posted July 18, 2011
Ranch Consolidation

It has been a tough decision to consolidate into one ranch. But we are all feeling the crunch of this uncertain economy, and we are certainly no exception. We want to find nice homes for the remaining 40 or so alpacas in Oklahoma and the ranch itself is listed for sale. As we have observed the horrific weather-related problems (Joplin, MO is not that far from Afton) that afflict so many, we know that our difficulties are minor. But we need to focus on fiber-fiber-fiber and this will make it much easier to do that.

Those of you who are in TX, OK, AR, and surrounding states should really take advantage of this sale if:

1) You would like to try out the alpaca lifestyle and see if it is for you

2) You're looking to add quality genetics to your herd that are perhaps a little older, but contain many excellent lineages

3) Your farm is new and in an expansion mode

We are accepting Visa and MasterCard and can deliver to local farms. And we are NOT going out of business, so you can still have support and expertise from long-time managers and owners.

posted March 21, 2011
Do Your Homework First

OK . . . I can't stand it another minute. Emails come from a variety of alpaca farms about the "advantages" of bank financing your alpaca purchases. Interest rates "only" about 5%, four- to five-year payouts, build your herd quickly. It has been MY experience that financing alpacas is not particularly a good thing. Bear in mind: I've done it myself. (Never with a bank, but owner-financed.) But I plan to never do it again. There are enough good prices out there that values can be found even among quality alpacas. I will go so far as to say that someone who HAS to finance the purchase of alpacas probably can't afford alpacas. And, further, just because you can afford alpacas at the prices for which some are offering them, doesn't mean you should buy them. We have people contacting us, wondering how to take care of these beautiful animals because they went out and bought some and have absolutely no idea what they are doing. They have no place to put them, no idea how to feed them, no pastures for grazing. I find it really a disservice to these regal, glorious animals to purchase them for the price of pets and have made little to no preparations for their care and residency. Please. Make sure you understand what you are doing and that you will love and care for these valuable alpacas when you decide to make them part of your farm.

posted December 10, 2010
AOBA Barking Up the Wrong Tree

Today we received word via a blast email that AOBA is finally advertising alpacas on a more widespread basis. Still, "Mother Earth" and "Grit" are not exactly what I would call mainstream magazines. I personally have never even heard of "Grit", and while I am somewhat more familiar with "Mother Earth", I've never picked up one in a bookstore. I wouldn't be interested in buying one. Who is making these decisions? Are they made by board members, breeder groups, or with even a peripheral focus towards fiber? FIBER has to be our focus. Rare would be the potential alpaca farmer who determines to raise alpacas without asking the all-important question: What do you do with them? Until we have a sustainable fiber industry that is recognized, utilized, and successfully promoted, we are dead in the water. In the ten years we have been in this industry, the mantra has been "show-Show-SHOW"! We don't raise pets. These aren't pedigreed dogs. The competitions being held ad infinitum don't matter a gnat's whisker to hand spinners. We paid more for our beautiful Keeshond puppy (purebred, of course -- and from an excellent line) than our fellow breeders are getting for alpacas. And the majority of people we speak with have never even heard of alpacas. AOBA may be trying to make a course correction, but for at least a decade that I am aware of, they have been barking up the wrong tree (pardon the pun).back to top

posted October 14, 2010
Editorial to AOBA: Are You Really Listening??

This week we finished doing an exhaustive review of our e-mailing list – for a number of reasons. First, I wanted to make sure that we had the permission of those to whom we were emailing. This is becoming a larger problem when using services to send out your email, and we had been accused of spamming, which I never want to do! (I know how much I don’t appreciate unwanted emails showing up.) Second, I wanted to confirm that the farms/individuals to whom we were emailing were valid and still operational.

It was remarkable to me that a good third of the email addresses I targeted through the AOBA Membership Directory were either no longer being used, or were returned as undeliverable. Wow! I hadn’t thought it would be that high (since it was a 2010 Directory I was using). But more importantly, there is not a quick or simple way to compile such a mailing list. This was maddening, time-wasting and senseless, in my opinion, since we pay AOBA to keep our memberships’ records. Why can’t we locate a state and simply look up a farm and find its address? No – we have to target a state and then go through the Directory, line by line, name by name, in its alphabetical listing to complete a mailing address list. Why should that be the case? Even Affiliate Organizations usually put their members (complete with addresses and pertinent information) alphabetically on their site(s). But AOBA requires us to purchase mailing lists if we want them.

