Welcome all Suri Network Members

On behalf of the SNPDC, I want to welcome everyone to our blog site. We hope that you will follow our progress as we support the membership in its effort to create a full-fledged livestock model and improve our own breeding programs in the process. While our role will be only one piece of the puzzle, we hope to educate, inform, and support our members' efforts to create a high-end market niche for U.S. suri fiber, as well as, create a better connection between our members breeding goals and finished fiber products.



To that end, we started off the 2009 Suri Year (a Suri Year begins with the start of the SN Symposium!) with two new additions to the committee - Susan Simonton of Little Gidding Farm Alpacas, and Donna Rudd of Canada who is a certified sorter, spinner, and fiber artist. These two individuals compliment our existing team of Christine Perala-Gardiner of Suri Futures, Holli Cox of Hidden Hilltop Alpaca Ranch, Ann Mayes of Alpacas d'Auxvasse, Peggy Broz of Peg's Palm Beach Alpacas, Claudia Raessler of Royal River Alpacas, and me - Liz Vahlkamp, Salt River Alpacas. Additionally, Eric Morti, who had co-chaired the SNPDC with me in 2008 became a SN Board member and is now the liaison to our committee.



With our new team in place, we have taken on a number of initiatives which we hope to move forward simultaneously:



Donna Rudd is heading up our efforts to create a "best practices" code for preparation and processing of suri fiber to create a high quality, consistent product that end users can rely upon. Her efforts will include educating the membership about proper preparation of fiber before sending it off to either a mill or a co-op. And working with the co-ops and mills to create a consistent method of processing.



Susan Simonton is heading up our effort to provide suri patterns for knitting and weaving. None exist today, but if we are to compete within the commercial yarn industry, we must have patterns! We also hope these patterns will serve to educate you, the membership, and in turn, improve your breeding program. If you have a better connection between the fiber your animals produce and the end purpose, you will be able to better develop long-term breeding goals for high quality fiber.



Ann Mayes and I (Liz Vahlkamp) are heading up the effort to secure booth space at several high traffic fiber festivals around the country. These festivals will have a "drop in and spin" theme and will cater to the fiber artist and hobbyist who can spread the word about suri and its great features. Through the use of "spinning mentors" on hand in the booth, we will ensure visitors have a positive experience and come away wanting more! To this end, those of you who are interested in selling fiber and roving can donate fiber to us and we will put your name on a specific SN website page. Visitors to the booth will be directed, via a business card, to that site and may contact you for more fiber.



Christine Perala-Gardiner is heading up our effort to create a certified organic plan, giving farms the opportunity to market organic fiber. This is a growth industry and one with which we need to stay in tune!



Holli Cox is heading up our blog effort as well as acting as a liaison to the SN Research Committee and the SN's efforts towards EPD standards. All of us are connected in our efforts to move the fiber industry forward through improved breeding goals, and it is important that we all stay in touch.



Claudia Raessler, hopefully, will sit on the the AOBA Fiber Committee as well as the SNPDC so that we can stay in touch with our brethren and hopefully move down the fiber industry path together.



Peggy Broz is backing up the team by supporting all of us in our efforts to move the suri industry forward!



First up, our first fiber festival is the Spin-Off Autumn Retreat (SOAR) sponsored by Interweave Press from Oct. 9 to Oct. 11. This is a high-powered retreat where advanced spinners come to learn more about spinning and try new fibers. We are going to have some high-powered spinning mentors there to match the audience, so hope it is a success! The following weekend - Oct. 18-19, we will be in Rhinebeck, NY at the NY Sheep and Wool Festival. We have several SN members that will be helping us with the booth and want to thank them for coming out to the event. An estimated 30,000 people will pass through this festival...so it's big!



We will use the blog to keep everyone informed of the progress and results of our various initiatives and hope to see everyone coming back on a regular basis!



Thanks for your interest and welcome aboard!

Liz Vahlkamp, Salt River Alpacas
Chairperson, SNPDC