What a wonderful AGM.  Portland, Maine is a fantastic venue!

Posted on by admin | Leave a comment

JUDITH MACKENZIE’S “DESIGNER ANGORA”

WORKSHOP JANUARY 21, 2017, Silverton, Oregon

judith-mackenzie

Judith MacKenzie has been teaching spinning and weaving most of her life. She is a renowned spinner and a frequent contributor to Spin-Off magazine. Judith writes and teaches extensively and is the author of three bestselling books and numerous DVDs. She is also passionately fond of angora, both fiber and bunnies!

Specialty Fiber Blends for Handspinners, Knitter & Weavers

In this class, we’ll cover a bit of the history of angora as a rare, exotic fiber: from Turkish cloth that was used only for royalty, to its later use both as a luxury and medicinal fabric in Europe and its spread to the New World where the fiber has been the basis for many cottage industries.

We’ll look at how both the fashion industry and artisans are using angora today. We’ll consider new markets that could be available for this wonderful fiber by creating a variety of blends. We’ll discuss what fibers blend well with angora and how the percentages of the blend affect the cloth. We’ll also discuss possible ways of using second quality fibers effectively.

Samples of cloth knit and woven and felted, yarn both handspun and commercially spun will be displayed. Judith will bring a variety of blends that are currently available and some of her own sample blends.

angora-rabbit

 

$45.00 per person, Lunch Included
January 21, 2017 *** 10 am to 2 pm *** Silverton Grange, Silverton, Oregon




Limited Space *** Register Now ***  Priority will be given to IAGARB members until December 21st.

 

SPONSORED BY IAGARB            

Contact: Catherine Fulbright 541-743-1919 | fulbrightfibers [at] gmail [dot] com

Posted on by admin | Leave a comment

img_8543
The IAGARB Co-op has completed another run of socks for its participating members. The blend is a cozy mix of 50% Prime Angora, 30% nylon and 20% superwash wool. So warm and delightfully soft. Machine washable / dry flat.

img_8534

Posted on by admin | Leave a comment

Plan to attend the Midwest Registration in beautiful Lake Geneva, Wisconsin Dec. 3, 2016. Judging will start at 9 am. As always, there will be great conversation throughout the day. Please bring your own lunch. After clean up, we will enjoy dinner together at Crandle’s.
Please email Rosalie for directions to the residence. Hope to see you there!

 

img_3895

Posted on by admin | Leave a comment
Silver Blizzard Filling Single Ply Cones

Silver Blizzard Filling Single Ply Cones

As anticipated, when I checked in our fiber at Zeilingers, I was in the presence of over 200 pounds of IAGARB prime, synchronized, free falling angora wool! More than a third of that was coloured angora. It was a spectacular site!

These are photos of our Silver Blizzard / Silver Ice yarns on the spinning frame. I find these images very exciting. Not just because I love angora but also because the proof really is in the puddin’. Everything we do in IAGARB is aimed towards an efficient and humane conversion of wool to product.

The Proof is In the Pudding!

The Proof is In the Pudding!

 

Posted on by admin | Leave a comment

Some Highlights from the 2016 IAGARB Annual General Meeting

This gallery contains 15 photos.

More Galleries | Leave a comment

THE 2016 IAGARB AGM

LABADIE, MISSOURI

rosalie farm

AGM SCHEDULE

Thursday, April 14:

    12:00 pm:  Advanced Rabbit Registration Testing

For those arriving early, there will be the opportunity to test rabbits for registration.  All registration testing will be held at Rosalie’s farm in Labadie.  Feel free to come and watch if you like.

If you plan on testing rabbits on Thursday, please let Erin Maclean, Registration Secretary know as soon as possible.

