Letter From the President
Steve McCarthy

The weather is cooler and the alpacas are spending more time outside in the fields rather than in front of the barn fans.  The summer is winding down, but that means that the Extravaganza is heading into full gear!  In just about a month, we’ll be gathering in Syracuse for another great show.  As Scott describes in his article, we sold out super fast.  A number of people, including EAA members, were shut out.  We want to accommodate as many people as we can so if your stalling needs change, please let us know so we can bring in people on the waiting list. In addition to the Extravaganza, your board is working on a number of other projects: election, by-law amendments, Winter Symposium & Fleece Event, & National Alpaca Farm Day to name a few.  We urge all farm members to vote in the election.  Soon farm members will also be receiving a ballot for proposed by-law amendments.  Please study these proposals and vote! As Scott explains in his article, we are taking the Extravaganza Stud Silent Auction NATIONAL on eBay this year with 3 incredible donations.  Phyllis and Steve Decker of Alpacas of Maple Lane and Geri & Frank Gabriel of Lakeside Alpaca Farm are donating a Principio breeding!  Jennifer and Ian Lutz of Cas-Cad-Nac Farm and Donna and Pat Badger of Alpaca Grove are donating an Archangel breeding!  Jeff and Beth Kressin of Alpacas of Ohio and Scott and Kathy Young of Hilltop Alpacas are donating a Silver Celebration breeding!  These are three superb studs and we are extremely grateful to the donors for their incredible generosity.  Empire is very fortunate to have such quality studs and such generous donors in our member base.  This auction should raise a significant amount of money for charity! This newsletter issue is packed with articles and information.  Please enjoy it and we'll see you in Syracuse!

2007 Extravaganza Promises to be a ‘Show Stopper!’
Scott Young

Every year it just amazes us how much support our members and the alpaca community at large give our show.  I can remember 2 years ago we sold out in 3 days, unheard of at that time, last year 17 hours and this year under 12 hours.  I really worry if any database or server will be able to handle next year’s traffic - we better have the fire company on hand to help keep that server cool!  So for those that missed the opportunity to reserve stalls, please don’t give up hope, you are always welcome to stall share with someone and we are dipping way into our wait list so there are still opportunities to have a presence at the show. Now for the great news, the planning for the 2007 version of the show is in hyper mode encompassing a full time job at this point.  We are so close we can almost feel it.  The judging assignments are set, please check the website to see exactly what each judge will be evaluating but the judges include Amanda VandenBosch, Diana Timmerman, Sara Jane Maclennan and Harold Herbold.  We will feature enhanced check-in procedures, a Friday night Exhibitors meeting again this year so we can start the show cleanly on Saturday morning, the Coffee Guy of course, a Herdsire parade on Saturday at lunch, an amazing line up of speakers and topics for the weekend’s educational opportunities, world-class competition, amazing raffle and silent auction donations where 100% of the proceeds will fund alpaca related charities (more on that to follow), and a whopping amount of that famous New York hospitality. Speaking of the silent auction, we always try to do something slightly different each year and 2007 is no exception.  This year Steve McCarthy wanted to set the bar high and asked several member farms to donate something truly special.  The Decker’s of Alpacas of Maple Lane and the Gabriel’s of Lakeside Alpaca Farm have donated a breeding to AML El Duro’s Principio an 8-time Fawn Male Color Champion, The Lutz’s of Cas Cad Nac Farm and the Badger’s of Alpaca Grove have donated a breeding to 8-time White Male Champion CCNF Archangel, and the Young’s of Hilltop Alpacas and the Kressin’s of Alpacas of Ohio have donated a breeding to A of O Silver Celebration, a 16-time Grey Male Champion and winner of 3 Judge’s Choice Banners.  Thank you so much to the farms that have donated those services, I am not sure such a stellar line-up of males has ever been assembled to allow their services to the highest bidder.  Here is the exciting part, you don’t have to be at the show or better yet you can be in your farm display and bid on these breedings.  We will be putting this part of the silent auction on eBay so it is not just limited to our members that will be attending at the show.  Much more on this to follow in the coming weeks. The last item I would like to update you on is we will be using a wireless internet connection in the main building this year so feel free to bring your lap top so you can keep an eye on the Herdsire Services auction on eBay, watch what is happening in the rings with the constant updates from the Show Solutions system, or even email your clients  about your success in the ring. It won’t be long now we will see you in Syracuse in just a few weeks!

