The Pronk

Alpaca Educational Events

2010-04-12T10:32:00.004-04:00

Please join us for a free Alpaca Educational Event!

You are invited to attend an educational event about raising alpacas being held at Long Acres Alpaca Farm. People love to come to these sessions. Some simply out of curiosity about these wondrous animals. Others might want to someday work with or own alpacas. Whatever the reason or your interest, feel free to attend one of the sessions. These will be hands on working with the alpacas so dress comfortably. We will obviously be outside. It's always entertaining as well as educational.

Dates are May 1, June 5 and June 19. Topics vary according to what participants want to learn but generally include talking about barn layout, pastures, fencing, and actually giving shots, doing dental and toe trims, shearing...you name it!!! Starts at 9am all three dates and concludes at 12 noon or later. It's free but registration is suggested. Give me a call or drop me an email.

Hope to see you soon!

Fiber Males -- FREE!!!

2010-04-08T21:39:00.005-04:00

We're trying to make room for the spring crias...arriving soon! We have several really nice fiber males being offered free. These males are usually just not elite enough to make it into our breeding program. We're breeding for the very best fleece in the business and sometimes, we miss. And often times, not by much. Maybe they're just not quite dense enough. Sometimes they have a few white fibers in their dark blankets. Whatever the reason, all are very healthy and all are halter trained and handled. We've kept them current on their shots and their fecals are clean. We have most colors, from light fawn to silver grey. Take your pick--they're free. All you have to do is provide transportation. Of course, we'll be here to provide ongoing support.

Alpaca Days '10

2010-04-08T21:29:00.003-04:00

We will be participating once again in Alpaca Days '10 at Annapaca Farm, Hagerstown, MD on April 10 and 11, 2010. This will be our third year and each year proves to be better than the previous one. There will be a total of 11 farms participating this year. Demonstrations, seminars, products for sale, food and of course alpacas. Lots of fun, free, rain or shine. Hope you can attend.

Paladin Travels East

2009-10-15T22:29:00.004-04:00

Paladin arrived earlier this month. Even nicer than we remember. We hadn't seen him for almost a year. Nice size, medium build, about 180 lbs., with the most dense white fleece we've seen. He's had 3 breedings so far, Velyssa, Muffit and Curaca. We think he likes his work, but I did caution him to pace himself. He'll be here all winter! Now we only have to wait 11 1/2 months to see the results. I have to wonder why these males don't waste away. All they do is pace, watch the females, pace, watch the.....I never see them eat. He figured out after the first trip which gate would lead to "all things that are good." Now he stands by the gate, just waiting. I'll be glad when he makes the association that my being there, lead in hand, is a good thing.

NJAC Results

2009-10-15T22:21:00.005-04:00

This was the first year for NJAC, New Jersey Alpaca Classic and we really enjoyed the show. Very well organized. Especially liked the sod everywhere, not just in the stalls. Lighting was good. Only downfall was the always present A/C. The buildings are never cold and dry enough and it was fairly warm on Saturday. None the less, everyone was in the same boat, so to speak. We took seven and did well, with everyone placing. The highlights were a CHAMPIONSHIP in halter for Eros in the fawn and a RESERVE CHAMPIONSHIP in halter for Shiah in the fawn. Both took their first as well and rounding out in first place were Vecurio (LF) and Agamemnon. Brecson took 2nd (MB), Lights took (3rd) and Celady took 5th (TB). All came home in good health and glad to be back in the fields.

National Alpaca Farm Day

2009-10-15T22:07:00.004-04:00

The bad weather didn't keep everyone from having a great time during the Open House for National Alpaca Farm Days. Of course the alpacas never mind the cold weather. And the cold weather is good for alpaca clothing sales. An estimated crowd of 200 showed up, mostly on Sunday. The highlight of the weekend was the Fashion Show. The models, Danielle Houck, Carly Mellott, and Connie Howell, could have made most anything look good, but in the Beyond Threads line, they looked fantastic. We were fortunate to have jewelry custom made to match the outfits. Heather of Zen Creations does a fantastic job. Many of the pieces of jewelry are still for sale. We also had a lot of success with the Latitude 15 wear. The DIY station for custom dying of yarns and rovings went well. I believe people are amazed at how easy it is to dye alpaca fiber. The animals were great. Giannia is a real ham. Loves the attention. As does Chace and our longtime good will ambassador Pioneer. It was especially nice to see several people with physical handicaps make it into the paddock area. Reallly rewarding watching their faces as the alpacas came up to them and their wheelchairs. Always a good day when you can put a smile on someone's face. See you next year, last weekend in September.