    5:00-ish:  Meet and Greet Social

    Dinner on our own 

 Friday, April 15:

    10 am to 4 pm:   Registration Testing 

    11 am to 12:30 pm:  Judges Seminar, Focus on Standard

    1:30 to 2:30:  Judges Seminar, Focus on Wool

    5 pm to 6 pm:  Dr. David Messina “German Angora Gene Sequencing”

 

Saturday, April 16:

    10 am to 4 pm:  Rabbit Registration Testing

    9 am to 4 pm:  Angora Dyeing Workshop with Rosalie

    10 am to 4 pm:  Judges Test

    4 pm:  Clean Up

    6 pm:  Farm to Fork Dinner with Chef Guthier at the Farm

 

Sunday, April 17:

    9 am to 12 pm:   IAGARB General Meeting and Awards to 1 pm

    12 pm  to 1 pm:  Lunch

    1 pm to 3 pm:  Guest Speaker, Ken Gossard,  “Hands on Rabbit Insemination”

 

 

WORKSHOP  INFORMATION 

The IAGARB JUDGE’S SEMINAR

Molly, demonstrating her expert judges knowledge during her Triennial Judges retesting.

Every time you select your rabbits for breeding, every time you buy a rabbit and every time you decide which rabbit in a litter to keep and which one to sell – you become the judge of your own rabbitry.

This is a class offered to all of our members. It is open to anyone interested in learning more about German Angoras and the IAGARB system of judging.

In this class we will learn about the history of the German Angora in Europe and how it was selected over decades to be the wool producing Uber-Angora admired around the world for its superior fiber production. You will learn about the German goal setting system of quantifiable evaluation.

We will move step by step through the procedures of an IAGARB judging and registration. You will be better prepared to participate in our performance testing. As well, this information will help to conduct similar daily assessments in your own barn.

Fee for Class: $30.

JUDGES TEST

If you have been an IAGARB member for 3 consecutive years as of April 2016 and if there is a need, based on membership, for judges in your district, you may apply for the Judge’s Test.

Fee for Test $30. (The application form is attached).

 

ANGORA DYE WORKSHOP WITH ROSALIE

Full Immersion into Angora dyeing

IMG_1407

Have you ever wanted to try dyeing but were too afraid? Have you already tried dyeing fiber but have not gotten the results you wanted? What is different about dyeing angora fiber versus other animal fiber?

Come learn at this full day dye workshop. Rosalie will emphasize the low immersion technique that she has mastered over the past 28 yrs.  We will focus on dyeing Angora fiber but our discussion will encompass other animal fibers. Participants will have a full immersion experience with learning how to make dyes, prepare the fiber, and finally dye the fiber. We will dye angora fiber in its various unprocessed and spun forms and finish with dyeing a pair of angora socks that each participant gets to take home. The class is open all levels of dyers whether you are a beginner or have dabbled in dyeing.

Fee for Class:  $80 for IAGARB members, $90 for non-IAGARB members, all materials

Time :  Saturday, April 14, 9-4, with a lunch break

Place : Grand Army Farm, 1900 Grand Army Rd, Labadie, MO 63055

Phone: 314-302-7454 or 314-203-0551

What to bring and what to wear:

N-90 Mask to measure dye, a pair of gloves, towel, plastic bag to bring your socks home, 6 disposable drinking plastic cups to mix dye in, a sharpie marker, notebook, a pen, a timer.

Dyeing is fun and very physical. You should wear clothes you don’t mind getting stained, even an apron if you wish. Because there will be some amount of standing throughout the day, wear good shoes.

For lunch, there is a good sandwich shop in Labadie or you can bring your own lunch and eat by the lake.

Bring a knitting/ crochet project (in angora if you can) to show and tell while we are waiting for the dye to cook.

If you are in St. Louis or from Missouri, we would much appreciate it if you could bring your own chair.

SPEAKERS

Dr. David Messina:  “German Angora Gene Sequencing” 

Messina headshot normal 20160104

Dr. David Messina has spent the last 19 years working in computational biology and genetics. He trained in molecular biology and human genetics at the University of Chicago and Washington University in St. Louis and earned his PhD in computational biology in Erik Sonnhammer’s lab in Stockholm, Sweden. He worked for 3 years at the Washington University Genome Institute developing software used for annotation, assembly assessment, and comparative sequence analysis. Dr. Messina joined Cofactor Genomics in 2012, where he now serves as Chief Operating Officer.

