exporting to Europe

I have heard there are some breeders that are worried they may still have some alpacas in NZ and after 29th August, they will not be able to get them to Europe.
We can Import them to Australia for you, and we can get them to Europe, if you feel this is another alternative.
If there is anyone worried, as they have already committed.
please do not worry.
Just drop us a line or Yvonne at alpacalandgoed.

GIFT Technology

This is the way of the future.
It is also useful for screening alpacas, as he explains in the video, this test takes the enviromental aspect out of the results, giving us the true picture of the quality that will be passed on to following generations.
i have also done a very technical website on git, if you want to look at it fiurther.
All technology is a tool that us breeders can now use to help make better breeding dicisions.
Ialthough i have put this up previously i hope you enjoy it again.

GIFT.. to make this an Industry to be proud of, we all ned to have as much knowledge as we can get

aAlong Fibre variation.
Paul Valleley, producer of GIFT, Genetic Improvement Technology, tells alpaca breeders why they should be looking to do a GIFT test, and why it is so different to a normal histogram.
The gift technology is the latest tool for alpaca breeders to use to assist them in breeing selection, and dicisions.
We must all be profitable in Alpaca breeding, and the only way to be profitable, is to produce the best and most sought after fleece.
But more importantly, just doing a mid side sample is not enough.
Paul explains this a little in this video, and the Pt 2.
I am an amateur as far as videos go and i did not know how to join the two lots up, so i appolagise for any inconvenience.
To make the right breeding decisions, you must have an idea what you are breeding for.
The secret to successful alpaca breeding is to breed to what the marketplace wants.
What does the marketplace want-Ultrafine and superfine, white and lt fawn especially, with little variance across the body, across the staple, and along the fibre.
Listen to paul, and go to my other GIFT blogs, to heat more about this fantastic technology

patellas

Every alpaca has to be screened if they are going to certain countries, and some screening protocols insist on checking the patellas, in this video you can see why and how when slightly pushed aside the patella stays there, and if it is really bad it will actually lock the leg, and the alpaca, or any other animal cannotstraighten the leg without assistance, that is if it locks together.
A normal one, will go back instantly by itself.
This process of checking for the patellas, is totally painless, and the vet does not push hard, just a gentle nudge and it should go back.
This check will not break any patellas either.

alpacas are the best pets

jessie is teething

And so is his mum... her wisdom teeth are coming through, so she can syympathise with him.

There was one Photo of Dad down the Antarctic, my sister gave me a copy

As i said one of their scientific activities was to count the penguins in the rookeries, (literally thousands in each rookery), can you imagine trying to count how many of these there were.
The penguins he is patting is the adelie penguins, which are the smallest penguins in Antarctica, the largets of all are the Emperor Penguins, a very magestic penguin standing just under 5 ft tall.
What a fanscinating bird, and how they will look after their chick between their feet, ech partner will take in turns to go and fetch feed for each other and when the chicks hatch for them , and both take on the parent roll equally.
In a blizzard, or white out, they all stand there together.
I did read that the finest fibre in the world was on the penguin, and they had extremely high density which is needed to keep to cold out and keep them water proof.
I hope you like the picture.

There is still a wat to get Australian Alpacas to Europe

As in my last blog, the main plane from Aust to NZ that we use to get the alpacas to NZ has been cancelled.
This is also the only plane currently that can be used from NZ to get alpacas to Europe, Luxembourg to be precise.
The previous plane that was used to get alpacas through to Europe, did not meet the EU Importing Protocols, as it stopped in Singapore, which IS a BTV zone.
MAriah Hill has already established a proven alternative route through Canada to get to the EU, in fact, with this option i have now 4 points of departure, and 6 destinations, being direct through to Zurich, Heathrow, Frankfurt, Luxembourg, Glassglow and Geneva.
It works out slightly cheaper, less stress on the animals, as there is less testing, both in Australia, and in Canada, and the alpacas do not have to be shorn in Australia, and they stay on grass, causing less stress overall, as to get to NZ we have had to shear them from head to toe, and they were off grass for 1 month.
Our contact in Europe, is Yvonne Stienlet, from Alpacalandgoed, if you need to get information on how we work through Canada, and prices, you need to contact her, or of course myself. This means you can still get those sought after genetics.This is the team, from left, Myself (I am afraid time has not been kind to me), my son Daniel, who is always there for me, especially with keeping our vewhicles serviced, and repairs, to take the animals to the airport, At the back is my other son Andrew, he is as strong as an ox, and he always helps us load and also assists in driving the animals to the airport, Elyse, our backbone, she is the one that looks after the animals, she does everything, and if you meet her whilst she is working, she amazes everyone, Government vets from Australia, China, and Russia, are amazed of her capabilities, Lauren (and Jesse), she just oversees me and She and Jesse overlook the groups as they go for a dozen walks through the day, but i think Jesse's future is laid out for him.
And of course Rob, who is there to build, maintain, assist Elyse with the animals, and drives the animals toi the airport, and also is there to pick me up, when i am down.
YOU CAN STILL GET THE AUSTRALIAN GENETICS.

