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SRS Alpacas International

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25.01.2022 SURRISSIMO worsted fabric Australian SRS alpaca breeders, Julienne and Frank Gelber, Bumble Hill Alpacas, Orange, New South Wales, have in place the genetics to produce the highest quality Suri and Huacaya alpaca. They understand the management systems to harvest, class and deliver into the production chain, high quality fibre. With their colleagues in SRS Alpacas International, SRS Merinos and SRS Angoras, they have access to commercial quantities of fibres to embark ...on a commercial venture to position alpaca wool, Merino wool and mohair as luxury fibres. The Suri alpaca fabric they have had made is exquisite. It is called "Surrissimo". Jim Watts.

25.01.2022 Glenhope have two alpacas attending une and assisting in helping Paige gain her PhD as well as looking after some sheep

25.01.2022 TRIPLE WEDGE SHAPE The alpacas we breed, like the Merino sheep we breed, are open faced and have a long, deep body which resembles a triple wedge, namely angular shoulders widening into a wide chest, a widening rump, and a rising rump. The solid hindquarters, as featured in the photo below, are suggestive that the alpacas will have good muscling and good fat cover. Both these attributes (fat and muscle) provide the energy and protein reserves for the animal to do well under tough environmental conditions. Jim Watts.

22.01.2022 Beautiful fine bundling and certainly an advanced fleece. It is so exciting to see the advances we are now making with the densities and length in our SRS alpacas. We need these highly productive fleeces to meet the demand for our fleece markets. Well done Suncloud.

22.01.2022 Here we are at East Loddon Poll Merino Stud, "Warwilla", near Hay in far south western New South Wales, Australia. The photo shows the owners, Bill, Diane and Marcus Hooke, me (Jim Watts) with some of 6,500 Merino sheep on this vast property. The sheep yards are very well-designed to allow us to handle a lot of sheep in a day's work in an efficient and almost effortlessly way.

22.01.2022 HOW SRS(R) ALPACA BREEDERS TACKLE THE GENETIC IMPROVEMENT OF ALPACAS There are 38 alpaca breeders across Australia implementing the SRS(R) breeding system. The objective is to breed alpacas that are free of guard hair, produce about 6 kilograms of 17 to 19 micron fleece each year, and are able to sustain this fleece production well into adult life.... These are big changes and the breeding pool is small. We have needed to be highly selective in our choice of herdsires. Consequently, SRS(R) alpaca breeders, who operate as a group, exchange alpaca matings, as well as offer low service fees, to ensure that the best animals available are used. As a group, we are keenly interested in knowing and using the top alpacas available in the alpaca industry. However, we do require objective data that supports the breeding performance of the animal. Alpaca breeders are welcome to join the SRS(R) Group. Contact Jim Watts, email: [email protected] , for further information. The photos below illustrate the type of animal we breed.

22.01.2022 HOW DIFFICULT ARE GUARD HAIRS TO SEE ? Guard hairs are the coarse primary fibres with hollow centres that often protrude from the alpaca's fleece. Guard hairs d...o not take dye and spoil the appearance and comfort wear of apparel, accessories, soft furnishings etc. The fleece sample (photo left) has many guard hairs protruding from the fleece tip. The fleece sample (photo right) has just as many guard hairs but these coarse fibres are not obvious from simply looking at the fleece. There are there better ways of detecting guard hair which I will explain in upcoming posts. It is very important to make sure alpaca wool that is destined for high value markets is free of guard hair. Jim Watts.

21.01.2022 Moonshine is a wonderful Wool sire that is being used widely in SRS alpaca herds in Australia. The alpaca has high fibre density and length and fibre fineness, a silky texture, and is leaving terrific progeny. The sire is very good at removing coarse primary fibres. Jim Watts.

19.01.2022 Impressive young male cria at Glenhope Alpacas. Sired by Walkley Fields Moonshine. One to watch.

18.01.2022 The Most Valuable Huacaya Fleece, with a price of $74.03 was Glenhope Primadonna. This was 6 months of growth from a 6 month old white alpaca, with an average across-fleece micron of 15.5 and a weight of 1.18 kg. Congratulations to Glenhope Alpacas.

