Greetings, and welcome to Sunset Hills Farm Alpacas blog spot! We are pleased to be able to update all of the exciting happenings here at our beautiful farm here just north of Pittsburgh, in Butler, Pennsylvania. Please keep checking our blog weekly along with our website for updates on new crias, exciting alpaca events, sales and services, and a whole host of news about Sunset Hills!
Though we faced a long, tough, and often brutal winter here in Western Pennsylvania, where the depth of the snow often exceeded the temperature of the air, spring is beginning to dawn here at Sunset Hills. With the warmer weather comes the greening of the grass, the blossoming of the flowers, and the awakening of new life. In this vein we are excited to announce four beautiful new crias to the world, with one, our Lional baby, “Sunset Hills La Soleil,” just arriving on March 26th. She is indeed a darling, and already appears to be following in the footsteps of her dear-old dad. In fact, we would love to have you come out and visit her and all of our new darling crias!
With our exceptional herd sires fathering a number of expectant dams due in 2009, we are eagerly awaiting a number of new crias to be welcomed to the world this spring and summer.
Check out our website or schedule a visit to our farm to see our sweet crias from our over 20 Champion winning and Champion producing herd sires. Give your herd some new proven genetics now which you will benefit from next spring and for many show seasons to come! Or ask, if you live close enough, we will do mobile breedings if you have two or more girls to breed and live within a 2 hours radius from our farm!
In spite of the weather this winter, we were able to take some of our alpacas out of the snowy tundra of Western Pa, and begin the show season in warm, sunny Florida at FABA. After enduring long months of cold and snow, I am sure our animals loved the respite as much as we did! We traveled through the mountains of West Virginia and Virginia, and into the piedmont and low country of South Carolina and Georgia, welcoming the green landscape which added the first color to our long trip. Upon arriving and setting up at the show, we were excited to get the 2009 Show Season underway. Our alpacas did exceptionally well in the show ring, with seven of our boys capturing 1st Place ribbons and two, Sunset Hills Z-Dreamcatcher and Citation, winning Color Championships. Two of our girls, Sunset Hills Bella Luna (at her first show) and Sunset Hills Lioness, (a multi champion already) also captured 1st Place ribbons and Color Championships respectively. We met a lot of wonderful alpaca breeders, got to see many old friends, and spoke to many people simply interested in these amazing animals at the show. FABA was a great time filled with great new experiences, and one we will always remember.
A month later with our new trailer and truck in-tow, we headed west to the first annual "Best of the Mid-West Show and Auction" at the Ohio Expo Center in Columbus, Ohio. While we had a few "happenings" (the gooseneck deciding to take a seat in the back of the new truck, …the new truck bumper deciding to take its side of the parking lot from another vehicle, losing a tailgate…)that made just getting to the show an adventure, the weekend was a great success for all involved. Our alpacas once again excelled in the show ring, with three boys, (Sunset Hills Citation and Elite's Maximum Force, along with Ephelius) taking home three 1st Place ribbons and two Color Championships. Not forgetting our girls, we had two 1st Place ribbons and a Reserve Color Champion (Sunset Hills Lilly and Zeph's Zeduction) win in the show ring as well.
And we can’t forget Principio’s Priscilla, (Principio is our 8 time Champion, with his first cria meeting the world last year) this little girl is owned by Pat and Bob Sigler, and Priscilla, took a Reserve Color fawn Champion in her first show at 6.5 months old! Congratulations to Pat and Bob.
We enjoyed seeing and talking with a host of alpaca breeders and owners from the Mid-West about the future of our industry (ET and AI,…) as well as the challenges we all face. However, despite these challenges, we at Sunset Hills Farm believe that our best days as an industry are just over the horizon. Just like the seasons, you need a winter to have a spring! The Best of the Mid-West was a wonderful event, very well organized and we look forward to attending this show next year.Our Sunset Hills Cruise 2009. (Join us for 2010!)
While the show season is just swinging into action after the winter lull, Sunset Hills had its own first the beginning of the New Year. From January 26-30th, 2009, Sunset Hills hosted its first Seminar Cruise, which featured such notable speakers such as Dr. Norm Evans, Dr. Brett Kaysen, and David Barboza. The cruise was an overwhelming success, with over 35 alpaca enthusiasts learning from some of the top individuals on the cutting edge of the science of our industry. Our guests on the Seminar Cruise not only learned a lot, but they had a great time (dancing, singing, eating and enjoying the two for one martinis…) as we sailed from Miami to the Grand Bahamas, ending up in Great Stirrup Cay.
Join us for our next Sunset Hills Seminar Cruise in the Caribbean January 2010!
Our recent Peru Trip 2009…and join us this November and next February!