National Alpaca Farm Day

2009-08-20T10:33:00.003-04:00

Join us September 26 and 27, 2009 as we celebrate National Alpaca Farm Day. Long Acres Alpaca Farm will be having and Open House on both days, from 10 AM to 4 PM. Admission is free and we will be open rain or shine. Back by popular demand is our Alpaca Clothing Fashion Show to be held on Sunday September 27th at 12:30 PM. Our big change this year is our inclusion of two new clothing lines, Beyond Threads (see previous blog) and Latitude 15 wear. Both will be available for purchase. Throughout both days, you'll have the oppourtunity to learn how to hand dye alpaca yarn and rovings. Both will be for sale and then we'll teach you how and you can create a one-of-a-king creation! No experience necessary. Just bring your imagination. Or if you'd like, we will custom dye it for you. We will be selling lots of other alpaca products. Food, fun, door prizes and of course Alpacas! Come and feel for yourself. We have over 50 beautiful huacaya alpacas, in every color, from white, to black, to gray. Many for sale, including some really nice fiber males. Stop by and see these amazing animals. Everyone welcome, but no pets please.

New Clothing Lines at Long Acres Alpaca Farm

2009-08-20T09:48:00.003-04:00

We are excited to be offering a beautiful line of alpaca clothing. Beyond Threads is one of those classic but contemporary women's clothing lines. The pieces are solids, so you can mix and match them and dress them up or down with accessories. Beyond Threads updates their clothing regularly so it's always fresh. This fall's fashion colors are plum, champagne, lime, charcoal and of course black. Although the pieces are semi-fitted, they come in sizes XS to XL so it's easy to find a good fit. Wear them casual, to work, or out in the evening. Great versatility. The shipment just arrived. Watch for them at our Alpaca Clothing Fashion Show September 26 and 27, 2009

Taking Photos

2009-07-30T23:06:00.003-04:00

Sometimes you have to work to get the shot. Here I am with our Jr. Herdsire, A Paca Fun Farm's Agamemnon, trying to have our Blue Ribbon photo taken. I believe I'm still smiling. Of course this always happens when there's a long line of people waiting for their photos.

Spring 2009 Show Season

2009-07-30T22:37:00.001-04:00

We had a great showing this past spring. To summarize, we attended two Level V and one Level IV show. At the three venues we had a total of 27 halter and 4 fleece entries. All of the halter entries placed, 22 placed third or better. Three of the four fleece entries placed. Highlights include another Reserve Championship for Ramadi at MAPACA, a Best Handle for Fleece for Eros at PAOBA, and third place at MAPACA for Get-of-Sire for Silvercloud Farm's Mercurio. The two that beat Mercurio were white and from Cas-Cad-Nac; SuperNova and Archangel offspring. Equally satisfying is that Mercurio only has a total of 9 offspring! Also at MAPACA, Shiah took a first in the Juvi MF class (1 out of 10) and Agamemnon, our MSG Jr. Herdsire took a first (1 out of 7). Blue Ribbon winner at PAOBA was our Jr. Herdsire Lights (1 out of 9). It was an exciting spring but I believe the alpacas are happy to be back at the farm!

Mercurio and Paladin offspring--show update

2009-04-07T10:20:00.007-04:00

Spring show season is getting into full swing and both Mercurio and Paladin offspring are proving themselves very well in the show ring. Jim and Helen Humphreys have shown their two Mercurio offspring, Walk The Line and Notorious at both the Best of the Midwest Show in Ohio (Level 4) and most recently at NAAS (Level 5-highly competitive). Both males took blues in Ohio and Notorious took blue and Walk The Line took white at NAAS. A third male offspring of Mercurio's (owned by Four Points Alpacas) took a red in a very competitive gray class at Best of the Midwest Show.

On the west coast, Tom and Jerilynn Booher showed Paladin's offspring, Pistolero, for the first time last weekend at Alpacapalooza (Level 4) and took blue and RESERVE CHAMPION in a hugh grey male class of 59!! Here is Pistolero, grey male out of Paladin. Stay tuned.

