Fiber Tour
Showcases Maine Studios and Farms Over 45 studios, farms (INCLUDING VILLAGE FARM ALPACAS AND SHOP) shops and galleries open doors August 5, 6, 7 Topsham, Maine - Over 45 studios and farms located across Maine will be open to the public for a Fiber Arts Tour Weekend, August 5, 6, and 7 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. This special three-day weekend, sponsored by statewide nonprofit Maine Fiberarts, is a chance to visit working studios and farms and to take part in demonstrations, workshops, studio tours, children’s crafts, and farm living. Weekend activities are free and open to the public and include: a new yarn shop in Millinocket, a Pygora goat farm in Argyle Township, a feltmaker’s studio in Garland, natural dye demonstrations in Lovell, and a rug hooking studio on Westport Island. Hand-dyed yarns, cashmere fiber, collectible art quilts, needlework images, and freshly-shorn fleeces can all be discovered during the three-day event. Complete information has been posted at www.mainefiberarts.org, with site descriptions, photos, driving directions, web links, and contact info for each site. A list of craft demonstrations offered during the Fiber Arts Tour Weekend has also been posted to help people plan their own itineraries. Printed 2011 Weekend Brochures listing all participants can be obtained at Maine Fiberarts in Topsham, Halcyon Yarn in Bath, or at participating sites. “Our Fiber Arts Tour Weekend is a wonderful way to step inside a working studio or farm and see how craft is made. Thousands of people toured studios in past years, and we are pleased to host this event annually—always the first weekend in August,” says Christine Macchi, Executive Director of Maine Fiberarts. “Last time, Weekend participants sold artwork, met neighbors, showed off farm animals and products, talked shopped, and made some long-lasting contacts. This is a great way to get to know Maine’s vibrant fiber scene.” Fiber Arts Tour Weekend provides a time when visitors can rely on finding studios and farms open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. for all three days. In addition to this event, visitors may use the Maine Fiberarts Tour Map throughout the year to visit 134 sites on a “call-ahead” basis. The Tour Map can be picked up at Maine State Visitor Information Centers or at Maine Fiberarts,13 Main Street, Topsham 04086. Maps can also be mailed for a small fee by calling 207-721-0678.
Rachel Ray Loves Alpacas
Alpacas will once again be the focus of mainstream media! Tentatively scheduled to air Wednesday, July 13, Bill and Elizabeth Johnson of Abenaki Acres Farm in Stockton, NJ will be on the Rachel Ray Show with their very special alpaca, Gwendolyn, and her son, Wawasinno. Be sure to check the show's website http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/ that week for your local listings. As always, we will let you know if we hear of any changes. This show has been a long time in the making and it is sure to be more great exposure for alpacas
Katalyst Cria Wins Big
We knew that since Katalyst would be throwing his Legacy Gold genetics into his crias... that they would do very well in the show ring. Recently we sold a big package of eight female alpacas that included Moxie one of Katalyst's first female crias.
We had a transport company ship them to their new home in the Midwest... and the new owner got to work right off getting the youngest of this group registered to show. Despite not having her cria fleece tipped last summer, Moxie got third in Oklahoma in the black weanling class.
Then in Texas...she took the first place ribbon! This is the first of Katalyst's crias to be shown and we expect good show results from all the others. We have a nice fawn cria just weaned....Moxie's sister who is here on the farm and available to purchase for $12,000. Ask us about Mimosa...our little peachy colored girl out of Katalyst with Legacy Gold blood lines.
Two Great Starter Packages Offered for Fall/Winter
Here at Village Farm Alpacas we are known for our terrific "Starter Packages". For the end of the 2010 year...we have two killer packages that will get the new breeder off to a fast start with the highest quality alpacas. See our Packages page for photos and descriptions. Lock in on these for as little as 10% down and line up a big tax break for next April 15th.
First is our $22,000 Buy Two "White Heat" Females Snowblaze (White) and Airglow (Medium Fawn)--- both to be bred to our Legacy Gold boy Katalyst in the Spring.....and GET FOR FREE half interest in our "Golden Boy" Champion Aureus Magnus. You keep Aureus on your farm for half the breeding season and get half of all the stud fees generated by both farms.
Our second package is a real whopper!!!! It is our $25,000 Buy Two Breeding Females...Get One FREE.
So if you buy Boucle (Pregnant to Katalyst)for $13,000 and Airglow $12,000(White Heat out of Evander)...you get a stunning pure white yearling female Snowblaze for FREE...both girls ready to breed for the first time in the spring. Snowblaze is just knock down dead gorgeous--check her out in Breeding Females page. Also we throw in a pair of PR Fiber Males, Tucker and Masimo. This would be a breeding program with super dense fleeces just loaded with character and with the some of the biggest names in New England in the blood-lines including Legacy Gold...Evander...PPPeruvian Royal Fawn...Dreamer's Advocate.
