Dear Suri Network Members,

Greetings

Summer has passed. There have been many challenges and many blessings as time continues to fly past. Shearing is completed. Fiber evaluations thru fleece shows, fiber analysis, and grading and sorting are ongoing and hopefully some, if not all, of your fiber has been sent for processing into beautiful roving, yarns, rugs and other “Simply Stunning” products. Remember that all fiber is usable, but the type of end-product for each grade is very different and needs to be considered when choosing that final product.

In August I was able to present at Education with a Destination for Suri Network and Suri Breeders. This was a great opportunity to share our love of Suris with other breeders and potential new breeders and to share what SN has to offer with the SHIP program, Suri Simply Stunning Brand and Educational events. 

Fall is here and winter is approaching with great speed. Fall shows have started and are once again providing the opportunities to see other owners and bring new breeders into the business. For many farms we are also watching the new crop of crias with anticipation and determining who might be in our spring lineup. Cannot wait to hear and see what is happening on your farm.

We are pleased to announce your 2021 – 2022 SN officers. Please help us welcome one new member – Patty Hasselbring and two returning members - Liz Vahlkamp and Beth Sheets. The 2021 – 2022 SN officers were elected in August.

2021 – 2022 SN Board of Trustees

• Beth Sheets, President
• Liz Vahlkamp, Vice President
• Karl Heinrich, Secretary
• Laurel Shouvlin, Treasurer
• Michelle Pressler, Member at Large
• Laurie Findlay, Member at Large
• Patty Hasselbring, Member at Large

We would like to thank Sue King who had served two-terms on the Board. During her terms she had been instrumental in working with AOA on the Suri Breed Standard and leading the SN with new educational opportunities and programs for the membership. Thank you for all your time, effort, and passion for the Suri breed. We look forward to continuing to work with you on several projects.

 

Mark your Calendars for upcoming events

Online Auction coming in November!

Mark your calendars for the upcoming Suri Network Online Auction. Liz Vahlkamp, Jan Heinrich, and Teri Quamme have been lining up wonderful items for you to bid upon and win, just in time for holiday gift giving. We will be sending more details by email and through Facebook in the next few weeks. The auction will run from November 8th - 29th, 2021.

Annual SN Members meeting will be Tuesday, November 16^th, 2021, at 7:00 PM EST.

This will be a zoom meeting and the information to attend the meeting will sent prior to the meeting. Please plan on attending.

2nd Webinar Series

On 4 Wednesday evenings in February 2022, we will have our 2^nd Webinar Series – “Strategically Suri”.

The tentative guest speakers include Amanda Vandenbosh, Cheryl Gehly, Andy Merriweather, and Dr. Michelle Kutzler.

Watch for more details!

 

 

Nominations are still open for the Jim Barker SN Ambassador Award and

Judy Steele Suri Network Creativity Award are needed by October 31st, 2021:

• The Jim Barker SN Ambassador Award was established in 2013 to recognize a Suri Network member who exemplifies Jim Barker’s commitment to and enthusiasm toward the Suri alpaca industry.
• The Judy Steele SN Creativity Award was established in 2017 in recognition of Judy Steele’s artistic talents and dedication to the Suri alpaca and the Suri Network.
• Please contact office@surinetwork.org for more information and to nominate someone that you feel meets these qualifications.

 

Purely Suri Magazine

The Purely Suri Magazine 2022 planning and implementation has begun. But there is still time for you to have input and contribute.

Do you have any topics of interest that you would like to learn more about? Please contact Laurel Shouvlin (laurelshouvlin@gmail.com) with any ideas.

Advertising is available. Do you have any herd sires that you would like to promote? The magazine will be out prior to most spring shows and in time for breeders to begin thinking about those spring breedings.

 

Suri Network updates

 

The 2021 Suri Network All Suri Fleece Show

We are excited to report another successful All Suri Fleece Show was completed this past July. Our competition immediately followed the AOA National Fleece Show held in Lebanon, Tennessee. We received tremendous financial support from our sponsors Peruvian Link, Macedo's Mini Acres, Derwydd Alpacas, Salt River Alpacas, Raynay Alpaca Farm, 2 Point Farm, The Alpacas of Spring Acres, Heritage Farm Suri Alpacas, Hasselbring's Harmony Ranch, Long Hollow Suri Alpacas, Big Timber Alpacas, Alpacas of El Dorado, Akuna Matada Suri Alpacas, Memory M-Acres, and Golden Spirit Ranch. Their contributions helped to keep the fleece show "in the black"!

Dawn Chew Browning did an excellent job as our show superintendent with Judy Schroeder as her assistant. They kept the volunteer team on task as Sharon Loner and Diana Timmerman worked through two hundred fleeces. Sharon judged the males and Diana judged females. You can check out the results of the fleece show by clicking on the links under the "Events" tab on the Suri Network website.

