BREAKING NEWS! Vintage was Reserve National Champion Grade 1 in the 2023 IFA show! His scorecard demonstrates his excellent uniformity, staple length and beautiful production traits. We are incredibly proud of him! Unfortunately he has suffered an injury that will keep him out of the halter and performance rings but should not interfere with breeding ability. Vintage was offered as one of several young males to choose from as Lot 53 at the inaugural Education with a Destination auction. Senior judge and breeder Amanda V had assembled a little group of males from her private herd that the winning bidder could pick from. I actually wasn’t there to buy anything; I had come just for the fun and education, and to let Gavin present some of the finest alpacas in the US at the sale. I kept returning to the pen to look at this one particular fleece on display; it was beautiful. One particular alpaca in the pen kept catching my eye; he was wearing a red collar. When I learned that fleece I liked belonged to that male in the red collar, I realized this guy could help put us on the map and get our breeding program started. When I won the bidding, Gavin, who was presenting that young male, jumped up and down on the stage in excitement. I had told him he had to contain himself while on stage, but he just couldn’t help it, to the amusement of everyone watching. He threw the lead at someone backstage and ran to me, hugged me, then yelled, “Dad is going to be so mad!” which made everyone laugh. It was worth every penny to see his face. Everyone was so excited for us! Gavin and senior AOA judge Cheryl Gehly went through the pen, and that young male in the red collar was their top choice from the lot. And he’s wonderful to handle to boot! That kind, long stapling, bright white, uniform fleece fits his sweet, gentle and inquisitive personality. It’s all stacked onto a strong frame with a perfect bite and plenty of bone, topped with literally the cutest ears ever. He is so sweet and fits right into our herd. I love everything about this young male, and I am looking forward to breeding him in the future. Amanda has crossed his parents a number of times because the offspring are consistently excellent. There is only one other full brother that I am aware of in the US actively breeding, and he’s on the west coast right now. His full brother is stamping his crias with quality and character. His sire line is in the top 5% EPD for 2022. He captured a third in a deep class at 2023 MAPACA, placing there due to a difference in micron as compared to the first two. But he WON at the IFA show as his fleece is an outstanding example of a Grade 1 fleece He has crias due spring 2025, but his fee will go up once we have crias on the ground! I expect his kids to be next level.