Owners show off their prized alpacas
Holly Williams fell in love with alpacas after her husband told her she couldn't get a horse.
On Sunday, Holly and Courtney Williams, who own Lasso the Moon Farm, walked away from the Palmetto Alpaca Classic with 10 blue ribbons after showing five of their alpacas. The blue-ribbon winners were sired by Accoyo Bear Claw and won first place in the Get of Sire category. Breeders look for complimentary traits in the sire and dam, and judges look for consistency and quality. Accoyo is a coveted alpaca bloodline originating from Peru.
The Williamses have been breeding and keeping alpacas for 10 years on their farm in Blairsville, Ga.
"I found alpacas online, and it was love at first sight," Holly said.
Holly is a fiber artist and wore a scarf and belt buckle Sunday made from alpaca fleece. Alpaca fleece is said to rival cashmere.
The couple had five alpacas with them at the Palmetto Alpaca Classic and 28 at home. They are headed to Springfield, Mass., next for the North American Alpaca Show, where they hope to do just as well.
The alpaca show opened with 211 animals on hand from small farms and ranches across the country from New Jersey to Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, Virginia and Beech Island.
"Small farms need to stick together," said Tonya Urban, co-owner of Back Country Ranch in Pearisburg, Va. "This helps us build our market base, and, with this, small farms get a lot of good recognition."
The 2010 Palmetto Alpaca Classic was co-sponsored by the Alpaca Small Farms Network and by Marine Corps League Detachment 1132; proceeds from the show benefit the Marine Corps League's local charities including local NJROTC scholarships and the Augusta veterans' hospital.
The show consisted of a competition for shorn fleeces and a show ring for animals on the halter; judging is 60 percent on fleeces and 40 percent on conformation - the animals' closeness to breed standards.
Back Country Kodiak took first place in the true black juvenile category, even though his fleece looks brown. Urban pushed aside the top layer of Kodiak's fleece to reveal the black fleece underneath.
Tonya and her husband Mike have kept and bred alpacas for four years on their ranch in Virginia. They moved to the countryside after growing weary of their busy lifestyles.
"We just wanted a better lifestyle. I grew up on a farm; he worked on a farm. If we can help someone get the peace we have, it's worth it," Tonya said.
Their story is similar to Brian and Angela Medley who moved out of Atlanta to Hiawassee, Ga., so they could live in the mountains. They explored different opportunities after relocating and decided on alpacas. The Medleys have only been in the business for a year but took home a fourth- and fifth-place ribbon.
Joyce Hall saw the show advertised and brought her granddaughter along for an educational experience. Hall snapped picture after picture on her cell phone as Emily Boatwright trotted from stall to stall.
"They're beautiful. I could take every one home," Hall said.
"I like their color. They're soft, too. I just fed one and it tickled my hand," Boatwright said.