Given the global pandemic has put life on hold for many of us you would think there wouldn’t be much to talk about but that is far from true! 2020 to now has been all go at Alpaca Evolution!
February 14th 2020 saw the arrival of the new Snowmass males and females, we are now eagerly awaiting the first of their cria this summer. We have high hopes for these males and look forward to allowing those who have expressed an interest the opportunity to get on farm and have a look at them. We probably are just a little bias, but they truly are something special.
The same day Alex went on maternity leave. The following week we saw the arrival of the newest member of the Alpaca Evolution family when Archer was welcomed into the world. Alex returned to work for an impressive 2 days a week in February 2021. Archer is already 1 and thriving, looking forward to lots of fun on the farm this summer with his parents, grandparents and of course his Godmother Auntie Shirley…not sure who will lead who astray in that particular dynamic!!
March saw lockdown come into full force on Nick’s birthday and of course like many our extra activities had to be brought to a close. We started 2020 with a flurry of wedding bookings and we now feel like many of these couples have become old friends as we exchange emails due to ongoing postponement. Our hearts really go out to them in these uncertain times.
Of course lockdown didn’t mean the rest of the work ground to a halt with the herd still needing attending to. So, masks and visors were purchased, and normal life continued on farm. Plans for a COVID-19 secure shearing took a bit of an anticipated hit when Nigel Wood met with some travel complications. With so many alpacas needing shearing there were a few nervous nights, but we knew having Nigel shear was worth the wait, so we put our faith in him and were well rewarded when shearing kicked off less than a week late. Nigel had brought two helpers with him and our usual A team of help meant the shed was able to be run as efficiently as normal but in a COVID-19 secure manner. When the high calibre of your shearer means you can actually look forward to shearing rather than dread it you know you have to take the rough with the smooth!
As usual birthing followed hot on the heels of shearing. We always get excited for the birthing season and are as guilty as the next of behaving like the first cria of the season is the first we have ever seen!! One of the greatest joys is watching the swarm of other expectant mothers’ bustle around the new arrival with gusto. The excitement is always palpable! This year we had babies due to a number of young gun males so there was plenty to get excited about.
The summer saw a host of shelters going up in the paddocks. When we came to Fair Winter one of the massive advantages was the quality of natural shelter with thick, high hedges surrounding the majority of fields. We also inherited shelters in a number of the fields. We now have only a small number of fields with only the natural shelter on offer. The majority of the fields have either permanent supplementary field shelters or access to barn space. We were able to keep all the boxes in place when installing the handling system so we are able to offer 5 star winter accommodation to all who need it whilst still allowing them to access the fields in the daytime. Storm Bella did set about one shelter in fine style but all in all we probably got off lightly!
The first of the building upgrades were completed in 2020 and plans are moving apace with the new offices and visitor centre. Shirley has encountered a few delays courtesy of the local wildlife with bats and newts featuring heavily….we will let you imagine the “witty” comments she has had to put up with but suffice to say we are thinking about a cauldron for Shirley’s next birthday.
September saw Nick leaving the BAS board. It was a deeply unpleasant and torrid time for him and all at Alpaca Evolution but we are so glad to have his focus on the Evolution herd and his friends and family. We are more than happy to benefit from the knowledge and understanding close to 23 years in this industry have brought him. It was around this time that Alpaca Interactive© was born. Alpaca Interactive© was something Nick and Shirley had been considering for some time, but the constraints of social distancing and a global pandemic added weight to just how important access online based learning is. We are offering courses on everything from fibre, Suris and EBVs to alpaca ownership. Whilst we look forward to running our on-farm courses when the rules allow and it is safe to do so we also recognise that not everybody can afford the time away or indeed travel the distances required so Alpaca Interactive© is a facet of Alpaca Evolution we look forward to developing even further.
One thing that has come as a surprise to us all is the buoyancy of sales and enquiries that we have seen over the last 12 months. It has been hard to keep up at times which has been a welcome position to be in!! We have been seeing healthy export demand too and forged some great friendships in the process. As expected, Brexit has caused issues making life a little more complicated but what is life without challenges!!
We took on a new member of staff in 2020 but sadly health problems meant they had to leave us. Losing one of the team and with a reduction in hours for Alex meant it was definitely time to re-evaluate our staffing structure. With this in mind we have recently welcomed two new staff members who will be primarily working alongside our farm manager Dutchy. Both have an enthusiasm for the animals and have already shown themselves to be caring and dedicated as they approach their new job. Hopefully some of you will get to meet Luke and Robina in the coming year as we once again are able to open our doors to the public.
We are continuing to offer Alpaca Interactive © courses and we also have plans for an on-farm castration clinic with vet Holly Ravenhall in late March or early April with dates to be confirmed shortly. If either are of interest, please do drop us a line and we will provide all the information. Sadly, we had to cancel our planned events for 2020 but we do look forward to bringing these to you in 2021 all being well so as ever watch this space!
