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Randy Strong of K-Ran Alpacas has attended l alpaca fundraisers for 17 years as a volunteer and auctioneer. Alpaca involvement has brought a great sense of community and passion to his family and life, he said.

“People are always willing to help one another, and we’re all one family,” Strong said. “The alpaca community is above and beyond anything else.”

The potent smell of hay and farm animals filled the air at the New York State Fairgrounds this weekend for The New England Alpaca Owners & Breeders Association’s alpaca show. The social, gentle animals were on their best behavior, ready to compete during the event’s main competition, when judges ranked each alpaca on categories such as its coat and overall appearance. The show also offered an abundance of trinkets, merchandise, such as small plush alpacas, and alpaca-themed home decor.

Jeffrey Jorritsma, the owner of Autumn Mist Alpaca Farm and president of the Empire Alpaca Association, has been a show competitor for 16 years.

“As the years go on, it gets tougher and tougher to get to the top, but we just got the championship on the walking fleece,” Jorritsma said.

The walking fleece, one competition category, judges how the alpaca’s exterior coat moves while it walks. The judges look for a full fleece that will be the most purposeful in reproduction and longevity.

The animals are judged out of 100 points, Jorritsma said. Half of the points come from the confirmation of the animals — the way they stand, the width, the depth and all the animal’s proportions. The other half is based on the fiber, or fleece — the fineness, density and shape of each fiber.

Barb Sodums, from Trumansburg, New York, has looked forward to this show every year since 2005 and prides herself on her friendly, “excellent” alpacas.

“We’re basically trying to improve the quality of the alpacas. Every time we do a breeding, (it’s) for a baby that’s better than its parents,” Sodums said.

The alpacas seemed to have brought together a community of people to one spot, which does not often occur, to bond over their shared love of the animals. To Sodmus, this is the most important — the “camaraderie” shared by all the farmers and breeders.

“We’re all friends and support and help each other out even though we are competitors which makes the industry so special,” Sodmus said.

Published on October 30, 2022 at 10:50 pm