2007 Board of Directors Election
Steve McCarthy

All farm members should have received the election ballots by now.  If you haven’t received your ballot, please contact John Askew at jaskew@capital.net.  The deadline for mailing your election ballot is September 28th.  There are three open positions this year currently held by Richard Jonassen, Steve McCarthy and Susan Wissick.  The six candidates are: Jeannine Anderson Cindy Cuykendall Mark Gilbride Todd Gruenhagen Steve McCarthy Susan Wissick The Board of Directors is extremely grateful to the nominating committee - Wayne Jarvis, Dave Serino, Cindy Vars, Sue Watts (chair) and Karin Young - for their work in this election process. Please vote!

Board Proposes By-Law Amendments
Steve McCarthy

For the first time, the EAA Board has proposed amendments to the EAA by-laws.  Three of the amendments are administrative/housekeeping in nature, while one is more important in scope. When EAA was created, the AOBA by-laws were used as the basis for the EAA by-laws.  Included in both organizations’ by-laws is the provision that amendments to the by-laws have to be ratified by 2/3 of the members entitled to vote.  This provision has been a nightmare for AOBA, resulting in lawsuits and the inability to amend AOBA’s by-laws.  We want to avoid a similar situation for Empire. As an organization grows and as times change, it is critical for an organization to have the ability to amend its by-laws.  Unfortunately, a large number of members do not vote and that impedes an organization’s ability to change.  Even at EAA, as we have grown, the percentage of eligible voters (farm members) who actually vote has decreased. In the 2006 EAA election, less than 60% of the EAA eligible voters actually voted. The by-law ballot will request a by-law change requesting future by-law amendments to be approved by “2/3 of the voters” rather than “2/3 of the members entitled to vote.”  (There is a 30% quorum requirement that is not affected by the proposed by-law change).  This is an important issue for the future of EAA; we hope that you will support this change and vote affirmatively for it. The by-law ballot will be separate from the election ballot because of a by-law requirement regarding approval of by-law amendments to be done at the annual meeting.  EAA will mail ballots so people can vote by mail, but we will also allow people to vote at the annual meeting as well.  We prefer people to vote by mail since it will facilitate the vote counting.  The four by-law amendment proposals are listed below.  The Board hopes you will support this effort.  You may contact me at Spruceridgefarm@aol.com if you have any questions on these proposed changes.

New England Alpaca Fiber Pool at 2007 Extravaganza
Steve McCarthy

Want American-made products from America’s alpacas?  Then you must stop by the New England Alpaca Fiber Pool (NEAFP) booth at the 2007 Empire Extravaganza.  NEAFP collects fiber from American farms and works exclusively with U.S. mills to make a line of products which includes gloves, hats and blankets.  EAA has invited NEAFP to set up a booth at the Extravaganza to display their product line, collect fiber and take orders.  They will not be selling any of their products at the Show, but they will have products available for you to see.  You can also drop off your fiber and save shipping costs! I have been a big fan of NEAFP’s gloves for years; they are one of the best sellers in my farm store.  It is an excellent way to use your leg and neck fiber and get a quality American-made alpaca product.   You can obtain more information on NEAFP by visiting their web site (www.neafp.com).  For additional information about the fiber collection or any other questions contact NEAFP directly at support@neafp.com.  Remember to stop by their booth at the show and see their products first hand - and don’t forget to bring in your fiber!

ARI Attending 2007 Extravaganza
Steve McCarthy

Darby Vannier, the Executive Director of the Alpaca Registry, Inc. (ARI), and Tom Edic, the IT Manager, will be in attendance at the 2007 Empire Alpaca Extravaganza.  Darby and Tom will have a booth at the Show where they can answer your ARI questions and give one-on-one training on the new system.  They will bring their training laptops so attendees can go through the new online registration and transfer processes, as well as view other demonstrations.   We are extremely fortunate to have Darby and Tom attend our Show and graciously offer to help the EAA members and Extravaganza attendees.  The Registry staff and the ARI Board have done a tremendous job resolving the process problems that plagued ARI a couple of years ago.   Be sure to stop by the ARI booth and thank Darby and Tom for all of their hard work and be sure to ask them questions about the new system and its enhanced capabilities.  The EAA Board would like to thank EAA member Mary Meacher of Walnut Valley Alpacas for suggesting this visit and making it happen!

