By Katie Ryan
Now that the shearing season is nearly complete, the birthing season is fast approaching, heralding more busy months for T ‘n’ C Farms. But when you’re operating an alpaca breeding farm, when aren’t you busy?
Prior to shearing their “50-some” alpacas, the owners of T ‘n’ C Farms, Trudy McCall and Cathy Merkley, were busy with the spring show season. And it was a successful stretch for the Lloydminster-area alpaca breeding farm, so much so, that the farm proved to be one of the top breeding operations in the country.
“We went to three shows and just kept winning, it was really good,” said Merkley with a laugh.
“But the thing about showing, is that every year if you’ve done your job well, you’ve done better as a breeder and you’re going to have better stock to take to the show, but so is everyone else. Just because you won once, doesn’t guarantee you are ever going to win again.”
But, win they did. At the Edmonton Spring Show, from March 26 to 27, the farm showed four alpacas and received two first places, two second places, a colour champion and two reserve colour champions. In Brandon, from April 9 to 10, the farm showed seven alpacas and took home five first places, one second place and three colour champions, and the supreme champion female at the Spring Show. And with five alpacas, T ‘n’ C Farms won eight more awards, including two first places, one colour champion and one reserve colour champion at the Canadian National Alpaca Sale and Futurity in Red Deer.
“If you’re at a big show, if there is 140-head (of alpacas) and your alpaca does really well at the show, then it means that as a breeder you’re keeping up,” said Merkley of the results. “To do well at the show also gets your name out there and tells people, that yes, you’re raising quality stock. So if they’re shopping for alpacas, they’re going to come to you.”
The show stopper for T ‘n’ C Farms proved to be Genesis, a juvenile male alpaca that took home two colour champion awards, and is also lined up to be the next prospective herd sire for the farm.
“It was really exciting. We knew he was good, but we had no idea how he was going to stack up with everybody else’s. But as a juvenile, to take the colour champion is really pretty impressive,” said Merkley, adding Genesis’ “superior fleece” makes him stand out from the rest. Raised for their soft fleece, alpacas are sheared annually and will produce between two and 12 pounds of fleece each year.
“His mother, Whoa Nelly Furtado, actually won the supreme champion a couple of times. And she went as a juvenile, so we were hoping her first offspring would be good.”
Even though Genesis is sheared, Merkley and McCall will continue to show his fleece this summer at shows across the country. T ‘n’ C Farms’ Above and Beyonce female alpaca took several championships as well this spring and is starting her breeding career this summer.
For 15 years, McCall and Merkley have been breeding alpacas – high quality double-registered huacayas and Canadian registered suris. Friends since university, with Merkley’s lifelong interest in fibre arts and McCall’s agricultural background and animal health technician certification, the now-established alpaca farmers were looking for a new venture to work on together in 1996 when they came across alpacas.
“We were looking at u-pick berry farms, quilting, yaks, elk and ostriches, and sort of by chance came across alpacas, and said ‘Hey, wait a minute,’” Merkley said with a laugh. “We had done what research we could, we got a book from the library – this was prior to the Internet. So, we went to this farm (south of Lloydminster) and one look at them and I was completely hooked. We sat down figured it out, made a business plan and thought well, why couldn’t we make this work.”
At first, the plan was to just breed alpacas. But the neighbours, business partners and friends, realized there was so much more to the industry than making crias, baby alpacas.
“I became a judge, Trudy does shearing, and I’m a fleece classer and we teach people how to shear, sort and class their fleece. We have travelled all over the place with shows and showing our own alpacas. We have friends in the U.K., Australia, all over the United States that we’ve met from the alpaca business. And then we have our buddies in Peru,” said Merkley, who recently returned from judging a show in Ontario.
“We’ve just had amazing experiences in the alpaca industry doing way more than just breeding alpacas and selling the offspring.”
But, of course, breeding is one of the main parts of their business. And all of T ‘n’ C Farms’ offspring are given quirky musical names, which people in the industry have come to look forward to finding out, said Merkley.
Named after musician Phil Collins, Genesis’ full name is Genesis Next Generation. He is the son of Whoa Nelly Furtado, who is the daughter of Avril Lavigne On A Jet Plane, who is the daughter of Billie Take Me On A Holiday, who is the daughter of Lena On The Horn, who is the daughter of Rachel, one of the first female alpacas purchased by T ‘n’ C Farms.

“All of the alpacas are registered and have to have a name, so you might as well make it fun,” said Merkley.
With an exceptional start to the spring, thanks to their strong performance at the shows, T ‘n’ C Farms will continue to be busy, not only with birthing but also their introductory alpaca workshop, Alpaca 101. Along with several area farms, from June 18 to 19 at the Tiger Lily Ranch in Edam, T ‘n’ C Farms will offer a hands-on workshop for people with an interest in learning more about alpacas.
T ‘n’ C Farms also welcomes visitors to their AlpacaLoft Fibre Studio, which carries a full line of alpaca fibre products such as raw fleece, roving, crochet and knitting kits, yarn, spinning and weaving supplies, finished garments and more.
For more information about the workshop or to register, call 306-825-6265 or visit www.alpacafarm.ca.