And then today an AOBA questionnaire popped in my inbox. I went through it. I didn’t have time nor inclination to answer every question, but I suppose it is heartening that AOBA might be getting the message that they aren’t meeting the needs of the membership. Sure – there are a handful of large, extremely successful ranches out there who rake in cash and haven’t noticed the huge drop in revenues that those of us who run smaller operations have experienced up-close-and-personal. But we advertised for years in Alpacas Magazine, sponsored at National and Affiliate Shows, and none of these cash-draining activities EVER sold an animal for us. Not even close.

AOBA should wake up and realize that the entire reason for their existence is to help US. We, the membership, have counted on them to care about us and our fledgling, static or declining programs. The ad rates for Alpacas Magazine, in this economy, for example, are so high as to make them out of reach except perhaps for the newest of breeders who haven’t experienced the substantial drop in alpaca prices that the rest of us have. Their only real value to the small breeder is to assist us in our businesses. Not just collect fees. Not just distribute surveys. Not just throw parties or events. Not just let auctions bleed us dry through up-front costs and then unrealistic commissions when our alpaca did not sell. I, for one, find the system has defeated itself and seriously doubt if it can ever recover.
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posted August 26, 2010
Who's making money?

Well, since alpaca breeders are finding it difficult to sell in this economy, more and more services are being offered out there to "help" breeders sell their existing stock. You have to admire these people/groups for their ingenuity, but the dues, fees, memberships, plans, programs, offers and other well-intentioned arrangements to help breeders are really only benefiting those who do the organizing and administering. To think of it, maybe even they aren't making money, after you consider the time, thought, costs and effort to market these promotions. It never ceases to amaze that these types of "let us help you" schemes (a term often used by our friends, the Brits) are becoming ever more numerous even as the number of breeders is diminishing. To be fair,  I do see new breeders' names appearing in emails, ads, auction books, and honestly I don't pay them the kind of attention they might deserve. Those of us who have been in the business for a long (or long-ish) time know all the mighty heritages out there.  We probably have alpacas from many of those lines of distinction. What we need in this industry is a reasonable re-start to energize alpacas, make their fiber mainstream:  recognize it as a premier, affordable fiber. Find a group who will promise that (and not just take a membership fee for which nothing is realized in return) and the entire industry could ignite.
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posted July 27, 2010
When will we wise up?

The auctions are getting fewer and fewer.  Their ads rarely arrive in anything other than an email.  Those that DO continue seem more like fiestas or full-fledged fairs.  Presented at no cost to attendees, drinks flow freely and the food is catered and plentiful.  Of course, someone has to pay for these events.  Funded either by a well-heeled owner or group and supplemented by fees to consignors, these parties have little resemblance to any other auction except one held at Sotheby's or Christie's. "How do these events help the alpaca industry?" is a question that has plagued me for years.  Alpacas are wonderful animals.  Their fiber is exceptional.  We love them and have more than a hundred of them grazing contentedly in our pastures.  But are they individually worth more than a house?  More than $600,000?  Of course not.  The very idea is absurd.  They aren't horses to be raced -- though I think even the number of expensive horses out there has dwindled substantially in our dismal economy.    They aren't dogs or pets to be shown and compared against others of their breed -- though many owners like to socialize and discuss winnings and comparables over dinner away from the farm.  We shouldn't have to drag them out of the pasture several times a month, pay exhorbitant stall and entrance fees, transport them from state to state -- in and out of stalls -- and "groom" them to perfection.  That is no fun for them.  They are animals easily stressed, and nothing stresses 'em out like being strutted around in a ring.  

The inestimable damage our industry has done to itself is measured in more than lost dollars, lost farms, animals being given away or worse.  The real damage is in the future AOBA and its affiliates have created for themselves.  Because it has discouraged new breeders from even thinking about alpacas, it  has, in its stead, created an Event Industry.  A group of party-goers.  People who attend auctions without the least inclination to purchase an alpaca as a real fiber-producing investment.  Touting itself as a group working for its breeder members, I for one have found as a ten-year member that AOBA has never done anything for me.  Nor TxOLAN, or PAOBA, or any of the rest.  They take dues, have meetings that I cannot attend (because I have a full-time job in order to be able to afford my alpaca passion!), "allow" me to advertise or donate or volunteer.  But dues and membership are down because these associations do nothing to really help the small or medium-sized breeder.  When will we wise up and change the system??  It definitely needs an overhaul -- in more than just hauling show alpacas.
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posted June 23, 2010
Glorious Western Weekend

Spent a glorious weekend in the western US:  the beauty of natural creations was overwhelming! Drove to Yellowstone, Teton, with jaunts to Jackson Hole and a fantastic Plains Indians Pow Wow in Cody.  No bears, but got to see bald eagle nesting, antelope, buffalo, baby elk.  1300 miles of driving was truly priceless!


