For many years now we have made a point of supporting the AOA National Fleece Show, even more so since the show changed to its recent summer format, allowing fleeces that were shorn just months prior to be entered. This year the fleece show took place as part of AOA’s new Natural Fiber Extravaganza, which was held in Lebanon, TN just a 40 minute or so drive from downtown Nashville. Never ones to miss a chance to mix a little business with pleasure, we grabbed our somewhat doubting 17 year old kid (his big brother was off finishing his commercial multi-engine rating or otherwise he might have been dragged along too) and spent 5 days bombing around Music City and its environs. Anyway, here are a few thoughts on all that took place followed by our top results:

 

• Three cheers to AOA for both tacking towards an event that is trying to address the underlying economics of a viable textile fiber market for American grown alpaca and inviting (or at least trying to include) producers/growers/manufacturers from elsewhere in the natural fiber world. I know from speaking with various AOA BoD members at the conference as well as Executive Director, Bud Synhorst, that there are plans to push that even more so in the future. That the Natural Fiber Extravaganza is going to be in Nashville/Lebanon for at least the next couple of years I think bodes well too: there is a chance to push on from this year’s event and build something genuinely special. The folks in charge of our industry’s largest and most visible organization seem to have a plan that’s based in reality: from the development and promotion of alpaca fiber here domestically to the ongoing need to further develop access to terminal markets and all of the good that will flow from both of those things, let’s see if we can all help them to execute it.

 

• I’m not sure that I’ve seen anything as flat out cool in my 21 years in this business as the 2018 AOA Student Design Competition. I will grant that being late to a party is kind of my MO, just ask my family. That said, the competition is such a simple yet brilliant concept: get young design and fashion students excited about working with alpaca! Our colleague Stacey Chavez from Sky Ridge Alpacas & Imperial Yarn noted during the awards presentation that one of the previous year’s competition winners is now a buyer of Imperial’s product in her new job as a professional designer. Hmm, might be something to that? Anyway, I’m smitten. Note to Ruth Fuqua who is in charge of the SDC: please hit us up for support (or we’ll contact you): we’re what’s known as a soft target.

 

• Only after the fact did we find out that there had been a time slot on the schedule at the Extravaganza for speaker(s) to talk about issues surrounding terminal markets (meat, hides, regulations, drug withdrawal times, etc…) but that many of us involved in that aspect of the business already had been unaware of it which, in total fairness, is our fault as well. Kudos to Alvina Maynard of River Hill Ranch for stepping in on the fly and talking to those conference attendees that had showed up. There was talk of a possible round table/group session in 2019. What next, flying piggies?

 

• We got to spend some time with our dear friends Dee Sherman and her daughter Liz Alvino from Arrow Acres Alpacas over the course of the weekend, both of whom have become fleece show volunteers extraordinaire (thank you ladies!) as well as accomplished alpaca breeders in their own right. There was food, there was drink, there was — as always — copious amounts of cackling. Sue & Wayne, I know you had a great excuse to be elsewhere but you did miss out! Thankfully there is always next year and there is of course no expiration on celebrating May’s Championship…as if we even need an excuse for low-grade debauchery.

 

• That we got to see the World Cup final projected onto the fleece room wall by the awesome-human-to-be-named-later while we were all packing up our fleeces on Sunday morning was just a huge bonus. It’s entirely possible that this led to a slight drop in productivity among Jen’s two worker bees (let’s be clear on who the Queen is…) as we helped gather, re-roll, and box up our fleeces but we were firmly in have-our-cake-and-eat-it-too territory by then anyway, so our boss couldn’t have too many complaints on that count. Hey, speaking of fleece noodling, here is a handy little video my better half made for AOA’s YouTube channel last year. Noodling (rolling fleeces up in plastic bags) takes a little practice but makes life SO much easier:

 

 

• A huge thank you to everyone on the AOA staff, BoD Members, Show Superintendents, and Judges, as well as the many volunteers, speakers, and vendors who made the Extravaganza and the fleece show run so smoothly and such a great event. As folks who were silly enough to have helped run an alpaca show for 10 years (this during the run n’ gun early 2000s where 1200 alpacas at a three day halter show was kind of normal…we really were mental), we understand that the ability to keep things on the level and put out the little brush fires so that those of us who are just attendees don’t really even notice, takes real organization, teamwork, and a steady hand on the wheel. Congrats to all on a fantastic event.

