2018 01 January Newsletter

GLAA NOMINATION COMMITTEE

We need a few volunteers to serve on our Nomination Committee.  According to our by-laws, to have an election, this committee is necessary, so please seriously consider stepping up for this simple yet important task.  The only requirement is for the Nomination Committee to accept candidate letters of interest, provide the letters and ballot to the members to cast their votes and determine the winners.  If interested in serving on this committee, please contact GLAA Secretary Chris Rogers.   There are two seats up for re-election.  Any member interested in running for a seat must submit their bio to the Nomination Committee.

NEW GLAA WEBSITE

Our new website is now active.   Members are asked to go to the Member Directory, create a listing and upload their logo and photos.  Member Farms is linked with OpenHerd, so in order to appear on that page, members must create a free account with their own password and fill in the basic info.  Most farms have already done this.  The page has just been updated, so if your name does not appear, either you did not renew your membership or you do not have an OpenHerd account.  

WINTER GLAA SEMINAR RECAP

 The 2018 GLAA Seminar was held on Saturday, January 27th, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. There were 52 attendees, including 15 veterinary students from the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Veterinary Medicine. The speakers were Debbie Hoffman, representing Mazuri Exotic Animal Nutrition, and leading alpaca veterinarian and nutritionist, Dr. Norm Evans.

The morning session focused on Alpaca nutrition and its impact on alpaca health and fiber production. The afternoon session covered parasite control and breeding considerations, with an emphasis on fiber production and analysis.

Thank you to our outstanding speakers for sharing their in-depth knowledge and extensive experience with us.

Also a special thanks to the following individuals who helped made this seminar a great success:

  • DeAnna Kosanovich – DVM candidate – Universiity of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine
    o   Facilities acquisition, set-up and coordination
  • Kevin Stoer – GLAA Board Member
    o   Seminar planning and coordination
  • Chris Rogers – GLAA Board Member
    o   On-site registration
  • Jan Clingman – GLAA Board Member
    o   On-line registration, seminar lunch and GLAA website
  • Leslie Herzog – GLAA Board Member
  • o   Seminar breakfast
  • Jim Konyn – GLAA President
    o   Communications

UPCOMING EVENTS

 SAVE THE DATE!

WISCONSIN ALPACA & FIBER FEST
APRIL 28-29, 2018

Halter & Fleece Show Registration is Now Open!

The Wisconsin Alpaca & Fiber Fest is the premiere, non-profit alpaca show in the Upper Midwest.  We are proud to feature a Halter Show, Fleece Show and Spin-Off contests in addition to many fiber-focused vendors.  The show will be held April 28 & 29.

Peter Kennedy is our halter & fleece judge this year.

Registration for the Halter Show opened February 1. We have a beautiful, climate-controlled facility just 30 minutes north of Milwaukee at the Washington County fairgrounds. There is a lot of interest in the show already, and we expect the show to fill quickly.   Please see the Halter Show page on our website for more information: https://www.wisconsinalpacafiberfest.com/halter-show

If you cannot attend the Halter Show, consider sending fiber for the Fleece Show, which also opened on February 1.  Entry fees are just $35.  You can mail in your fleece, and we’ll send it back to you.

Registrations are encouraged from breeders across the country!  Please see our Fleece Show page for more information: https://www.wisconsinalpacafiberfest.com/fleece-show

Chris Rogers would like to thank all who entered the Spin-Off and wishes everyone the best of luck.  She reported that there was a total of 38 entries, so the show met the requirement of 36 entries for an official AOA Spin-Off! Judy Glaser is our spin-off judge.