So, You Want to be a Showman (or Woman)?
Sue Zelazny

As if you couldn’t tell from  the focus of the articles in this quarter’s Newsletter, the Empire Alpaca Extravaganza is just around the corner, so now’s the time to start polishing up on your showmanship skills! Whether you are entering animals in halter or performance, the tips in this article should set you well on your way to making that critical good first impression, and keeping it throughout your classes. How you present yourself, and how well you are able to present your animal to the judge, can make all the difference in the world, even in the halter classes that focus on the animal and not the handler. A few basic ‘rules’ apply to all show handling situations, and if you can keep these in mind and practice them at home, you will find that you feel more confident, your alpaca will sense your poise and will respond accordingly, and the judge will definitely notice that you know what you’re doing! DRESS: The first most basic ‘rule’ is to dress conservatively and present a neat, clean appearance of both you and your animal. Traditionally the handler is attired in black pants and a white shirt. Though this is not mandatory, it prevents your appearance (good or bad) from distracting from your alpaca in the ring. If you are showing in Showmanship (Open or Youth), dressing in this manner is viewed as a courtesy to the judge and shows your respect for the norms of the showring. You don’t have to be in a Tuxedo or silk, just clean and neat! Bring extra white shirts along for those times when your alpaca decides to sneeze (certainly not SPIT!) on you in the morning of day one and you have two full days of classes ahead! An extra pair of black pants is not a bad idea either. Don’t forget your shoes! They should be CLOSED TOE shoes and have a back – no sandals, no ‘mules’ or clogs, and no high heels. This is a safety consideration! If you have black shoes, great, but if you don’t, don’t sweat it, as long as they are sturdy, safe, and clean. We’ve covered your feet, don’t forget your hands! They should be CLEAN! We travel to shows with a box of moist towelettes (fondly referred to as ‘fanny wipes’ in our family from the days of young children….), they are perfect for quick clean ups anytime, and as an added bonus, they work to wipe the green slime evidence of a spit battle off your alpaca’s face before entering the ring as well! Your alpaca needs to be ‘dressed’ too in a clean, WELL FITTING plain halter and lead. Black is traditional. AOBA rules prohibit the use of decorations on your tack, so resist the urge to spruce up your look with a fancy halter. Some people like to match the halter and lead to the alpaca’s color – that’s ok if you like it, but plain old black is just as fine, and probably more acceptable in the Showmanship classes. Whatever the color or style of halter you use, it is absolutely critical that it fits your alpaca well. Too tight on the nose, or worse, slipping off the bone onto the cartilage (soft part above nostrils) will result in your alpaca feeling like it cannot breathe, and that will result in panic and poor behavior. Whatever you wear, the two most important things to remember about what you wear into the ring are 1) your show number and 2) NO identifiable information can be visible on you or your alpaca – this includes name tags, farm logos (shirts, hats, belts, pins, etc), ID badges, etc. Don’t forget to remove nametags from your halter if you use them too, the judge cannot know your animal’s name. This brings to mind another point about identification – you must refrain from calling your alpaca by name in the ring as well. What a shame it would be to be excused from the ribbons for violating a rule just because you forgot and talked to your alpaca by name within the judge’s earshot! I stick to ‘good boy’ and ‘good girl’ so there’s never any question.   