18.01.2022 REMOVING HIDDEN GUARD HAIR This is done in alpacas we breed by direct selection for low primary diameter. Fibre inspection on the black velvet board, as shown in the post of 28 June 2014, is the first step. Measuring primary fibre diameter follows to make sure we choose the alpaca herdsires that are so.... It has been shown in Merino breeding experiments that selection for high fibre density will not reduce primary fibre diameter, even though the fleece, overall, goes finer in diameter. So alpacas like the one in the top photo, are dense, and the whole fleece is fine because the secondary fibres are fine in diameter, but the primary fibres are still high in diameter. The problem remains. Selecting for high fibre length, as shown in the bottom photo of the fleece of a Merino sheep, grown in just 7 months, will help reduce primary fibre diameter. I will explain why in the next post. Jim Watts.

18.01.2022 SRS Breeders have had a great Royal Bathurst 2014 Show, excelling in both fleeces and animals. Four SRS breeders (Kyona, Signature, Tirrikee and Bumble Hill) entered 21 fleeces out of 61 fleeces total. SRS breeders entered mainly white and fawn fleece and of the 21 fleece entered, only four fleece were unplaced. Talk about punching above your weight.... Congratulations to Kyona Alpacas who were awarded Champion and Reserve Champion Huacaya Fleece. .....and to Bumble Hill who were awarded Champion and Reserve Champion Suri Fleece. Excitingly fleece weights are starting to make a huge impact on scores for SRS fleeces. Breeding for commercial fibre is really beginning to make an impact in the fleece shows..... WOW !!!!! Then to top off a great weekend, at the Halter Show - Bumble Hill picked up 2 champions (1 Suri, 1 Hucaya) and Kyona and Walkley Fields one each in the Huacaya.

17.01.2022 The Merino sheep breeding workshop shown below is a great opportunity for alpaca breeders to learn about the breeding principles we also apply to alpacas. You are very welcome to attend. Dr. Jim Watts.

17.01.2022 In 2013 there was a co-ordinated effort to consolidate SRS fleece for potential sale to strategic partners. Every fleece is classed for fineness and inspected for strength of primary fibre before being consolidated into appropriate bales. This years event will be held on the 29th/30th of March at Julienne Gelber's property in Orange. An event invitation will be posted on facebook for those interested in attending on the Saturday. A great opportunity to witness Jim in action classing fleeces, and see some of the most advanced SRS fleeces up close......

17.01.2022 HOW SRS BREEDERS TACKLE THE GENETIC IMPROVEMENT OF ALPACAS There are currently 38 alpaca breeders across Australia implementing the SRS breeding system. The objective is to breed alpacas that are free of guard hair, produce about 6 kilograms of 17 to 19 micron fleece each year, and are able to sustain this fleece production well into adult life. In 2006 when the breeding work commenced, it was calculated that primary fibre diameter needed to be at least 15 microns finer w...hilst fibre density and fibre length would need to be doubled. This meant that alpacas would have primary fibres averaging less than 17 microns in diameter, densities of at least 80 wool follicles per square millimetre of skin, and growing fibres as long as 0.60 millimetres per day (or about 180 millimetres per year). These are big changes and the breeding pool is small. We have needed to be highly selective in our choice of herdsires. Consequently, SRS alpaca breeders, who operate as a group, exchange alpaca matings, as well as offer low service fees, to ensure that the best animals are being used. The photo below left hints at the genetic improvement that has been made. The two alpacas at left in the centre ground are low density, and now old, animals with two-coated fleeces. The other alpacas are young and display long, single coated fleeces. The photo right shows the type of herdsire we are now using in our herds. This 34 months old male with 10 months fleece growth looks very dense. The animal's skirted saddle fleece weighed 2.1 kilograms, tested 18.5 microns for fibre diameter and measured 100 millimetres in length.

16.01.2022 The triple wedge shape of the sheep's body, its open face and floppy fleece consisting of long, thin staples of bold and deep crimp is a description of the alpaca we are breeding. Jim Watts.

15.01.2022 FLEECE WEIGHT MATTERS The two year old alpaca male, Glenhope Hugo (IAR 186775), produced 5.2 kilograms of 20.7 micron fleece for 12 months wool growth. Its fibre density and fibre length are very high (68.4 follicles per square millimetre of skin and 0.42 millimetres per day respectively). The fleece is spectacular.