Spin-off, Fiber Arts, and Skeins were all judged in Colorado by Karen Champion. To allow fiber artists to compete at both the AOA National and Suri Network shows, the Fiber Arts and Skeins competition was held after the fleece show. The results of Karen's hard work doing Spin-off as well as the Fiber Arts entries can also be found on the Suri Network website under the events tab.

No event can run smoothly without great volunteers. We had a great team this year! The Suri Network owes a HUGE THANK YOU to Fleece Show Committee members Lisa Collura, Brenda Crum, Nancy Lindemood, and Laurel Shouvlin, along with the Fleece Room Volunteers Karl Heinrich, Yvonne Jones, Karolyn Knoll, Candy McMahan, Beth Sheets, and Mendy Stewart. Well Done Everyone!

 

Educational Events

As we all know 2021 was a year to be remembered and due to ever changing Covid restrictions we have had to postpone the live Suri Symposium and did the “March to Marketing” webinar series. We had hoped to follow up with a live Suri Symposium meeting in February 2022; however, after evaluating the current environment and other new information it was decided to delay.

Instead, we are in the planning stages to offer other educational events for 2022. Please "stay tuned" for more details:

The SN  2^nd Annual WEBINAR SERIES in February 2022. Additional details on the topics will be shared at our Annual SN meeting in November 2021.

 

Please think about volunteering for one (or more) of our educational planning groups. Each educational event will be a focused and time-limited planning group, so your time commitment is clear. Most planning groups meet monthly via conference call. Let us know at office@surinetwork.org which planning group in which you are interested.

 

SHIP

The SHIP committee has been busy working hard for Suri Network’s SHIP program in 2021!

We are extremely excited to announce two additional classifiers who are trained and ready to evaluate your herd using the SHIP tools we have in place! We are pleased that Stephanie Glyptis and Arturo Pena along with Cheryl Gehly are available for bookings now and for 2022.

Please go to our revamped webpage (https://www.surinetwork.org/SHIP) to get your evaluation on the calendar. You have your choice as to which classifier does your evaluation. Should you have any questions about applying for an evaluation (or accessing your previous evaluation), you can contact the Suri Network’s office.

Remember, you will get the best assessment in full fleece, but the team can accommodate your specific needs. Make your bookings now!

Membership

One of the (many) wonderful things about our membership system and website is that it is a fantastic vehicle for promoting your farm and animals. As a member, you can renew your membership every year online, you can add your logo and you can even describe your farm for the online Membership Directory! You have total control!

So here are some things to think about:
What information about your farm would you like to share? Do you want to publicize your address, your phone number, your email address? You have control. If there are things you want to keep private, you can indicate that in your Member Profile. Just log in to surinetwork.org and go to your profile.

• You can even create a photo album that displays in your profile! How about an album of your farm photos? Your studs? Your beautiful cria? Your alpaca products? You can change it whenever you want!

Log in, go to your profile, and make your member profile what you want it to be.

 

Product Development Committee (PDC)

DID YOU KNOW?

The textile industry produces over one billion garments every year, or approximately 17 million tons. Of that, 2.7 million tons is recycled annually, and 11.7 million tons ends up in landfills. Additionally, 60% of the garments that end up in landfills each year are made from synthetic fibers which do not break down! Commercial textile companies are waking up to these facts and many are starting to take steps to reduce or minimize their negative impact on the environment. The Suri Network believes that U.S. alpaca growers and their products are well positioned to counter these statistics and compete against larger commercial producers.

 

As such, the SN Product Development Committee has put together a list of taking points, for our members, that allow you to tackle questions from farm visitors when questions about sustainability arise. You may also choose to use this information as part of your marketing plan for the sale of animals or products.

 

Over the next several editions of the SN newsletter, we will delve into more detail on several of the talking points to better familiarize our members with the world of textile sustainability. We will have a talking points document on the SN website soon!

Are you interested in helping with research in alpacas? Here is an opportunity.

Many of you are familiar with Dr. Andy Merriwether and his research with alpacas. He is currently looking for blood samples to map the Suri phenotype. If you want to participate, please contact Dr. Merriwether for more details at:

 

D. Andrew Merriwether, Ph.D.
Professor of Anthropology and Biology
Chair of Anthropology
Binghamton University
Binghamton, NY 13902-6000

andym@binghamton.edu

 

In conclusion, we are so excited to bring more educational information to our members thru The Purely Suri Magazine, Educational events – webinars, symposiums, and other venues and through our committees providing new information.

Remember to mark your calendars and join us November 16, 2021, at 7:00 PM EST for our annual update.