ALPACA BLANKET PROJECT CLOSING ITS DOORS
086 Siegmund Road, SE
Stayton OR 97383
503-551-5015 Cell 503-769-3283 Fax
AlpacaBlanketProject@yahoo.com
www.AlpacaBlanketProject.com
Press Release 10/15/12
ALPACA BLANKET PROJECT CLOSING ITS DOORS
Stayton, Oregon – 10/15/2012 – Due to health issues, Alpaca Blanket Project will no longer be collecting or sorting alpaca fiber as of the end of this year. Unfortunately, on the heels of this announcement, Pendleton Woolen Mills decided they will no longer work with North American alpaca fiber which rules out any negotiations for sale of Alpaca Blanket Project to other parties.
ABP currently maintains an inventory of its 2011 blanket designs and expects a limited number of this year’s designs to be released by the end of October. We will continue to sell the blankets for as long as they last.
Current members of ABP will continue to receive their membership discount through the end of 2012. Beginning January 1, 2013, member prices will increase marginally but will remain substantially lower than wholesale prices. We will continue to provide a lower price to our members as our way of thanking them for their years of support.
Non-members will be able to purchase blankets and scarves at a special wholesale discount through December 31, 2012. For more information, please email us at AlpacaBlanketProject@yahoo.com.
We have been astounded by the number of emails, letters, and phone calls we have received by both our members and nonmembers alike upon the announcement of our decision, and their support has been very much appreciated during this difficult time. Please be assured that we will continue to remain active in the alpaca fiber industry by providing consultation and education to promote our American alpaca fiber. We wish to thank our vendors, business associates and colleagues, and most especially our members for helping to make us one of the largest commercial alpaca processors in the United States. It has been our honor to work with you to bring your alpaca fiber to the commercial retail market and the US fiber and textile industry.
Peter and Carol Lundberg
The Alpaca Blanket Project
NEW ARI EPDs PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 21, 2012
The latest calculation of ariEPDs has been completed and uploaded to ARI’s database. This is the fourth calculation of ariEPDs and contains the largest increase in data to date. More than 15,000 alpacas had data submitted for the EPD program, which means EPDs were calculated for over 40,000 alpacas! This consists of more than 32,000 huacayas and almost 8,000 suris.
These numbers illustrate this industrys commitment to improving future generations of alpacas. ariEPDs set ARI alpacas apart from others around the world, providing information that helps ARI members make breeding and buying decisions that support rapid and effective genetic gain. The ariEPD program, representing both suri and huacaya, is helping the alpaca industry become recognized as a viable livestock industry. The advancements realized through the use of EPDs promote a successful fiber market by guiding owners in producing even higher quality fleece with desirable characteristics.
Alpacas with trait data submitted prior to mid-October 2012 have ariEPDs available on the ARI website on the individual animal record page. The ariEPD Producers Report, provided by Dr. Mark Enns of Colorado State University, will aid in your interpretation and use of the latest ariEPD results..
Additionally, some alpacas that had no data submitted, but are related to alpacas with data, will have ariEPDs recorded. EPDs are calculated up to four generations back from an alpaca with submitted data and recorded to the animal’s account. ariEPDs are NOT visible to other ARI members unless the listed owner has opted to make those ariEPDs public. This can be done for individual alpacas or on an account-wide basis in the ARI members section.
There are two websites available to utilize ariEPDs.
- Ability to view your alpaca’s ariEPDs
- Access to the ARI Herd Rank and Alpaca Rank tools
- Ability to make ariEPDs publicly visible and searchable
- Ability to search publicly listed ariEPDs (Associate and Voting Members only)
- Utilize your ariEPDs in the promotion of your alpacas
- Ability to post your alpaca’s ariEPDs and make them searchable
- Access to the ARI Herd Rank and Alpaca Rank tools
- Access to the ariLIST Mate Selector tool
- Ability to search publicly listed ariEPDs (available to the public)
Please visit the EPD section of ariACADEMY.com to learn more about EPDs and the ariEPD program. Instructions for submitting fleece samples for use in the next EPD calculation are located in this section. The forms needed for members to request Yocom-McColl to send past histogram data for inclusion in the program are also located in this section.
ARI will complete the next calculation in the fall of 2013, so plan ahead for next shearing season!