Come visit and work out a deal with us...we will be there as mentors after the sale as well.
Clapton Places High Again
We recently sent fleeces to the Vermont Alpaca Show which has doubled in size this year and was much more competitive. Clapton already has a Reserve Championship from the New England Alpaca Festival...now he placed second of nine with a Red Ribbon at Vermont. Clapton had the finest fleece on the farm last year at 17 microns and held it with a 19 micron fleece this year. Judge Cheryl Gehly said "Fine soft fleece-well organized." She gave him almost perfect marks for character fineness handle and length. Clapton's sire is Peruvian Powerplay and his mother Bubbles is now for sale her at Village Farm Alpacas.
Boston TV Films Our Farm
The well known veteran television reporter Peter Mehegan and his cameraman for WCVB - TV Boston's ABC affiliate visited Village Farm Alpacas in Waldoboro on Wednesday May 7th this week, to film an upbeat story on the growing popularity of alpaca farming. The video clip of the entire story can be seen on our web site BY CLICKING ON THE STAR "OUR ALPACAS ON BOSTON TV" on the home page of this web site.
Explained alpaca farmer Terry Callery--
" I was interviewed about how alpaca farming can be done on a small scale to generate a large income due to the high value of Maine's growing herd. Peter Mehegan was interested to know that alpacas are light on the land - easy to feed and care for...also that they are all registered like thorough bred horses which helps to hold the alpaca's high dollar value. With just a thousand alpacas in Maine, they are still rare and still in high demand as breeding stock. Village Farm will have six baby alpacas born starting in just a few weeks. Also our herd of 25 alpacas will be shorn in early June and the fleece with be spun into yarn at NEWAIME Fiber Mill right here locally in Waldoboro...then sold in our farm store. We also filmed the garlic beds grown at Village Farm as an example of "Alternative Agriculture" that is focused on a "small is beautiful" philosophy which selects high-end specialty crops generating a much larger dollar per acre, than traditional agricultural models. Alpaca farming is the livestock equivalent of garlic as a very large dollar crop."
The ABC Chronicle feature on alpaca farming will be aired throughout New England and Eastern Canada later in May.
Village Farm Alpaca Shop is open year round -daily from 9 to 5 - and is situated just around the corner from Moody's Diner in Waldoboro.
Saga...Super Dense Jet Black Male Has Arrived At Village Farm Alpacas
He is here. Saga will be working on our farm this Spring and Summer. Village Farm now offers three top males Aureus Magnus Champion Fawn, Rampage a General Stark son who is as nice as his White Champion dad and a rock solid super dense jet black Saga. We are thrilled with Saga who is the first true black offspring of Fosters Cerveza of Sallie's Fen Alpacas--who we co-own this herdsire with. The first time we put our hands on Cerveza at Jack Dibb and Nicola Blake's farm we couldn't believe how dense his fleece was! Saga has the same solid bone on a well balanced frame and the same extremely dense and crimpy fleece with excellent coverage that has won so many ribbons for Cereveza's offspring--but in his Dam's shiny true black. Saga has won ribbons at shows in large classes including 2nd at North American 2005, 3rd at North American 2006 and 4th at the New England Coastal Classic 2005. Saga took Reserve Champion Black in Fleece as well at the 2005 NECC. Saga is settling females with commanding presence and splits his time between our farm and Sallie's Fen in Barrington, New Hampshire. We will have him at Village Farm the Spring and Summer of 2008 available for breedings.
Aureus Magnus Takes First
In the alpaca fleece competition at this year's Maine Fiber Frolic, our beautiful young fawn herdsire, Aureus Magnus, took first place. Judged by alpaca fiber expert Cindy Lavin, his fleece's awesome shear weight, super finness and serious crimp with deep amplitude was clearly the top alpaca fleece entered. Cindy commented that she was very pleased to have a fleece of this rare high quality at the show. Aureus Magnus was the Reserve Champion Fawn at the North American Show and his sire, Magnus was two time National Champion. Aureus Magnus is now standing at stud ($2,500)at Village Farm and is the core of our breeding program.
September 26 Alpaca Farming Class
Offered by...MSAD 40 Adult Eduction
At....Medomak Valley High School Waldoboro, Maine
When...Wednesday, September 26 6-9 pm (One Night)
Fee...Paid to Maine Adult Education $15
Call 207-832-5205 Susan Taylor Adult Education
Course Title ....Alpaca Farming
Course Description From Catelog
"Do you think you might be interested in raising alpacas? Join us for a dynamic presentation with Bonnie and Terry Callery of Village Farm Alpacas. Bonnie will cover the basics of how to buy, feed, pasture and take care of the animals and share her knowledge about fiber and alpaca husbandry. Terry will cover the investment, sales and marketing -the business aspects of alpaca farming."
