Loss of a Great Herdsire

We are so sad to share news of the loss of our foundation herdsire Powergrid on November 26, 2013.  Those of you who have been to the farm and followed our farm news and births over the years are sure to know about our fabulous Powergrid.  He gave us 13 incredible crias, some of which are now integral parts of our foundation herd themselves, and some which have moved on to other farms.  Through his personality and his incredible genetics, Powergrid has left his mark on our breeding program.

Powergrid was one of the first alpacas that formed our farm 8 years ago.  He was just 18 months old at the time we bought him and his potential was already evident.  He has always carried himself with an impressive regal attitude.  One of our first pictures of Powergrid became the image around which our logo was created.  We could tell he was special, which became even more evident as he passed on his wonderful fleece characteristics to his offspring.

We were thrilled this year to have Powergrid be recognized at the National Alpaca Owner’s and  Breeder’s Association for his incredibly consistent fiber.  His fiber has always been fine and he has passed that on to his offspring, but even more impressive has been the consistency of his fineness, measured by the Standard Deviation of the Average Fiber Diameter.  For the 2012 national data from the Alpaca Registry Expected Progeny Differences (EPD) Program, Powergrid was ranked Number One in the national herd for his consistency of fiber and the ability to reliably pass on that consistency to his offspring.  It was a great honor and confirmation of his value to our breeding program.

Powergrid’s death is a great loss to us emotionally as well as to our breeding plans.  We are so sad that he is gone, but are grateful that so many of his daughters and sons and now grandcrias are part of our and other alpaca breeding programs in Virginia and North Carolina.  We will miss him terribly, but he will always be a part of our farm through his offspring and as the alpaca on our logo.  You can see more about Powergrid and his fabulous crias here.


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