NAAS--North American Alpaca Show Results

2009-04-07T09:25:00.007-04:00

Just back from the NAAS in Springfield, MA. First off, it was a great show. The facility is excellent and the show very well organized. Check-in and check-out went great. Cold and dry in the building on Saturday and Sunday (at least the alpacas were happy). Mike Safley judged the females and Jude ("Afterthought"---inside joke for those that were there!!!!) Anderson judged males. All seven of ours placed, 3 red, 3 white and 1 yellow. Carimba, Brecson and Lights all took seconds, and Ramadi, Eros, and Opus took third. Many times our class took Color and/or Reserve Champion. In fact, in Ramadi's class, both 1st and 2nd took CC and RC so I guess that made her a RRC????? Light's class was the first of the day on Sunday and was incredibly competitive. Jude commented that all three were deserving of the blue and if that was an indication of the remainder of the whites, then she certainly had her work ahead of her. It was fun. The trip to Springfield was no less exciting. I am now able to drive a 28ft trailer in downtown NEW YORK CITY and on highways marked TRAILERS NOT PERMITTED. Nice police officer. Of course, tears do come in handy sometimes. So it goes with the GPS. All arrived home no worse for the wear. On to Futurity in less than two weeks.

Alpaca Days 09--Alpacas, The Alternative Livestock

2009-03-24T22:39:00.004-04:00

We hope you can join us and seven other alpaca farms from the area on March 28th and 29th, 2009 for an Open House. There will be alpacas, alpaca fleece and yarn, and alpaca clothing all for sale. Seminars on Tax Aspects of Breeding Alpacas, Alpacas 101, spinning, weaving, and felting demonstrations, and alpaca obstacle course demonstrations. Food, free raffles and charity benefit for the Humane Society of Washington County. 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM both days, indoor event. No admission. Held at Annapaca Farm, 10702 Mapleville Road, Hagerstown, MD 21742.

Meaning of "The Pronk"

2009-03-03T11:00:00.002-05:00

Some people have been asking me what the pronk means. To pronk means to jump straight up. Frequently seen as a means of escaping predators in the wild. It is a name frequently given to the behavior exhibited by alpacas just before nightfall, when they strut or "pronk" performing beautiful and acrobatic gaits and movements. A real delight to watch, we frequently see it on cooler evenings. Thus the name of our blog.

Vic Jr's Hemiacoyo Paladin

2009-02-24T10:36:00.005-05:00

Our newest arrival to the herdsire lineup is Vic Jr's Hemiaccoyo Paladin. An outstanding white male who is throwing color, and is superfine with an unbelievable 11 crimps/inch. We purchased a half interest in him from our good friends, Tom and Jerilynn Booher, Timberland Alpacas. He'll be here on the east coast from Fall, 2009 through Spring, 2010.

Tundra is here!

2009-01-25T00:07:00.003-05:00

Our latest edition, Tundra, arrived on Thursday. A Great Pyr pup. A big adjustment for all but one we're sure eventually they will work out. Stay tuned.

Cold Weather

2009-01-07T21:17:00.004-05:00

I snapped this picture of the fall crias the other day. I was walking in the field from a direction different from what they were used to seeing so of course, their curiosity got the best of them. They are almost four months old now. Getting very independent and somewhat defiant. We sheared their cria tips in September soon after they were born, so when the temperature drops or wind picks up, we put blankets on them. Some nights they think it's a game of chase, especially if it's been a little warm and the temperature drops right at sunset. That's when they really like to pronk. It's extra fun to see even the older ones and you really appreciate their athleticism. We rarely close them in at night. Most times they have the sense to come in out of the elements, although on occassion, one of the young ones will be kushed out in inclement weather, not a care to the world. It's good to go out to the barn, late at night, and see everyone kushed and chewing cud.