HANDLING: Your job as the handler in the showring is to make your alpaca look as good as it possibly can, and in showmanship, to make your showmanship skills shine. Just imagine that the winner of the class gets 1 million dollars, you will want to be sure you and your animal impress the judge, right? Present yourself and your alpaca like you are worth a million dollars – all the time. Maintain good posture, eye contact, keep your animal’s attention and pay attention to how he is standing – anticipate his actions so you can direct them rather than react to them. One of the biggest mistakes people make in handling their alpacas, and this is true of adults as well as kids, is to think that the closer to their head they hold them, the more control they have. Many an alpaca has been set free accidentally because the handler held on to the snap of the lead and accidentally unhooked the snap! You should hold the lead about 8-12 inches away from the snap in your right hand, and the free end in your left hand. As long as we’re talking about the free end, be sure to loop the excess lead in a figure 8 pattern and grasp it in the center. DO NOT wrap the free end of the lead around your hand, ever! A frightened animal can drag you and cause serious injury if you wrap the lead around your hand. Always go to the exhibitors’ meeting. Many judges will detail how they plan to run the classes and any personal preferences they have, so you can get the idea which is the in gate, which way around the ring you go, etc. It’s also a good idea to watch a class or two ahead of you to see what changes might have been made and what the judge’s pattern seems to be. If you are showing in Showmanship, the judge will have a meeting prior to the class as well and will typically go over how the class will run. Listening closely to the judge’s comments will help you know what that judge is looking for, so give it to him or her! Keep your eye on the judge and the ring steward. This allows you the opportunity to know where the judge is going next, you’ll know when your animal is being considered, and you’ll quickly be able to respond to any directives given. Alpacas enter halter classes from oldest animal in the class to youngest, and the gate keeper should line you up that way. You can help by knowing your animal’s birth date. Let your alpaca relax while waiting, but avoid allowing nose to nose contact or standing too close to other animals. When the animal ahead of you enters the ring you should advance your alpaca to the opening to the show ring, stand him up as square as you can, maintain his attention, and watch the judge for your cue it’s your turn. The judge will nod or wave to you when he or she is ready for your animal to enter. Walk your alpaca straight ahead towards the judge, he or she wants to see how straight the animal tracks and how well balanced it is. The judge will step aside when you get close, but if he doesn’t, don’t run him over! Line up according to ring steward directives, usually head to tail along the rail. LEAVE AT LEAST ONE ALPACA LENGTH BETWEEN YOU AND THE ALPACA IN FRONT OF YOU! I can’t stress that enough. Getting too close just creates nervous animals and leads to them not standing still or someone getting injured. You want the judge to see you and your alpaca, so leave room so he can! If the person behind you comes too close, politely ask them to back up. Showmanship classes require the ‘quarter’ system, which designates where the handler should be in relation to the judge. Halter classes do not follow that rule, but you should still maintain safe methods to protect the judge from injury and maintain a clear line of sight so the judge always has a good view of your animal. The quarter system is outlined in the AOBA show rules book, but it’s not too difficult to master once you understand it. Think of your alpaca as consisting of four quarters, front left, front right, hind left, and hind right. When the judge is standing or moving behind your animal, either hind quarter, you should be on the SAME side as the judge. When the judge is standing or walking in front of your animal, you should be on the OPPOSITE side as the judge. This allows you to safely control the animal’s movements to protect the judge as well as to ensure the judge can see your alpaca. Keeping your eye on the judge ensures you never miss a beat with the quarter system during the Showmanship class. And remember, you are showing the ENTIRE time you are in the ring, not just when the judge is close to you. Follow these tips and you will find that showing is fun, and trust me, the better you understand the expectations and how to manage your animal, the easier it is! Good luck!