exporting alpacas via Canada now is thge most econimal way and most reliable way to europ w and Uk

Cargolux, is the main freight plane most exporters use from Australia to NZ, as it is the most economical price, and we can utilise double crates, outstripping the price of any competitor.
We have just been advised that this service is now suspended by the end of AUGUST, 2010.
WE HAVE USED CANADA AS A SUCCESFUKL ROUTE TO DATE FOR EXPORTING ALPACAS GOATS THROUGH, TO EUROPE.
ANOTHER FIRST FOR MARIAH HILL

Black Onyx

BlACK ONYX STANDS AT aLPACALANDGOED FOR MATINGS.
HE HAS THE MOST SPECTACULAR FLEECE, EXCELLENT DENSITY, AND DELIGHTFUL PERSONALITY.
HIS FIRST OFFSPRING WERE BORN IN AUSTRALIA, AND WE WERE SO PLEASED WHEN THEY TURNED TOTALLY BLACK (EARLIER POST)
WE STILL LOVE BLACK ONYX.
hE HAS DONE WELL AT THE SHOWS IN EUROPE

Gift…. on old post revisited.

Our most valuable asset to alpacas is the fleece.

We must improve our fleeces to gain income from them. This asset is the essence of alpaca breeding, and if we all breed for ultrafine fleeces, not only will we produce the best natural product in the world, but demand is still stronger than supply.

We must learn from the sheep ultrafine wool Industry in Australia, and not make the same mistakes they originally made, which took generations and decades o breed out, but now are commanding fantastic prices for their product.

We can short circuit our production very easy and quicker than they sheep industry purely because of the structure of the alpaca fibre.

The Jenny I knew

A very close friend Jenny, has not been very well for the past few months, and now is in a home, i hope she will get better, my biggest hope is that she will be the same again one day.
We had so much fun, when we went to the shows together, she was a very funny lady.
Mid life crisis, and stress are very under rated.
She has not been the Jenny we knew for a while now, and it breaks our heart to know that the Jenny we now see, will never the the jenny we once knew.
She was a great friend, and she was a great person as a second mother the girls would call on for advice from time to time.
We had many laughs together, and another fleece fanatic, we would spend hours talking about fleeces, crimp, lustre, and histograms, babies, and she knew every baby we ever had.
We still love you jenny, and we hope you recover fully, and look forward to seeing your cheeky smile, and laugh again at your accomplishments.

My dare devil son...Daniel in the red car

Wave in antartica frozen in mid-air!!

Something a bit different....