No Fee.  

Ken Gossard, DVM:  “Hands on Rabbit Artificial Insemination”

Practices in Willow Springs, MO.

izzy lamb

Guest Speaker, AGM, Sunday, April 17, 1-3 pm

I became interested in Artificial insemination at a young age, watching my father using semen from bulls from 20 years prior.  This fascinated me, that genetic material could be used long after the male had passed on.  While growing older, watched as the genetics of the livestock industry gained by leaps and bounds.  With the use of AI, one can mold their breeding plan into a finely tuned program.  I have used AI in cattle, sheep, goats and also rabbits.  Picking the best males from over the world to breed to the females.

With this fascination, I continued into college to learn more about the reproduction of animals.  Ending up obtaining my Masters in Reproduction and Genetics.  While the little kid in me still begs to play mad scientists with genetics, and creating AI procedures that livestock producers can use on the farm.  I want the average person to be able to breed the best animals in the lease amount of time by the use of AI and genetic selection. Having worked with Whole Foods Market rabbit producers, I have set up breeding programs with the producers to be able to meet the demand of the marketplace.

With the use of AI, we are sharing the genetics within the co-op of producers, to create a uniform product. Dealing with the number of several thousand females in production, we are setting up EBV (estimated breeding values) system to use for mating on the females, to produce the maximum yield with the least inputs.

Growing up on a production livestock farm, I started to see the advantage of the use of AI.  Being common place in the dairy cattle world, I have taken the knowledge learned there into other species.  Rabbits with their short generations, they were the perfect animal for the gains.

After graduation with a Masters in Animal Reproduction/Genetics from University of Wisconsin, I have set out to help expose people to the use of artificial insemination in their breeding programs.  With the use of use of AI, people are able to gain faster genetic gains in the offspring in fewer generations.

Fee for Seminar:  $20 includes lunch

ACCOMMODATIONS

The Wildwood Hotel

The Wildwood Hotel

As previously announced, accommodations have been arranged for IAGARB members at the Wildwood Hotel.  All AGM events will be held at Rosalie’s Grand Army Farm, near Labadie, MO.  For reservations at the Wildwood Hotel, you can contact the hotel directly.  IAGARB has reserved a block of rooms at a rate of $90 + tx  per night.  This rate will be available to members only until March 15th.  Please book before then to obtain that special rate.  Pet friendly rooms are available.

REGISTRATION FORM

Posted on by admin | Leave a comment

THE 2016 IAGARB AGM

LABADIE, MISSOURI

rosalie farm

AGM SCHEDULE

Thursday, April 14:

12:00 pm:  Advanced Rabbit Registration Testing

For those arriving early, there will be the opportunity to test rabbits for registration.  All registration testing will be held at Rosalie’s farm in Labadie.  Feel free to come and watch if you like.

If you plan on testing rabbits on Thursday, please let Erin Maclean, Registration Secretary know as soon as possible.

5:00-ish:  Meet and Greet Social

Dinner on our own 

Friday, April 15:

10 am to 4 pm:   Registration Testing 

11 am to 12:30 pm:  Judges Seminar, Focus on Standard

1:30 to 2:30:  Judges Seminar, Focus on Wool

5 pm to 6 pm:  Dr. David Messina “German Angora Gene Sequencing”

 

Saturday, April 16:

10 am to 4 pm:  Rabbit Registration Testing

9 am to 4 pm:  Angora Dyeing Workshop with Rosalie

10 am to 4 pm:  Judges Test

4 pm:  Clean Up

6 pm:  Farm to Fork Dinner with Chef Guthier at the Farm

 

Sunday, April 17:

9 am to 12 pm:   IAGARB General Meeting and Awards to 1 pm

12 pm  to 1 pm:  Lunch

1 pm to 3 pm:  Guest Speaker, Ken Gossard “Hands on Rabbit Insemination”

 

 

WORKSHOP  INFORMATION 

The IAGARB JUDGE’S SEMINAR

Molly, demonstrating her expert judges knowledge during her Triennial Judges retesting.