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posted June 9, 2010
Shearing Time in Oklahoma

We sheared alpacas last week in Oklahoma! Janet A and I went down and worked our tails off! Bucky,  our OK manager, had trained with Matt Best during a spring seminar, and did a super job. You can see that I even got to try my hand at it . Well, I used to give my boys hair cuts when they were little and wanted their hair "buzzed" for summer.  .  .  I figured 'How much harder can this be?'  Actually, on some alpacas it isn't too difficult because they relax, lay their head on the cool cement barn floor and seem to be glad to get all that fiber off.  Others -- not so easy. Whining, crying, spitting, groaning:  You'd think we were killing them!  The weather was hot-hot-HOT!   Note to self:  Next year shear in late April. The fiber winner:  Our herdsire extraordinaire, Brioni, of course, with his blanket alone weighing in at 5+ lbs. of fantastic fiber (see photo).  It was beautiful, incredible, and luscious.  And he was one of the most cooperative shear-ees.  This week the Virginia Ranch alpacas get shorn, and  their weather, fortunately, is a lot cooler.  That is nice for everyone!

Check out the crimp on Brioni's thick, luxurious fiber.

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posted May 3, 2010
AOBA National Auction
What's wrong with this picture?

Yesterday I got the AOBA Auction book -- all 80 lots. It brought back memories of our foray into the National Auction last year. It was NOT cheap to do this: by the time you throw in transporting the alpaca, health testing, stall fees, promotional costs . . . you have made a serious investment. Last year we were #60-something in the lineup. The night before at the consignor's meeting, we were informed that there would be a $7500 minimum bid. This was very unexpected. Of course, in the "fine print" there was a line that said the possibility existed that Celebrity Sales could establish a minimum bid, so there was nothing we could do. Because the auction drags on and on and on with SO many alpacas in the lineup, by the time they finally got to our lovely suri female, no one was even slightly interested. They were eating and drinking and talking -- but definitely NOT bidding. That's why you won't find us anywhere near the Nationals this year. Or maybe even next year. Because we then had to pay more fees because our girl didn't sell. Now, I ask you, what is fair about that? Truly, we wish all the consignors the best and hope it works out better than it did for us. In our humble opinion, an auction that goes on for 4-5 hours is not an auction staged with consignors' needs to sell in mind. Who is making a profit here? And yet AOBA whines that they are losing money: Something is definitely wrong with this picture.
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posted April 29, 2010
Echo Valley Fruit & Fiber Launches new website

	Echo Valley Fruit & Fiber offers the finest in specialty and exotic yarns, including our exclusive line of yarn - Natural Echoes™ - made from the fiber of our own alpacas.

It's finally here! We have launched our brand new, beautifully designed store site. Visit us at www.echovalleyfruit-fiber.com and discover a store full of luxury, exotic fibers and the best knitting and crochet supplies. Check back often as Echo Valley Fruit & Fiber will be adding new yarns and products every week. Follow Gwen on Twitter (FiberValleyGirl) and we'll send you one of our neat stitch gauges for the first 100 people who sign up. Welcome to EchoValley and our new online presence!
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posted April 22, 2010
My TreeHouse Retreat

My TreeHouse is a haven from the rest of the world. Originally the kids just used it for fun, but once the kids had all grown up, my husband gave me a 5x larger creative area for my birthday.  This is a great exterior shot of all the big oak trees surrounding it -- and there are a couple of birdhouses I can see out of windows -- lots of windows. It is built on stilts and has a high balcony (you can't really see it in the photo) that is built around a tree. I have a place to sort fiber, card, spin, and skein. There's a cozy nook to rest or watch tv (which I have not used so far, but I have high hopes at some point to relax), plus an office area to track alpaca details on the computer or write checks. There's fiber-fiber-fiber everywhere, and all my special treasures I've collected from around the world. I have a pellet stove to heat it in the winter and ceiling fans for the summer, though it gets so much shade it isn't really too warm. It's a great place. I love it!
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posted April 16, 2010
The AOBA Controversy
DTC's Choice