I do not know if anyone is interested in a bit of reading. it may be of interest for some.
In 1968 my father, Stan Murcutt went on an expedition on an Australian Antarctic base called Mawson, named after the famous explorer.
Here is is story, of his adventures down south.
Here is My story...My Antarctic Adventure
http://trees.ancestry.com.au/tree/5223724/person/-1485581883/media/1?pg=
i hope you enjoy reading it.
I was 13, my sister dianne was 10, Susan 9 and melinda. was 5.
It was hard for uswhen Dad was gone, My mum obtained her drivers licence, as in those days not many wives had a licence, but we were in those days living in Clayton which was the outskits of Melbourne, Then, and so far away from Flemington, where mums sister, Elsie lived, and never been on our own, These days it would be different but it was not common in those days for the father to leve a family home alone.
We had great support from neighbours.
I wish i had some photos, but Dad accidently threw them out.
I hope you enjoy the reading, it maybe a bit long 222 pages but it is something different.
remember 1968, it was very basic at Mawson, Antarctica, they had huskies, sled, they did not have the big snow mobiles you see now, there was i am told a VW, but you could not go faster than 5 kms an hour.
This Mawson base i believe is now abandoned, and a new space age base is there now.
One thing the men were sent down to do was to measure the ice shelf, which in 1968, they calculated it had shrunk 6 inches.
They did discover a water lilly, at the bottom of a frozen lake.
this is the first sign of any plant life down there.
I remember Dad saying they did go fishing, and the fish they caught down there was hideous, as they have very different looking fish, down the antarctic.
And they often had to go to far away shelfs to count how many penguins were in each rookerie, so that they could keep an eye on how the species was breeding.
These were very early days for Antarctic exploration.
He and a couple of others ventured on land that had not been travelled across in history, and apparantly there is a mountain or peak named after him down there.
I hope you enjoy something a little different.
The only way i could put this up is a link to a page i am setting up on the family tree.

I am an Elite Alpaca Breeder of Ultrafine Fleeces first, as well as an exporter

Politics is everywhere, but the alpaca industry it seems to be a real ego thing amongst some breeders.
Some breeders love to put others down.
Why it boosts their egos.
Some think they are the best in the world.
........................literally.
Egos are huge

You have to have thick skin in this industry, as if you are seen to be doing well, others will put you down......In Australia it is called Tall Poppy Syndrome.
Why do these people with huge egos put others down, no-one is a threat to them, the least me.

I would like it known, that first of all i am an Alpaca Breeder, i love the fleeces that i am breeding, and i am producing Ultrafine Fleeces.That is my aim, and i am doing well with this.
That is not to say that is what everyone shuld breed for, if they want they can breed for their own desires, and should nver be put down by other breeders.
Secondly i am an Exporter.Why, because i saw that the exporting game around 10 years ago, was not being done correctly.
When legislations were changed in NZ and Aust late 2004, others said it was too hard, but i thought i could do this.And do it right. It was hard, and still is.
Others put you down.
But i have done it right, and i am now respected by the Australian, New Zealand, and Canadian Goverment, where i have help devlope their Importing Protocols.
I have since now completed and opened up Seychelles, and The maldives, and now Thailand.
I have sent new species to countries to devlop new Industries.
I have created communication between the Eu officials and Australian biosecurity, and government.
All of these i was told at the beginning, it could not be done.
And i have done it.I am not boasting.But i am saying one, or should i say two breeders,continue to put me down.
I have been breeding as long as they have.
I am not saying these people do not breed beautiful alpacas, they do.
I am not putting them down at all.
But i am saying there are other breeders in the world, and not just Australia, that have the best interest of breeding Ultrafine alpacas.
and they are not the only ones.
They say i am not a breeder, but just an exporter.
I say to them. that if it was not for my efforts, and setting the pace for some others to export, and opening the export game to all breeders in Australia, and not just to themselves exclusively.
Those in Europe looking at importing alpacas, to their countries, look past the one who boasts, and look further afield.
There are some very beautiful alpacas, that meet your requirements.
Look past those that talk the most.
I have assisted many alpaca breeders Australia Wide to export their alpacas, and also i have exported alpacas as well.
But my goal is to breed Ultrafine fleeces consistantly, first, (also not compromising in any other breed standards), then i am an exporter, to make sure the alpacas are treated humanly, and are exported under correct conditions.
Then i am a breeder didicated in opening up new markets, not just for Australian alpacas, but for all countries to enable them also to export.
The world is a big place and really empty of alpacas.

The people that knock others, are usually those who have something to hide, knocking others takes the spotlight off them.

