entry table lay his Gucci sun glasses, alpaca knit cap, and scarf. The table was set for five: bread, cheese, olives, alpaca meat sandwiches, and coca tea. The room was exactly as it was one year ago with pictures of heroes and villains on the wall. And just as I had during fifteen years of visits to Accoyo, I learned.

We began to talk-Elena, Elena's sister Lupe, and me. With help from Shinny, an East Indian nun who works with Quechua Benefit, we overcame the language barrier and made small talk. I asked about the family. "They are all well," Elena said, but the room was full of heavy hearts. We needed to cry and we did at the first mention of Don Julio's passing. Elena said, "It was his heart." But I knew his heart was strong-it created and endured for eighty-seven years. It was just time to go to the other side.  Read more

Seeking Edge, Fashion Firm
Bets on Rare, Furry Animals

Loro Piana Has Lock
On Soft Vicuña Wool;
New Competitors Loom

By STACY MEICHTRY
The Wall Street Journal
February 21, 2007; Page A1

A few months ago, Pier Luigi Loro Piana, co-owner of the Loro Piana SpA fashion label, climbed the Andean plains to watch a vicuña mating ritual. The vicuña is a goat-size relative of the llama whose fleece is spun into one of the world's most valuable wools. As a farmer wearing a multicolored poncho played a flute, a group of men pushed the heads of two vicuñas together to simulate a kiss. Read more

By Lisa Banks
Marketing Director and senior alpaca copywriter at SEO Advantage,

A basic guide to help alpaca farmers use press releases to establish credibility and strengthen online marketing efforts.

A press release is a specially written and formatted document that is intended to provide information to editors and journalists in the hopes that they will carry your newsworthy information in their publication.

Now with online press release submission portals, you can reach your end customers directly, too.

Some benefits of using press releases as part of your marketing strategy for your alpaca farm include:

• Build credibility – even if you have just started out, you can develop a reputation as an active alpaca resource with regular press releases.
  
  

• A professional way to make announcements – news professionals prefer to receive well-written press releases, so you’ll be more likely to gain exposure.
  
  

• Relatively low cost – if you write and distribute them online yourself, you can gain decent exposure for around only $40 per press release (though it will require several hours of your time).
  
  

• Search engine optimization – when optimized for keywords and submitted through online portals, your press release can rank high in the search results for several weeks. As well, news sites will pick up your release and create links to your website, all valuable for SEO.
  
  

• Fresh content for your site – adding press releases to your Farm News section is a great way to add new content regularly.
  
  

Many an alpaca farmer has been able to generate coverage by local news media by submitting press releases to local newspapers, radio stations, and TV stations. Imagine the great exposure if a television station shows up at your next farm event!  Read more

By Lisa Banks
Marketing Director and senior alpaca copywriter at SEO Advantage,

How search engine optimization works to help alpaca websites gain visibility online.

It's not enough to simply have a great website. You need to make sure it will show up online, too.

If you type the search term "alpacas" in Yahoo! or Google, you can see that nearly 2 million results appear. From your own experience searching online, you know that few searchers are willing to click beyond the first one or two pages…

Search engine optimization helps alpaca websites achieve greater exposure online, making it possible for your website to rank high in search engine results.

While the keyword “alpacas” may be too competitive a term to aim for ranking when you first start out, ranking high for terms like “alpacas for sale” can be extremely lucrative for alpaca ranchers. Many enlist the assistance of a search engine optimization company to achieve their ranking goals on an ongoing basis.  Read more

Provide the Information Your Audience Wants Online

By Lisa Banks
Marketing Director and senior alpaca copywriter at SEO Advantage,

Your website represents your alpaca farm online. This is your chance to make a great first impression.

The type of information you’ll want to make available depends on the needs of your customers. The majority of your prospective customers fall into two groups:

1. Potential alpaca ranchers who are researching the business, and
2. Existing alpaca farmers looking to purchase alpacas and related services.

Click here to read more

By Pat Reuning
Senior SEO Associate at SEO Advantage SEO Advantage,

Whether it's an alpaca website or any types of websites for livestock, laying the right foundation will get your site ready for your customers as well as the search engines.

Choosing your keyword phrases

A better-targeted and more specific keyword phrase tends to yield better-qualified prospects. If you run an alpaca farm in Ohio, targeting regional keyword phrases may be a better option. Phrases such as “Ohio alpaca farm, alpacas for sale in Ohio, Ohio huacaya alpacas” are phrases that come to mind.

If you want to see actual search phrases that searchers use to find alpaca-related terms, SEO companies can provide you with a detailed keyword study.

Read more

The drawbacks of juggling a full-time gig and a start-up are many, however, and can come at a steep cost to one's personal or family life. "There is a period of about two years in my life that are lost," says Donna Binder, 53, a longtime educator in the Houston school district who decided to start an alpaca-breeding business on the side in 1997.

Binder and husband Laurence, also an educator, were inspired to raise alpacas — shaggy-haired animals that are cousins to llamas — after deciding they wanted to leave city life behind and move to the country. Worried about the expense of buying land, "we thought we'd look at different ways to get tax breaks — and that led us to having animals," she says. Intimidated by cattle ranching, the couple discovered gentle-natured alpacas at Houston's big annual rodeo. Within months, the couple had sold their city home, moved into a rental, broke ground for a new house on an 18-acre farm, and acquired five alpacas. Read more