 

• So even in the 94+ degree heat and humidity, I kind of fell head over heels for Nashville and am already really looking forward to going back next year. Top redeeming non-alpaca related features of our trip: the Ryman Auditorium and its Americana Music Series, the Country Music Hall of Fame, the craziness of downtown and most everything on Broadway, the Grand Ole Opry, and indoor electric Kart racing (yes, really). The only thing missing from my perspective would have been seeing a Predators game and old friend P.K. Subban (yours truly has been a — currently disgruntled — Montreal Canadiens season ticket holder going on 15 years now) but NHL hockey in July just ain’t a thing, so perhaps another time?

 

Alright, onto the fleece show. Though he wont appear in our results below, a shout-out to the Gilmore and Warden families at Central Hill Farm Alpacas and Carova Beach Alpacas respectively whose newly acquired boy, CCNF Tristan, won the Reserve Champion Light Male! Also congratulations to the Glasscock family of Legendary Alpacas of Texas with whom we now co own our young Herdsire, CCNF Angiolo, on his winning Champion Light Male! Angiolo, whose dam is an Archangel/SuperNova/Pachelbel cross, was a bit of a dark horse coming into the new year but has fully blossomed to the point that we are trying to actively use him in our program at the decidedly tender age of just 21 months. Read into that what you will. Bottom line is that we really look forward to seeing what each of those two boys can do for their new owners and their breeding programs! The short version of our results is that the whites and lights went rather well for us — to say the least — and if you counted dear Tristan, all 8 banners in those two color groups were in fact won by animals from our program, something which is admittedly not apt to ever occur again.

Huge thanks also to our friends and partners, the Deschners at Tierra Prometida Alpacas, for also entering Snowmass Elite Legend’s fleece into the show, which went on to win the Spirit of the Industry award! Though he is currently only being used as a role player in our program, so much of what we have accomplished in recent years and what we continue to do (Elixir, Bataclan, Dreadnought, etc…) goes back to EL’s first turns here in New England as the poor bastard bombed back and forth between us and our old friends at TGF in Maine.

Last but not least of course, I would be remiss if I failed to mention the wonder twins: one female and white, Valyria, and one male and dark fawn, Sovereign-Legacy, each sired by Elixir out of full sisters, were back at it following their results this spring in the show ring. When you are literally picking out future breeding matches for a young male before his 1st birthday, it means the stars have aligned quite nicely. If only Valyria had testicles…a lovely dilemma to have. Ok, this post has dragged on long enough and I’m sick of proofreading it: Elixir done good. 😉

Follow me on Twitter @CCNFalpacas

 

2018 AOA National Fleece Show, Lebanon, TN – CCNF Championships, 1st Place Winners, & Specialty Awards

Cas-Cad-Nac Farm LLC – 2018 AOA Heirloom Breeder Cup, Huacaya Fleece

CCNF Valyria (CCNF Moonbeam x CCNF Elixir) – Judges’ Choice Huacaya Fleece

Snowmass Elite Legend (Snowmass Delightful Duet x Snowmass Quechua) – Huacaya Spirit of the Fiber Industry **entered by his co owners Tierra Prometida Alpacas

CCNF Elixir (CCNF Ascension x Snowmass Elite Legend) – 1st Place, Huacaya Get of Sire

CCNF Prima Majesty (CCNF Bellarina x Snowmass Matrix Majesty) – 1st Place, Huacaya Produce of Dam

CCNF Valyria (CCNF Moonbeam x CCNF Elixir) – Huacaya Best Brightness

CCNF Valyria (CCNF Moonbeam x CCNF Elixir) – Huacaya Best Handle

CCNF Sovereign-Legacy (CCNF Luna Majesty x CCNF Elixir) – Champion Fawn Huacaya Male