Cutting Edge Seminar
BONNIE ATTENDS CAMERON HOLT FIBER SEMINAR--PORTLAND, MAINE, NOVEMBER 2006 Cameron Holt flew from Australia to attend a Maine Alpaca Association Seminar in November. Holt is considered to be one of the world's foremost authorities on alpaca fiber and has done extensive research into the characteristics and qualities that make alpaca fiber unique. In addition to very cutting edge information on alpaca fiber analysis, he gave his opinion on what he feels breeders should be focusing on in their breeding programs to create a strong market for the alpaca fiber industry in the US. Students were provided with the opportunity to do hands-on assessment of fleece and gained invaluable knowledge on how to judge fleece quality.
2006 Maine Fiberarts Tour Map includes our Alpaca Farm
Village Farm Alpacas will be one of 143 fiber destinations accross Maine including sheep farms, natural dye gardens, fiber processing mills, spinneries, the studios of knitters, sculptors and weavers included in a self-guided tour map produced by by Maine Fiber Arts. There will be 60,000 of these maps printed and distributed all over the State of Maine including at the seven tourism information centers. A large poster version of the map will be printed. Among the photos is a shot taken by Terry of two General Stark crias, which we sold to Caroline Ford of Houlton. Lindy Star out of Liz and Commander Cody out of Snowdrop display perfect conformation as they posed for the photo. All of the Maine sites on the Tour Map will be open to the public August 4,5,6 for an "Open Studio and Farm Weekend" including our Alpaca Farm. A web version of the Tour Map has just one alpaca photo, a head shot of our beautiful Snowdrop, and it can be acessed by going to www.mainefiberarts.org
Alpaca Shop Moved to our Alpaca Farm in Waldoboro, Maine
Just a few days before the New England Holiday Tour 2004, which about fifteen Maine alpaca farms took part in, we had a 12 x 24 building shell dropped next to the barn by a big flat bed trunk. While the primary focus of the "Maine Breeders Open Farm Weekend" in October is to show off the farm and the alpacas, the NEAOBA sponsored Holiday Tour, is more about selling alpaca yarn, roving and alpaca apparel. Village Farm offers a nice selection of imported Peruvian sweaters, capes, blankets, hats, socks and scarves. For many years, we set up shop in the barn for our open house events, which was funky and quaint, but logistically a major headache as the alpacas had to be temporarily moved out of their feeding area.
Now we have everything set up in our "Alpaca Shop" which is open by chance and by appointment here in Maine. The shop is still a work in progress, but Terry was able to put a red oil stain on the exterior to match the barn, insulated the walls, and put up shiplap boards for interior walls just in time for the Holiday event. The Shop carries some very fashionable items: long sweater coats, alpaca "fur" hats and stunning full capes
Our Alpaca Farm sends Bonnie to Help the Maine Alpaca Association
Last year, Bonnie volunteered to join the education committee for the newly formed Maine Alpaca Association. She planned and organized the committee’s first initiative: a neonatal clinic presented by the internationally renowned Dr. LaRhue Johnson from Colorado State University to 50 enthusiastic alpaca farmers and veterinarians. For many, the highlight of the seminar was the very hands-on "wet lab" where students were able to simulate natural and problem births.
Terry as Alpaca Farm Member Now Serving as Marketing Chairperson For New England Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association
Recently, Terry was asked to serve as the Marketing Chairperson for NEAOBA. The marketing committee, together with the very creative marketing firm, Breedworks, has made a set of recommendations to move NEAOBA’s marketing effort forward to the next level. This included an analysis of NEAOBA’s website and a re-design proposal. They will be working on creating "branding" for the organization as well as organizing a drive to add informative content to the site
Bonnie attends "Accredited Breeder" fiber seminar by Judge Maggie Kriegor
Bonnie is working towards becoming an "Accredited Breeder"--an accreditation status achieved through an intensive course of study offered by the Alpaca Breeders Fiber School. She recently attended a 2-day seminar presented by the esteemed judge, Maggie Kriegor, which provided hands-on experience assessing fiber and conformation.
Feature Maine Alpaca Farm article in the AOBA publication Alpaca Magazine (Herdsire Edition), Spring 2004
Read Terence's informative article (in Adobe Acrobat format) about how we built a buttress addition to our exisiting 1840 Maine Alpaca barn.
