Education

The region is conducting, in conjunction with Deakin University, AAFL, and Alpaca Breeders Education and Development Inc. a series of workshops and training sessions focussing on the enhancement of alpaca fibre.

The program is supported by the International Fibre Centre.

Session 1: 
"Clipping and Classing" - Shearing: preparation, techniques and post-processing for commercial use and showing

An initial one-day workshop within the program was recently held at Warrnambool at which participants reviewed the fleece on-alpaca pre-shearing and the pre-shearing preparation for best outcome.

They viewed three different shearing techniques, demonstrated by Robbie Cuthill, Jerry Kupa and Dave Websdale, and learned the art of fleece skirting appropriate for preparation and packaging for a commercial fleece processor such as AAFL.

In addition to the aspects or preparation for commercial processing, participants were led through the issues of fleece judging - whether on-alpaca in the ring or within a fleece competition, by apprentice judge Pam Baxter.

Participants were provided with copies of the AAFL Fleece Manual and the Shearing Shed and pre-classing Code of Practice.

The workshop will be followed up with other sessions focussing on Enhancing Alpaca Fibre Quality through measurement and understanding of the fibre and its characteristics during 2008 which are being supported by the International Fibre Centre and will also be associated with Deakin university's Centre for Material and Fibre Innovation.

Those future sessions will address the following issues both at the theoretical and the practical levels involving a practical workshop and lecture based training program incorporating

Session 2:

·    Fibre; greater understanding of the characteristics of alpaca fibre growth, follicle structure,  fibre structure and development; measurement for improving quality including skin biopsies, medulation, curvature factors affecting alpaca fibre value:

·    Understanding of alpaca genetics, conformational traits:

·   Fibre measurement technology, differences in outputs from various measurement systems and understanding reports, application in downstream processing of alpaca fibre and innovations to improve fibre performance in manufacture,

Session 3:

·    Stud management and breeding processes applicable to improved fibre production within their herds, breeding systems – line breeding, out-breeding etc., improving quality through AI and ET, measurement to improve stud management and alpaca selection, using fibre measurement in selection, national herd benchmarking (AGE):

 

Each of these sessions will build on the practical 'shearing day' workshop in the areas of