"To say this was an experience of a lifetime is an understatement."
We embarked upon a journey in February 2009, that was long overdue but necessary for us since we wanted to learn more about Embryo transfer, how it was done and how we (in the US) could benefit from the not so surprisingly excellent results that were being obtained at the Pacomara ranch in the Altiplano of Peru!
We were greeted in Arequipa, Peru,by two of the most gracious people we have ever been hosted by; Dr. Renzo Morante the Director of the Pacomara alpaca ranch and Alonso Burgos, the Director of Business Development at the Groupo Inca fiber mill.
We started by visiting the Groupo Inca mill and spent the entire day observing and learning about the fiber processing story from beginning to end. It was an amazing visit and there was so much to learn from sorting, to cleaning, dyeing, spinning and weaving, cutting, sewing and preparing the final product (and this is just part of the story!). Can you believe it takes 8 hours to sort through a half pound of vicuna fleece and that the vicuna blanket provides about one pound of fleece at shearing? We now have an even greater respect for the products that are made from any fiber but especially for the alpaca and vicuna fleece.
Then, it was onto meeting with the Directors of the Groupo Inca product lines…Groupo Inca, Kuna and Incalpaca. The products were amazing! And, did you know you can order directly from them for your boutique or store? Yes, you can!
Next we were on our way to the Pacomarca farm in the Altiplano, waiting a couple of days to get our “second wind” to climb to greater altitudes there. I found it amazing to learn that the people of the Altiplano having larger, more barrel chests to accommodate a greater number of red blood cells to carry oxygen to their bodies since they live at higher altitudes.
The scenery in the Altiplano was breathtaking (no pun intended) with small and large herds of alpacas, vicunas and flamingos seen along the way. The people have not changes in hundreds of years. They dress in their same native costumes they’ve worn for centuries and enjoy many of the same customs and habits of their forefathers.
We arrived at the Pacomarca farm and enjoyed a little rustic environment along with two of the greatest chefs (Renzo and Alonso) who prepared wonderful culinary delights for us each and every day!
We observed and witnessed the Pacomarca ET program and the offspring. Their alpaca herd program has gained so many favorable traits because of this and their ET program (along with Australia’s) is going to bring their herd light years ahead in the fiber industry.
Renzo and Alonso told us that they both believe in hybridizing their herd. They do not use just one type of alpaca, and in fact, stated that they know that many US breeders have been told that only one type of alpaca is the best and that it is just not true. The proof is in the alpaca, its general health (hardiness), conformation and, most of all, the end product which is fleece, its fineness and density.
We are after all, a fiber industry and they sooner we take more responsibility in what we are producing, the quicker our fleece product will be taken seriously. Dr. Morante will be speaking about ET at the Gems and Genetics Sale and Social September 12th and 13th, 2009. Sign up at: http://www.gemsandgenetics.com/.
With our visit being even more than we could ever explain in print, we invite you to join us for a most wonderful trip to Peru, hosted by Dr. Morante and Alonso Burgos.
We will travel to Lima, where we will see the oldest fiber museum in the world, then onto beautiful Arequipa to visit the Groupo Inca mill where you can learn how fiber is processed and purchase lovely garments and products. Then onto Pacomarca and the alpacas!
From there join us as we travel to the Colca Valley to stay at their most inviting hotel and spa. Finally, onto the most coveted “Macchu Picchua” the famous holy land of the Inca’s!
Our lovely hotel with vistas of Mystic Mountain and alpacas grazing in the courtyard. ..a slice of heaven.
To sign up for our Peruvian Tour please go to; http://www.sunsethillsalpacas.com/ and click on the “Peruvian Tour 2009 the experience of a lifetime!”
Gems and Genetics Sale and Social TM
And don't forget, if you have not already registered for "Gems & Genetics-Sale and Social" hosted by Sunset Hills Farm Alpacas, LLC and Mary's Alpacas on September 12th-13th, 2009, don't miss out! Register now! This premiere sales and social event of the year brings together some of the best known genetics and breeders in the industry, with topics on genetics, fiber, general farm makeup and marketing your alpaca farm.
Want to learn about ET (Embryo Transfer)?Please join us for the renowned alpaca Veterinarian, Dr. Renzo Morante, who will speak about doing ET ,a very hot topic these days, and how he has used his EPD statistics to gain information on how to make decisions for his ET program at the Pacomarco ranch in Peru.
Sign up now while space is still available. Go to http://www.gemsandgenetics.com/. for more information!
Interested in visiting Sunset Hills Farm Alpacas? Come and visit us, see our crias while you spend a cozy, starry night in our Stargazer Bed & Breakfast. We'd love to have you stay and take you away to our special haven!
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