NEW LIFE AND MOVING ON

Winter is always a depressing time of year, and this year is no exception.
Our winter her at Mariah Hill, Nar Nar Goon, started about 2.5 months ago, with very few sunny days. The alpacas look like drowned rats, it is very cold, although no where as cold, as in the blogs I read from the UK, Europe, and Canada, & the USA.but it is always so wet.
Because of the bushfires last year, out normal mating season did not happen, and so we are having babies now in the winter.They are doig fine, but we are having to keep a very close eye on the farm. I am snowed down with bookwork, that seems to be piling up a foot higher each day, so Lauren, takes the baby for a walkabout three times a day, She rugs Jesse up, puts the plastic raincover over, and off they go.
Thank goodness i have my family to help me, as i do not know i would get through this year.
Life changes. Goals and what you have worked for.New life, crias, Jesse, Rob is what you keep going for.

You look at his little face, and he will put a grin on mine.and then i turn around, and back to another 15 hours in the office.
Sometimes i think why do i do this for others, they would not for me.
Never any thanks, never any gratitude in any way.
i keep going because, i cannot let anyone down, and though the toll is telling, i have to keep going.
Thank goodness my husband keeps a good eye on me, as I hope there is not a repeat of the beginning of this year.You feel your heart almost ready to explode.The pressure is great.
Tablets, settle it down, for a while.
Rob took me away last weekend, to try and give me a break, as i am not coping that well with the pressure.
I took my little blue computer with me we bought in Canada, and i n the bag thank goodness, was the car charger, still the canadian power point end on it.
We were going to head to Coffs Harbour, i wanted a meeting with the people we do our flights through so that i could work out different routes, and the latest flight changes, disease status of different areas the planes fly through. We were also to meet another breeder that i needed to discuss some difficulties faced with the plane schedules currently. THis did not happen.
About 1/2 hour through the journey, receive a phone call from Malaysia, i was working in the car on the computer for about 9 hours.
Rob, could see me, starting to crumble again, so we stopped at Woollongong, at least i could glance out at the water and the beautiful palm trees, and that is where we stayed for 1 extra day, whilst i tried to sort out the problem that was not.
Then in the car home back to the computer all the way home.
Rob wants to take me away yesterday afternoon, but more hassles.
Come home, babies have been born, keeping close eye on them. Jessie has been crosscutting, his teeth still none through, Lauren is doing a great Job, Cousin Alex is here also, and now is getting stronger.Life is now happier for her, she has been very depressed, and thank goodness, the kids, Andrew, lauren, Daniel and Elyse, has been a great moral support for her.
ROb, and his fatherly advise and just being there to look over her, whilst her parents are away in Africa.She now is walking around with a smaile on her face.
i go back to my office, and i keep working and working.
I sometimes do a blog, it gives me a break from the worries of the world.
Rob said last night, he will take me away today for a couple of days.
but i walked in my office this morning at 4.30am, and the pile of work i have to do, i cannot see that happening.
I wish i could be in Fiji, or Thailand, Hong Kong, or Singapore, although i would be doing work, it is warmer, pretty, and a break from our cold, wet days.
Elyse has me in her.
She keeps working and working.
She is our backbone, she comes in each morning, and gives me a cuddleI do not know how we could keep going with out her.
She is stronger than any guy that has ever worked on the place, she has know how, and common sense.
Yet she is so femanine, and a beautiful young lady.
She is knowledgable, vets ring her up for advice, if they come across things they have not seen before, these are vets, that we have not ever met.
She is there for her dad, she does the lawnsmowing round with him, she lays turd, does paving, cleans peoples places up before they sell their houses, she helps her brother from time to time, with carpetlaying, vinyal laying, she is there helping her father fix vehicles, she has half built the quarantines, she has been there every step of the way fencing the new quarantine area.
meanwhile, she is feeding babies, and keping an eye on the herd.
She is mustering the goats, she is there during quarantine treatments, and cleaning the quarantine.
She is a great girlfriend and makes sure her boyfriend has a beautiful meal, on the table when he gets home, and there for him and his family.
I am lucky to have my family around me.
Winter is always the most dismal time of the year.

Mariah Hill Illustrious

One of my favourite alpacas,

His fleece is so lustrous, it is almost blinding.

His fleece stats are just as good, and he is extremely dense, especially for his fineness.

His fleece is so aligned, and even high frequency crimp throughout.

I am so wrapped in his fleece, but this year, we have more babies displaying the same characteristics.

I ust love his fleece, and his third fleece is almost identical to his first.

Importantly, it is consistant throughout his fleece.