As we approach our first year as true alpaca ranchers and look forward to our annual shearing, I wanted to remember our first successful clip! This article was published in the Ideal Alpaca Community Newsletter and is in their library on their website as well as on ours (http://www.laurelhighlandsalpacas.com/)…

So we all know that Mayu is a proud member of the Fair Trade Federation, but not all of us know what exactly that means. Let me give you the basics:

Fair trade is a system of exchange that seeks to create greater equity and partnership in international trading system by

• Creating Opportunities for Economically and Socially Marginalized Producers…

Pictured below is my host grandmother, Angela, who I lived with while I served in the Peace Corps. She was definitely the expert weaver! In the afternoon, she usually sit inside her kitchen and spin all-natural sheep wool that she or her husband had gathered just days earlier. They owned hundreds of sheep and used their wool to make a variety of items including much-needed blankets to keep them warm in the Anden weather. As you can, the wool comes in a variety of colors,…

We want to share an exciting volunteer activity in Trujillo, Peru, happening this summer. As a reminder, Kate lived in Peru, while working for the Peace Corps, so the location is near and dear to our hearts. Kerry Steinberg and Giovanna Ayesta started an amazing organization, VEN Peru, and are looking for volunteers for the Summer of 2010. The program runs from June…