CCNF Amalthea (CCNF Capella x CCNF Elixir) – Champion Light Huacaya Female

CCNF Angiolo (CCNF Bellisima x Snowmass Matrix Majesty) –  Champion Light Huacaya Male

CCNF Bataclan (CCNF Daliance x CCNF Elixir) – Champion White Huacaya Male

CCNF Valyria (CCNF Moonbeam x CCNF Elixir) – Champion White Huacaya Female

CCNF Nyaden (CCNF Nymph x CCNF Centurion) – Champion Combined Mixed Male Huacaya

CCNF Moonraker (CCNF Moonlight x Snowmass Matrix Majesty) – Reserve Champion Brown Huacaya Male

CCNF Gimlet (CCNF Amore x CCNF Elixir) – Reserve Champion White Huacaya Female

CCNF Priam (CCNF Pristine x Snowmass Matrix Majesty) – Reserve Champion White Huacaya Male

CCNF Oriflamme (CCNF La Vie en Rose x CCNF Elixir) – Reserve Champion Light Huacaya Female

CCNF Majesty United (TGF Let Freedom Ring x Snowmass Matrix Majesty) – 1st Place, Two-Year-Old Brown Huacaya Females

CCNF Luna Majesty (CCNF Moonlight x Snowmass Matrix Majesty) – 1st Place, Adult Brown Huacaya Females

CCNF Paramour (CCNF Prima Majesty x CCNF Elixir) – 1st Place, Juvenile Dark Fawn Huacaya Females

CCNF Prima Majesty (CCNF Bellarina x Snowmass Matrix Majesty) – 1st Place, Adult Fawn Huacaya Females

CCNF Sovereign-Legacy (CCNF Luna Majesty x CCNF Elixir) – 1st Place, Juvenile Dark Fawn Huacaya Males

CCNF Lucretia (Delicate Lace x CCNF Elixir) – 1st Place, Juvenile Light Fawn Huacaya Females

CCNF Dark Storm (CCNF Love Dove x Snowmass Matrix Majesty) – 1st Place, Juvenile Medium Fawn Huacaya Males

CCNF Magnar (CCNF Magdalena x CCNF Elixir) – 1st Place, Yearling Light Fawn Huacaya Males

CCNF Amalthea (CCNF Capella x CCNF Elixir) – 1st Place, Juvenile Beige Huacaya Females

CCNF Angiolo (CCNF Bellisima x Snowmass Matrix Majesty) – 1st Place, Yearling Beige Huacaya Males

CCNF Oriflamme (CCNF La Vie en Rose x CCNF Elixir) – 1st Place, Yearling Beige Huacaya Females

CCNF Delilah (CCNF Lilah x CCNF Elixir) – 1st Place, Two-Year-Old Light Huacaya Females

CCNF Spittfire (CCNF The Mighty Beast Alexandra x CCNF Elixir) – 1st Place, Adult Light Huacaya Males

CCNF Snow King (CCNF Elizabeth x MFI’s & KVR’s Mint Mo Money) – 1st Place, Juvenile White Huacaya Males

CCNF Valyria (CCNF Moonbeam x CCNF Elixir) – 1st Place, Juvenile White Huacaya Females

CCNF Bataclan (CCNF Daliance x CCNF Elixir) – 1st Place, Yearling (A) White Huacaya Males

CCNF Priam (CCNF Pristine x Snowmass Matrix Majesty) – 1st Place, Yearling (B) White Huacaya Males

CCNF Sugar Maker (Sugar Snow x CCNF Centurion) – 1st Place, 2 Year Old White Huacaya Males

CCNF Gimlet (CCNF Amore x CCNF Elixir) – 1st Place, Adult White Huacaya Females

CCNF Nyaden (CCNF Nymph x CCNF Centurion) – 1st Place, Juvenile Combined Mixed Males

CCNF Eden (CCNF Johanna x Snowmass Matrix Majesty) – 1st Place, Two-Year-Old Multicolor Females