These missives we've been receiving from a variety of AOBA members, board members, and interested parties just make you scratch your head.  In dismay?  In disgust?  In disarray?  In discouragement?  We've been in this business nearly 10 years . . . . long enough to know that all is never as it seems, no one is always right, no one farm (no matter their size or the cost of their animals) has the corner on every good/better/best alpaca.  It reminds me of Little League sports.  If you would just let the boys/girls play and have a good time, everyone would do fine.  But the parents (in this case, breeders) get in the middle of the mix and in so doing only mess up the game until there's no sportsmanship, no clear winners,  no enjoyment, no fun.  We at DTC choose to have fun.  We choose to selectively decide what works for us and what doesn't.  We choose to associate with breeders of integrity and respect, and let the chips fall where they may.  
See related article posted 6.22.09
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posted March 30, 2010
Carmen Cometh!

We have a 9-week old Keeshond puppy, Carmen Ruttkay!  There are at least four things surrounding her arrival last week that make this event noteworthy:

1. She is the great-granddaughter of our beloved Omya Ruttkay (Mya) who passed away due to old age complications in January. 

2. We got her from Mae Evans in Reading, PA, one of the best (if not THE best) breeder of Keesies in the United States.  Her list of championship dogs she has bred and shown is very, VERY extensive.  What she doesn’t know about Keeshonds is probably not worth knowing.

3. Carmen is the third Keeshond we have had.  In addition to Mya, we also had Fondu (out of the “gourmet foods” breeding). 

4. She is named for our son Wilson’s favorite Madison Scouts Drum & Bugle Corps (www.madisonscouts.org) show ever:  The Carmen Project.  We saw them rehearse and perform it at five different locations in 2005.

So, welcome to your new home, Carmen!
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posted February 16, 2010
Ready, set, snow!

Anybody want some snow?  We'd sell it to you real cheap.  I spent nearly two weeks in UT with my dad, who unfortunately passed away on February 3.  He had been doing quite well until the end . . . this photo was taken just after we celebrated his 83rd birthday.  The funeral was the following Friday, and the weekend was spent wrapping up details.  My return flights to Philadelphia were cancelled for Tues/Wed, but I finally made it home Thursday.  The snow on my hill was over my knees!  Thank goodness I have thus far only gotten stuck in the driveway twice.  It took over two hours just to open my snail mail.  (I'd been able to keep up with most email on my iPhone, thank goodness!)

Our VA Ranch has 28" of the white stuff on the ground, and our landscaping has taken a real toll. The alpacas, who once were really enjoying the wintry outdoors, have taken to the barn and would rather not move, thank you very much.  

When is Spring coming???
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posted January 27, 2010
"K" is for Kinsey

We have a new baby girl in Oklahoma!  Another magnificent daughter out of our coal back Lady Stella Woldbrook and the incomparable Snuggler's Accoyo Brioni, Diamond Kinsey Millhone was born on January 21, weighing in at a very solid 14 pounds.  For those of you who are fans of Sue Grafton's alphabet mysteries, you'll appreciate our nod to her infamous private investigator. We love patterned alpacas, but we rarely have birthed a huacaya female so distinctive. She is both a beautiful brown and bright white, and we hope you'll stop in to see her if you're driving by on Highway 85.  Her fiber is as dense as it is crimpy -- and wonderfully soft, to boot! Watch for weekly updates as she grows up. This is one girl to follow!

Lady Stella Woldbrook
and Diamond Kinsey Millhone

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posted January 19, 2010
Endings and Beginnings

2010 began with a series of events that include both endings and beginnings.  The third "C" of our alpaca operation, Wilson, left this week for Brazil to serve a 2-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons).  What a tremendous opportunity this will be for him!  The same day he left, our beloved Keeshond, Mya, passed away following a stroke.  She had turned 12 years old the
day before, and we feel her loss immensely.  Four days later we had a water leak in our upstairs bath and ended up with a kitchen full of water.  What a mess -- but also an opportunity to polish everything once we got the water all mopped up.  My Dad turns 83 today, but each day finds him weaker as the result of his kidneys failing. All these events serve to remind me that "opportunity is not a lengthy visitor," to quote the Sondheim musical "Into the Woods."

January hasn't been the easiest month, but February marks the grand opening of our Echo Valley Fiber expanded farm store, containing all kinds of natural yarns. From alpaca to bison, camel or yak, we will celebrate the opportunity of creating heirloom hand crafts.  Watch for more details!
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