| Symposium Seminar Descriptions |
| Speakers and topics are subject to change. |
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Important – Please Read |
The structure of the two day owner/breeder Symposium is that there are typically 3-4 seminars going on at all times. Most topics are offered twice to allow the participant to attend most topics. Once you have registered for the Symposium, you do not need to sign up in advance for MOST of the seminars; you pick the sessions you wish to attend and go to that classroom at the designated time. There are two courses (Open Judging and Sorting/Grading Workshop) that will require signup in advance because of the limited number of attendees that will be able to participate. The Open Judging will be offered several times throughout the weekend, so most people should be able to attend one of the sessions, if they wish. There will be sign up sheets at the Symposium for each Open Judging session. The Sorting/Grading Workshop will be offered twice and is limited to 30 participants per workshop; this workshop is 3 hours long. If you are interested in attending one of the Sorting/Grading Workshops, please send Steve McCarthy an email at Spruceridgefarm@aol.com to reserve your spot.
This year, the alpaca health sessions for veterinarians will be conducted on Saturday with Dr. Cebra and Dr. Hull as speakers. Owner/breeders will be allowed to observe these sessions but in an effort to keep the presentations and discussions at a level appropriate and productive for veterinarians, owner/breeders may observe but cannot participate in these sessions by asking questions or providing commentary. Several of the topics presented at the vet sessions will be presented on Sunday for owner/breeders at a level appropriate for owners.
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Eimeria Macusaniensis and Haemonchus Contortus
Christopher Cebra, DVM |
| Commonly referred to as e mac and barber pole worm, these two parasites are two of the most deadly camelid parasites. Dr. Cebra is the leading expert of camelid coccidia and is also doing research on H. Contortus. This session will include a description of each parasite, the clinical disease, pathology in the patient, diagnosis and current treatments for alpacas.
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Common On Farm Emergencies
Christopher Cebra, DVM |
| This session will catalog common on farm emergencies and discuss how to recognize, deal with and prevent these emergencies.
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Alpaca Fleece Open Judging: Live Commentating
AOBA Certified Judges Ruth Elvestad and Tim Lavan |
| These judges will open their fleece judging for viewing where the judge will explain to attendees what he or she is evaluating in the fleeces and why he or she is assigning the score. The number of participants for this class will be limited at any one time due to the space constraints and nature of the class. Two sessions will be offered with each of these judges (total 4 sessions); sign-up for each session will be done at the Symposium registration desk. Sessions will be held in the Phoenix Room (Fleece Room) on the first floor.
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Suri Fleece
Ruth Elvestad, AOBA Certified Judge |
| All aspects of suri fleece will be discussed in this class including its unique characteristics to its use in finished products.
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Fleece Characteristics to Finish Products
Ruth Elvestad, AOBA Certified Judge |
| Ruth Elvestad has extensive experience in all aspects of fiber from judging fleece to running a lab to statistically evaluate fiber to extensive work in making finished products. This course will discuss how alpaca fiber characteristics present themselves in finished products and how to best optimize those characteristics to get the best finished product possible.
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How to be a Better Cria Parent
Steve Hull, PhD |
| Minimize unnecessary time/energy/veterinary costs with classic and new tips for helping your dams raise healthy crias and have those babies run up to you and buyers. Learn prebirth, birth and postbirth techniques that make your farm efficient, healthy and attractive to buyers/boarders.
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Forages, Pasture and Nutrition
Steve Hull, PhD |
| Learn how to grow/create/manage tasty and nutritious pastures, purchase/test/store appropriate winter hays, and how to purchase superb pelleted feeds all to maximize nutrition efficiency on small or large farms at the lowest possible costs.
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Parasite Management
Steve Hull, PhD |
| Understand parasite cycles, timely testing and appropriate bio-security management concepts to minimize parasite impact. Learn the new refugia concept to avoid developing drug resistant parasite strains.
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Farm Infrastructure/Planning/Construction Tips
Steve Hull, PhD |
| Learn from Steve Hull’s many farm consults on how to plan and build (or rebuild!) your efficient farm. The course will cover farm layout, fencing, barn layout, electrical/plumbing/lighting tips keeping in mind low cost. Learn from "Dr. Dork" on what NOT to do as together we learn and laugh.
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Sorting & Grading Fiber Workshop (3 hours)
Wini Labrecque, AOBA Certified Judge, Star Weaver Farm/SWF Fiber Innovations |
| Sorting and grading is all the buzz these days. The focus of this 3+ hour session is preparing fleeces for mill processing to get the optimum product produced. It will consist of both lecture and a hands-on workshop with both huacaya and suri fleeces. The lecture piece will review the practicality of the process on the farm as well as the resulting benefits from doing so. Samples will be presented demonstrating the effect on processing when using sorted/graded fiber. The hands-on workshop portion will help you with the intimidating task of sorting and grading your own fleece for higher yield in processing. Learn the best uses for each grade as well as how to set up your own reference kit. Everyone is expected to work with the fleece during this workshop. The sessions are limited to 30 people per session; two sessions are offered. Signup for this workshop in advance by emailing Steve McCarthy at Spruceridgefarm@aol.com.
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Identifying Fleece Characteristics
Tim Lavan, AOBA Certified Judge |
| Tim will talk about how to identify positive and negative fleece traits from suri and huacaya alpacas. Many of these characteristics are the same ones that the judges are looking for at fleece and halter shows. Discussions will be focused on information for new as well as established breeders.
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Preparing a Fleece for a Fleece Show
Tim Lavan, AOBA Certified Judge |
| During this presentation Tim will walk through the steps a breeder should take when preparing to enter a fleece in a fleece show. Time will be spent explaining skirting for a fleece show as well as presentation and which rules and scores can be enhanced by proper preparation. He will also talk about some fleece preparation techniques that most judges think should be avoided.
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Color Genetics for Alpaca Breeders
Andy Merriwether, PhD, Associate Professor, Binghamton University |
| Workshop will cover the basics of color genetics as it applies to alpacas. This is designed for alpaca breeders, so no previous knowledge of genetics is assumed. The goal is for you to be able to leave the session able to make informed decisions so you can maximize the odds of making the cria colors you desire and avoid those you don't wish to make. Bring copies of your ARIs of animals you want to ask questions about.
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Genetics of Domestication and Diseases of Camelids
Andy Merriwether, PhD, Associate Professor, Binghamton University |
| Workshop will cover how, when and where camelids were first domesticated and the genetics of the North American alpaca herd. The major diseases of camelids will be discussed, the genetic bases for each disease and recommendations for breeders who have had defective cria.
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