14.01.2022 Just received our results for the fleece competition at the Sydney Royal Easter Show. 14 fleeces were entered and 11 received a ribbon including 2 Championships... and Champion fawn fleece for the show. This has been our best result at the Royal. The sire responsible for a number of the fleeces was Suncloud Talahasi from Suncloud Farm Alpacas in Western Australia. Not only are the fleeces of a high standard but the animals are well grown with excellent conformation. See more

14.01.2022 HIDDEN GUARD HAIR In the post of 25 May 2014, the fleece sample (photo above left) was described as having many guard hairs protruding from the fleece tip. The fleece sample (photo above right) had just as many guard hairs but these coarse fibres are hidden in the fleece. The best way to find out if guard hair is present or not, when it is not visually obvious, is to draw individual fibres out onto a velvet board (photo below). A black velvet is ideal for white and fawn fleec...es. A white velvet is suitable for solid colours. It is easy to scan as many as 500 fibres from a fleece in quick time. It is very important to make sure alpaca wool that is destined for high value markets is free of guard hair. Jim Watts.

13.01.2022 Breeding high quality and abundant wools on Merino sheep is a road map of how to do the same with alpacas. These are Poll Merino rams from EAST LODDON, an SRS(R) Poll Merino stud located on the Hay Plain in far western New South Wales, Australia. The East Loddon rams are plain bodied, open faced, well built, grow plenty of wool, and wool that looks very soft. You do not need greasy fleece tips, thick staples (locks) or skin wrinkle to cut weight of wool in any environment, let alone anarid and hot environment like Hay. The 6500 Merino ewes in this flock have averaged 7.3 kilograms of 19.4 micron wool at the high yield of 74% over the last three shearings, and reared heaps of lambs. Jim Watts.

11.01.2022 Preparing fleeces for Sydney Royal Easter Show. Saddle of 2kgs of 19 micron. Silky and lustrous.

11.01.2022 Alpacas make great guard animals for sheep and goats.

10.01.2022 WOW" wool on a "WOW" sheep This fleece is from a Merino ram bred by Trevor and Sarah Ryan, owners of Richmond Poll Merino Stud, Quandialla, in south-western New South Wales, Australia. The plain bodied ram 13-579, grew this 17.4 micron fleece, weighing 6.2 kgs for 7 months wool growth at 2 years of age. The ram has a density of 76.6 follicles per square millimetre and a wool fibre length of 0.65 millimetres per day.... We have begun breeding the same type of fleece on Huacaya alpacas by using the same breeeding principles of selecting for high fibre density and length. Dr. Jim Watts.

10.01.2022 Hello Everyone, After a sad year of the passing of Jim Watts, who has made a huge contribution to the fleece quality of alpacas in Australia over the years as well as Julienne Gelber who was a great supporter of the SRS breeding system a group of us want to honour their contribution and continue the work that Jim started. To this end we are proposing to hold a get-together on the 29th of February 2020 at the Uniting Church hall in Glebe. The purpose of the day is to: 1. Revi...sit the science behind the SRS system 2. Examine the critical fleece markers for fibre quality 3. Undertake some practical assessment of fleece 4. Update on skin sampling 5. Hear about fleece markets 6. Encourage people to participate in the breeding system 7. Have a catch up with one another We are seeking expressions of interest in this event to see if it is worthwhile. The envisaged cost should be around $60 per person including morning tea, lunch and handouts. The idea behind holding it in the city is to allow for greater access for those further afield. If interested please contact Greg Crease email [email protected] , mobile 0411718666 or David Mitchell email [email protected] , mobile 0434832001. Regards, David Mitchell Greg Crease See more

09.01.2022 GOOD MUSCLING A close up of the well muscled hindquarters of an SRS(R) alpaca with its characteristic triple wedge body shape. Jim Watts.

09.01.2022 Huge congratulations to Jim on the following award. He has managed to keep it very quiet. Richly deserved. MEMBER (AM) IN THE GENERAL DIVISION OF THE ORDER OF AUSTRALIA Dr James Edwin WATTS, PO Box 2604, Bowral NSW 2576... For significant service to primary industry, particularly wool production. Founder and Chief Scientist, The SRS Company Pty Ltd. Wool industry consultant and educator. Research Veterinarian specialising in skin and fleece biology of Merino sheep, angora goats and alpacas. Developed the SRS ('soft rolling skin') method of breeding sheep by visual and objective selection that optimises fleece quality and quantity, eliminates the need for mulesing and tail docking, and increases lamb production and survival and natural resistance to fly strike. Designs and implements breeding programs on Merino studs throughout Australia. Promotes ethical treatment of animals and sustainable farming practices. SRS wool is in high demand by the textile industry. Travels around Australia conducting workshops with wool producers and mentoring research scientists and wool classers. Conference presenter; author of many articles in industry journals and newspapers. Collaborated with Itochu Wool in international processing trials of SRS wool. Sold directly to customers in Europe, the United Kingdom and Asia, proving the value of a farm to fabric alliance model. Former researcher, Division of Animal Health, CSIRO, in the 1970s. See more