Alpaca 4-H Making the Best Better With Alpacas!
Ann Merriwether

Were you a 4-H'er when you were a kid?  Do you remember what the four "H's" stand for?   “I pledge… My Head to clearer thinging, My Heart to greater loyalty, My Hands to larger service and My Health to better living For my club, my community, my country, and my world.” The 4-H motto is "To make the Best Better" and what a great idea it is to "make the best better" with alpacas.  My friend Donna Rutkowski and I are leaders of an alpaca 4-H group.  It meets at our farms and we use some of our fiber pet boys for 4-H alpacas.  We currently have 9 members in the group, ranging in age from 6 to 13 years.  The kids selected the name 'Paca Pack’ and they do all kinds of alpaca related activities; everything from husbandry to performance training to fiber arts. We have been doing this for two years now and the kids really are making the best better! As a family we actually belonged to an alpaca 4-H group in Michigan before we moved to New York.  That 4-H group was run by Nancy Lopez of Woodcreek Alpacas.  One of the things we really liked about her farm was that she had lots of very friendly gently male alpacas that the kids used for alpaca activities.  This is a way to get some fiber males used to PR work.  She gave us some great advice when we started our group.  One great tip was don't let parents just drop the kids off for meetings make them stay and help.  Get them involved and keep them involved. That has worked out really well for us, we have a great team of parents who are always ready to pitch in and help. What are some of the things we do with 4-H?  Well one of the things the kids really enjoy is parades!  We do several each year.  Their favorite parade is a local holiday parade in early December.  They get all the alpacas used to wearing Santa hats and bells.  They all wear Santa Hats too.  Inevitably in a parade situation the crowd starts yelling, "Look at the llamas!"  We asked the kids to politely say, "These are not llamas, these are alpacas!"  In last year's holiday parade my daughter Kenny decided to carry her angora rabbit Johnny.  Johnny was also decked out in a tiny Santa hat.  People were yelling, "Look at the llamas and look that girl's carrying a baby llama!"  Donna and I could not stop laughing. I think one of the most wonderful things about 4-H is that kids do service projects to give back to the community. Our kids thought of a really fun service project in December, caroling, with alpacas of course.  Last year they did this as fund-raiser for the local animal care council.  They changed several holiday favorites to have alpaca related lyrics. My personal favorite was their rendition of "Fleece Navidad" Another rewarding service project they did was taking the alpacas to a nursing home and the kids performed a dressage dance routine with the alpacas.  They got the idea of doing a dressage routine at the Empire Extravaganza.  It was a first for most of the alpaca boys as they had never ridden in an elevator before or danced in a cafeteria.  They all behaved perfectly and the residents got a big kick out of the whole thing. Like the Empire Alpaca Association 4-H emphasizes education.  The kids learn a lot about alpacas and about alpaca fiber.  They do lots of fiber arts projects.  They have learned to wash, card, and dye fleece.  They are learning spinning and knitting.  They do lots of felting projects.  Over the year they save their fiber arts projects and show them at both the county fair and if they do well there, they go on to the state fair.    The kids also make an educational display for the county fair and that display competes against all the displays of all the other county 4-H groups.  Donna and I are really proud of them because their display has taken the prize for best display two years in a row.  We are also proud of them because four of the kids had things selected this past year to go on to the state fair.  They are all doing a great job educating folks about alpacas and alpaca fleece.  This coming year they want to take alpacas to a pre-school and read the kids an alpaca related children's story.  The kids also want to visit a local llama alpaca rescue. If you are interested in starting a 4-H alpaca group contact your local extension.  AOBA has a great resource guide that is really helpful.  You are also welcome to come join us for a meeting any time! We would be happy to share our resources with you.

EAA Establishes Show Violation Policy
Steve McCarthy

The EAA Board has established a policy where it will prohibit Extravaganza show exhibitors from EAA halter and fleece shows for one year if the exhibitors violate AOBA show rules.  It is every exhibitor’s responsibility to know the AOBA show rules; the integrity of the show system depends on people obeying the rules.  The EAA Board will not tolerate these violations or allow the integrity of our shows to be compromised. Four exhibitors from the 2006 Extravaganza have been prohibited from the 2007 Extravaganza and the 2008 Fleece Show because of violations at the 2006 Extravaganza.  If you have any questions about the show rules, you may contact AOBA’s Show Division or our show superintendent, Melissa Young-Crozet at melissayoung45@hotmail.com.

"Showtime!" DVD Now Available!

In 2005, the EAA board commissioned EAA members Michele Armour and Rob Bruce of Rosehaven Alpacas to videotape the 2005 Empire Alpaca Extravaganza and produce a video that EAA could sell.  Michele, Rob and their crew visited farms before the show to film and interviewed people at the show.  They edited the footage and produced an amazing video entitled "Showtime!"  In October, EAA distributed a free copy to all EAA members and started selling copies of the DVD. We think Michele and Rob did a great job on this video.  This video should be very helpful to people attending their first show and we encourage you to buy copies to give to your customers.  Please remember that this video is copyrighted and should not be copied. Thank you to Michele and Rob for a superb job!   Additional copies can be purchased for $20 by sending a check payable to "Empire Alpaca Association" and mailed to: Steve McCarthy Spruce Ridge Farm   434 Route 13   Old Chatham, NY 12136