Interview with Alpaca Farmgirl Diana Timmerman
This month’s Alpaca Farmgirl Interview is with AOBA Judge and Small Breeder of the Year, Diana Timmerman of Aussie Acres Alpacas.
Q. How long have you been raising alpacas?
A. Since 1994.
Q. How did you first hear about them?
A. We saw an article in the local newspaper. We went for a visit and became addicted.
Q. How did the name “Aussie Acres” originate?
A. The farm was named before the alpacas arrived. We raised Australian Sheperds and my husband, Tim’s mother was from Perth, Australia.
Q. How many alpacas do you have?
A. Currently we have 22 females, 7 young males, and one herdsire. All huacayas.
Q. You are an AOBA (Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association) Judge. How difficult is it to become a judge?
A. It takes about 2 years to complete the entire process. The thing that prevents some from going through the whole process is the cost of the apprenticeships.
Q. What do you like best about judging?
A. I like educating exhibitors. It also gives me the ability to see how the Alpaca Industry has developed throughout North America.
Q. What do you like least?
A. Having exhibitors get mad that I could not give them a ribbon, and the time away from home.
Q. You were Small Breeder of the Year in 2001 and 2006. That is such a high honor. To what do you attribute your success?
A. We paid close attention to the herdsires that we selected to improve the quality of the fleece traits and maintain correct conformation. You must be very tough with those breeding decisions and not just make a selection because the herdsire has a Blue Ribbon.
Q. What advice would you give a breeder who aspires to have the highest quality herd of alpacas?
A. Get educated! Learn about how to improve the weight [of your fleeces] but do not give up on fineness. As a fiber industry we MUST continue to improve. Don’t pay too much attention to awards won in the show ring. Remember, those awards are on that day against the alpacas at that show only. Make your decisions based on offspring, EPD’s, and what you are wanting to improve upon.
Q. You have chosen to keep a small herd. Tell us about that.
A. We feel that you don’t have to have quantity to have quality. We felt we could be more selective as a smaller farm. We wanted to spend our dollars to improve our herd very quickly. Being smaller helped with that.
Q. What do you do with your alpaca fiber?
A. We have it processed. After we sort and grade our clip we send it out within a few days depending on what we want produced. Currently we are working with another farm on weaving alpaca throws and purchasing the raw fiber to produce them.
Q. What are your thoughts on the future of the alpaca industry with regards to fiber?
A. I think as an industry we are moving in the right direction. Unfortunately, there are so many different avenues that breeders are going down that it makes it difficult for the industry to proceed at the same pace and progress as a whole.
AlpacaFarmgirl: Diana, thank you for speaking with us and giving us tips on how to succeed with alpacas. Education was really at the heart of your message. I know educating others is a passion of yours.
Diana and her husband Tim operate the Alpaca Breeders Fiber School which holds educational workshops all across the country. Diana’s next class, Alpaca Fiber Basics & Skirting for Smart Rewards will be held on January 24-25 in Fairhope, Alabama. Click for details.