Alpaca Fiber Workshops

2008-12-11T20:50:00.006-05:00

Beginning in January, 2009, Long Acres will be holding Alpaca Fleece and Fiber Workshops. This 3-part series is aimed at the beginner level for those interested in an introduction into working with this wonderful fiber. Participants can sign up for 1, 2 or all 3 sessions as all are taught independent of the other classes. All of the materials will be supplied and the cost is $35/session or $100 for all three. The first class will cover skirting of the alpaca fleece and we will differentiate between skirting for a fleece show versus for a fleece to be processed. We will also dye yarns and rovings, clean fleeces, learn to use a hand carder and a drum carder. The second class will cover spinning and the third session will be a felted project with overview of several techniques for felting. Class size is limited. The dates are January 23, February 20 and March 20, 2009, all from 1 PM to 4Pm.

Maryland Alpaca Show

2008-12-11T20:25:00.006-05:00

This was the first year for The Maryland Alpaca Show sponsored by MABA. It was also the first banner win for our LA Eros! He is a light fawn yearling male out of Miss Muffit, who we purchased from Doris and Walter VanBuskirk several years ago. Muffit has retained her wonderful fineness and she has passed this on to her first offspring, Eros. His micron was just over 16. Additionally, he has perfect conformation, very dense fleece and a bright consistent crimp structure. We'll retain him as a future herdsire and we were very excited with his win. It was a great show, very well organized, lots of attention to details, nice venue and easy checkin. We made it through the show season without any post-show illnesses. And there was one other first at this show...missing our class. Well, glad to have that monkey off my back.

October Alpaca Shows

2008-10-28T20:38:00.006-04:00

We had the pleasure of visiting Syracuse for the Empire Extravaganza. US 81 in Northern Pa. and New York offers some breath-taking scenery. We did very well at this show. Bali won another blue ribbon. She was one of the final three the judge called forward for the light color championship. Unfortunately she was third in this group. The champ and reserve champ were both beige, so we feel justified in saying that Bali was the top fawn female. Moxie and Carimba also took blue. Moxie is a brown female from the wonderful program of Drs. Tom and Jeri Booher of Timberland alpacas in Oregon. She had previously won multiple blues in shows and a Reserve Championship out West. This is the first blue for Carimba. We are happy that it was won at a large and prestigious level five show. We have always felt that Carimba is one of our most beautiful animals. Ramadi and Belleza won second place ribbons with the judge commenting very favorably on both. This show was extremely competitive and we feel fortunate that our females did so well.

Our last cria, born this Fall, is a tuxedo pattern fawn and white: truly a cute little guy named Bogart. Unfortunately Boggy's dam has inadequate milk and he was doing poorly. He refused bottled milk and started to loose weight. After a gastric transfusion, he has made a remarkable recovery. He now guzzles his bottles; is gaining weight; and now running with the other crias. There are so many things that contribute in a positive way to the alpaca life style, but none are more rewarding than seeing Bogart tear up and down the pasture. Mike

VAOBA Expo Alpaca Show

2008-10-22T17:10:00.003-04:00

Hi everybody. Sarah and I were at the VAOBA Expo last weekend. This was a big and very competitive event. It was just six animals shy of a level five event. The first show of the fall season is always fun. You get to see all your breeder friends that you haven't seen for a few months. As always we met some new folks also. Alpaca breeders are such a diverse group of people: I always learn something new.

Looking around at this show and talking to a few new people got me thinking about new people at shows. I think a big alpaca show can be daunting for newcomers. Within color groups all the alpacas look pretty much the same to the novice. I think it is probably a bit boring to watch the judges prodding and poking when you really don't understand what the judging criteria are. The sheer number of animals can be overwhelming: Who do you look at and for what do you look? My advice to someone thinking about alpacas--------visit a farm or two before your first show. Almost any established breeder can get you started on the basics. Probably best to let the breeder know you are not yet interested in buying; you just want to learn. Ask to see fleece samples. Then look at some alpacas. Maybe one of the farms best, and one not so good and start learning the difference. Start forming some very preliminary feelings about what you like and what's not so appealing. That is all you have to absorb to begin. If you like animals by now these beautiful creatures will probably seem pretty appealing. If so start reading. The AOBA web site is probably a good place to start. Visit another farm. You will almost certainly have more incite on this visit. If you find all this exciting, try a show. Talk to several breeders there. Sarah and I love to talk about our alpacas and you will find that most other breeders will be more than happy to talk to you. Remember to ask to see a breeders animals after they have been shown; not before. After the championship judging be sure to ask to see the winners as they leave the ring. This way you will learn what the best look and feel like. Nothing beats hands on.

