The "Suri Strut" Fashion Show was held at the 2014 Summer Symposium. Seven North American designers had their fashions presented on the runway.  Click the link to see a photo album of the show.

The 2014 Summer Symposium and Fleece Show is now history.  Almost 70 Suri Network members attended and over 200 fleeces, spin-off samples or fiber arts were entered into the show.  Go to the show page to see the results.

The Suri Network presented a live web meeting over the internet on June 26th.

During this one-hour long webinar Suri Network board members provided updates on various projects and services we are working on this year. Some of the topics discussed were:

• S.H.I.P. Update
• Summer Symposium & Fleece Show
  
• Long Range Plan
  

If you missed the webinar, you can view the Power Point here.

The Suri Network will present the Jim Barker Suri Network Ambassador Award this year to a Suri Network member who exemplifies Jim Barker’s commitment to and enthusiasm toward the Suri alpaca industry and shares the Suri Network’s mission of promoting and preserving the Suri alpaca in North America.   Do you know of an individual who has contributed to a project, service or event that has made an extraordinary impact on Suri Network community?  Please nominate those who you feel have best modeled Jim Barker’s contributions and enthusiasm for the Suri industry!  Click here for more details.

The Suri Network presented a live internet event last night to update members on what is planned for 2014.  For those who missed the event, here is a video:

The Suri Network Product Development Committee is excited to announce the availability of two new grant programs in 2014 to support research and development in the area of Suri fiber!  Go here to learn more.

2013 All Suri Fleece Show Results are posted on the SN website. This year's show was a level 3 show of 34 classes with 168 Fleece Show entries; 3 Produce of Dam entries; and 4 Get of Sire Entries. Cottage Fleece entries totaled 38 and there were 77 Spin Off entries.

Thanks to all who participated and made this a very successful show. Also, a special thanks to the show superintendent, Freda McGill and to our excellent judges Diana Timmerman, (fleece show) and Donna M. Rudd (spin off). 

Click here to see the 2013 results.

Jim Barker left a legacy of contributions that will continue to impact the Suri Network community for a many years to come.  The Jim Barker Suri Network Ambassador Award was established to recognize a SN member who exemplifies Jim’s commitment to and enthusiasm toward the Suri alpaca industry and shares the Suri Network’s mission of promoting and preserving the Suri alpaca in North America.

The selection process involved SN members submitting nominations based on criteria that represented Jim’s commitment and contributions.  We received 12 nomination letters and after review by the committee and Jim’s wife Gini Barker, this year’s recipient was selected.  The award was presented to Dick Walker during the Summer Symposium.

 

Dick has been raising Suri alpacas for 17 years during which he has been a tireless champion of the Suri alpaca industry. He spent six years working hard as the president and a member of the Suri Network Board of Trustees.  While president of Suri Network, he was instrumental in leading the membership in development of the Suri Alpaca Breed Standard as well as setting the stage for development of EPD s. For an entire year he traveled and attended AOBA Affiliate breed standards conferences to educate the membership on the importance of having a breed standard. He helped to establish the Suri Herd Improvement Program continues to be a key advisor. For a number of years he represented the Suri community on the AOBA Show Rules Committee and was instrumental in establishing a separate Suri Show division.

He has published many articles on genetic diversity and breed standards in PurelySuri and Alpacas Magazines.  While serving as the president of the Suri Network, he brought in a consultant to help develop a “Long Range Strategic Plan” to ensure consistent and effective dialogue between the Board of Trustees, the committees, and the Suri Network membership, so that everyone’s voice would be heard.

In his own words:  “Serving as President of the Suri Network has been both challenging and rewarding. The biggest challenge is finding the time to devote to this task in an already busy professional lifestyle. The greatest reward has been the opportunity to move this industry forward by helping bring Suri breeders together. Suri Network now represents the majority of Suri breeders in the US. This Network provides a forum for accomplishing tasks that are essential to the continued success of the Suri industry, tasks that can only be accomplished by a cohesive group of dedicated individuals.”

The Suri Network is proud to offer this award to deserving individuals within our membership.  Look for the nomination process for next year’s award to begin in June 2014.