09.01.2022 REDESIGNING THE ALPACA It is probably most alpaca breeders wish to breed alpacas that produce high fleece weights of fine diameter wool without any guard hair present. It would probably be everyones wish that the animals sustain this high quality fleece production well into adult life. A part of the process is ensuring that all the fleece fibres are uniform in size and shape. And there are two types of woo...l fibres in the alpacas fleece to consider primary fibres and secondary fibres. Primary fibres develop first in the unborn crias skin and form the outer birthcoat. Secondary fibres develop several months later, form the inner coat of the crias fleece and comprise about 90% of the fleece fibres. In adult alpacas, the mean primary fibre diameter averages 35 microns (range 17.3 to 58.3 microns) and the mean secondary fibre diameter 24 microns (range 13.5 to 39.2 microns). Guard hairs are coarse primary fibres of 35 microns and higher. In other words, alpaca fleeces need a lot more fibre uniformity. It is the SRS breeding objective to breed alpacas with high quality fleece production well into adult life by selecting for low primary fibre diameter (to eliminate guard hair) and high fibre density and length (to ensure high fleece weights of low fibre diameter). The top fleeces that SRS bred alpacas produce look like the one shown below. It is from a 4 year old alpaca, is 130 millimetres long and tested 17.1 microns. Jim Watts.

08.01.2022 BREEDING FOR LONG FLEECES HELPS REDUCE GUARD HAIR CSIRO researchers, Jackson et al (1988) showed that genetic selection of Merino sheep for increased wool follicle depth, mimicking thick skins, led to a rapid increase in primary fibre diameter. Thick skins are strongly correlated genetically with short fleeces. Breeding for high crimp frequency (fine crimp) will produce thick, wrinkly skins with high primary fibre diameter. ... Conversely, selecting for long fleeces with low crimp frequency (bold crimp) will produce thin skins with low primary fibre diameter (less guard hair). A long fleece has been grown in only 5 months on the alpaca in the photo below. The fleece looks silky soft. Jim Watts.

07.01.2022 Welcome to new breeders Grant and Purna from Limbri near Tamworth with 32 animals from Glenhope Alpacas in Armidale. They will continue to follow the srs breedi...ng system and incorporate their fleece into the srs collection. They have also purchased Marriglen Delta who has served Glenhope well. Delta will now be available for outside services in the Tamworth area. The name of their stud is Spring Cart Farm. See more

06.01.2022 Have our fleeces home from the Sydney Royal and going through the score cards to see how they performed. We are very pleased with the results and here a few pics of the winners.

05.01.2022 This is the high quality Merino wool, SRS(R) Merino studbreeders, Bill, Diane and Marcus Hooke, are growing in far western New South Wales, Australia, where it does not rain that often and it gets very hot. Their 6,500 ewes have an average fleece weight of 7.3 kilograms of 19.4 microns fibre diameter at 74 % yield for 12 months wool growth over the last 3 years. Jim Watts.

02.01.2022 Last weekend saw the annual SRS Fleece Bailing day at Bumble Hill Alpacas, with some absolutely exquisite SRS fleeces on show. The target is to individually class a number of 110kg bales in a range of different microns, both white & light fawn. All ready for a number of commercial partnerships currently in negotiation. As usual Jim Watts attended to individually class each fleece. The key evaluation criteria of length, elasticity, silky softness & lack of guard hair. All the ...information was recorded into a central database and will be provided back to the individual studs. Jim commented, "This year I'm seeing a dramatic improvement in the fleece quality and weights, the SRS breeding programs are really delivering fantastic commercial results". This was perhaps best highlighted with some of the cria fleeces from Glenhope Alpacas where 27 out of 30 fleeces made the bale - a great result !!!!! Thanks to all the studs that contributed with fleeces from Wyndarra, Glenhope, Towarri, Bova, Tirrikee, Walkley Fields & Bumble Hill. Hopefully we will have even more studs contributing in 2015.....

02.01.2022 Sadly it is time to sell. Feeding animals since March and with water supply dwindling we have decided to place our herd up for sale.