Back to VAOBA Expo. As mentioned, this was a large and competitive show. We were fortunate to do very well at this show. Our fabulous light fawn female, Balamani, won the light color championship. Our young fawn male, LA Eros, took second in what the judge described as the most competitive group of males. In addition Long Acres took four thirds and three fourths. We look forward to showing at Empire this weekend.

Farm Days at Stoners

2008-10-07T11:38:00.003-04:00

Talk about a crowd!! This was our fourth year participating at Stoner's Farm Days. A fantastic outing, for children and those young at heart. It was estimated that there were over 3000 visitors this year. Plenty of food and activities, everything from chicken and pig racing to chainsaw carving to pony rides and a petting area. We took Pioneer and Chaska, two gelded males, to the event. Chaska is for sell as a fiber male. He is a dark brown male with very fine fleece. I had his fleece made into rovings last year (they were combined with Shady's who is a silver grey). They are very nice. He lacks the density to be a herdsire but would fantastic as a pet alpaca. We have several other males available as fiber males, from fawn to bay black and also a silver grey. Give us a call.

Open House

2008-10-02T11:52:00.002-04:00

Our Open House held on September 28, 2008 was a big success. We estimated the crowd somewhere between 150-175 people. One of the highlights of the day was the Alpaca Clothing Fashion Show. Men, women and children modeled a total of 32 fashions, including sweaters, coats, pashminas and wraps. The finale was an incredible shawl that was spun and woven the day before by Jill Schooley and she showed it off with her husband, Travis, and our faithful alpaca gelding, Pioneer, at her side. Sales of alpaca products were very good, the favorite was a yarn called "Farm Blend" which is a beautiful heather combination of black, brown, fawn and grey. If you missed the Open House and would still like to visit, give us a call. We have plenty of alpaca products for sale and of course, alpacas, both breeding stock and fiber males.

Cumberland Valley Alpacas

2008-09-25T21:53:00.002-04:00

This weekend is National Alpaca Farm Day. Alpaca Farms across the country will be participating in Open Houses, boasting about our alpacas and how much we love the lifestyle. We'll be telling people about how we got into alpacas, all about raising them, what we use the fiber for, what they eat, the fleece and the many colors, the genetics, DNA testing, fiber analysis. You name it. We love to talk about alpacas.

Long Acres Alpaca Farm is part of a group of alpaca farms known as Cumberland Valley Alpacas (CV Alpacas). We started getting together out of our common interest of alpacas. We've stayed together because we really like each other's company and have found we have many common interests. In general, the alpaca community has a tremendous number of interesting, educated people from incredibly diverse backgrounds. For many, raising alpacas is a second career. CV Alpacas includes members working in the science field, retail, medical, environmental, and business sectors. Some are just starting families, others are sending children off to college or raising grandchildren. Busy lifestyles but very rewarding ones.

We hope you can stop by this weekend to visit our farms. Three farms will be open on Saturday (Ragged Edge, Shasta Spring, and Top Knot'ch) and three will be open on Sunday (Stone Meadow, Long Acres, and Cherry Run). Hours are 9 am to 5 pm. Each farm will feature a particular event or topic. Details are on our website at www.cvalpacas.com. If you can't make it this weekend, give us a call. We're here everyday.

Final Birth for 2008

2008-09-23T22:57:00.003-04:00

We've ended 2008 with a beautiful female cria, complements of Miah. This one was well worth the wait. She was born on Saturday. Light fawn with fading on head to beige. There are now a total of six Mercurio offspring on our farm; 4 males and 2 females. We're hoping for a Get out of this crew. For some unknown reason, the names came easier this time. So here they are...Chace (Willow), Vecurio (Velyssa), Bogart (Prism), Opal (Jewel), and Shiah (Miah). Chace was named after our farm help, since this was her first unassisted delivery. (Yeh Brechyn!!!). Vecurio is a cross between Velyssa (the dam) and Mercurio (the sire). Bogart is from, well, I'm not really sure. Mike thought of it but it seems to suit him to a tee. Opal came from Jewel and she really looks like an opal. Shiah is a cross between the names Miah (the dam) and Shari, another one of our employees. Hopefully the crias will hold still long enough for a group photo.