Every time you select your rabbits for breeding, every time you buy a rabbit and every time you decide which rabbit in a litter to keep and which one to sell – you become the judge of your own rabbitry.

This is a class offered to all of our members. It is open to anyone interested in learning more about German Angoras and the IAGARB system of judging.

In this class we will learn about the history of the German Angora in Europe and how it was selected over decades to be the wool producing Uber-Angora admired around the world for its superior fiber production. You will learn about the German goal setting system of quantifiable evaluation.

We will move step by step through the procedures of an IAGARB judging and registration. You will be better prepared to participate in our performance testing. As well, this information will help to conduct similar daily assessments in your own barn.

Fee for Class: $30.

JUDGES TEST

If you have been an IAGARB member for 3 consecutive years as of April 2016 and if there is a need, based on membership, for judges in your district, you may apply for the Judge’s Test.

Fee for Test $30.

 

ANGORA DYE WORKSHOP WITH ROSALIE

Full Immersion into Angora Dyeing

IMG_1407

Have you ever wanted to try dyeing but were too afraid? Have you already tried dyeing fiber but have not gotten the results you wanted? What is different about dyeing angora fiber versus other animal fiber?

Come learn at this full day dye workshop. Rosalie will emphasize the low immersion technique that she has mastered over the past 28 yrs.  We will focus on dyeing Angora fiber but our discussion will encompass other animal fibers. Participants will have a full immersion experience with learning how to make dyes, prepare the fiber, and finally dye the fiber. We will dye angora fiber in its various unprocessed and spun forms and finish with dyeing a pair of angora socks that each participant gets to take home. The class is open all levels of dyers whether you are a beginner or have dabbled in dyeing.

Fee for Class:  $80 for IAGARB members, $90 for non-IAGARB members, all materials

Saturday, April 14, 9-4, with a lunch break

What to bring and what to wear:

N-90 Mask to measure dye, a pair of gloves, towel, plastic bag to bring your socks home, 6 disposable drinking plastic cups to mix dye in, a sharpie marker, notebook, a pen, a timer.

Dyeing is fun and very physical. You should wear clothes you don’t mind getting stained, even an apron if you wish. Because there will be some amount of standing throughout the day, wear good shoes.

For lunch, there is a good sandwich shop in Labadie or you can bring your own lunch and eat by the lake.

Bring a knitting/ crochet project (in angora if you can) to show and tell while we are waiting for the dye to cook.

If you are in St. Louis or from Missouri, we would much appreciate it if you could bring your own chair.

SPEAKERS

Dr. David Messina:  “German Angora Gene Sequencing” 

Messina headshot normal 20160104

Dr. David Messina has spent the last 19 years working in computational biology and genetics. He trained in molecular biology and human genetics at the University of Chicago and Washington University in St. Louis and earned his PhD in computational biology in Erik Sonnhammer’s lab in Stockholm, Sweden. He worked for 3 years at the Washington University Genome Institute developing software used for annotation, assembly assessment, and comparative sequence analysis. Dr. Messina joined Cofactor Genomics in 2012, where he now serves as Chief Operating Officer.

No Fee.  

Ken Gossard, DVM:  “Hands on Rabbit Artificial Insemination”

izzy lamb

Guest Speaker, AGM, Sunday, April 17, 1-3 pm

I became interested in Artificial insemination at a young age, watching my father using semen from bulls from 20 years prior.  This fascinated me, that genetic material could be used long after the male had passed on.  While growing older, watched as the genetics of the livestock industry gained by leaps and bounds.  With the use of AI, one can mold their breeding plan into a finely tuned program.  I have used AI in cattle, sheep, goats and also rabbits.  Picking the best males from over the world to breed to the females.

With this fascination, I continued into college to learn more about the reproduction of animals.  Ending up obtaining my Masters in Reproduction and Genetics.  While the little kid in me still begs to play mad scientists with genetics, and creating AI procedures that livestock producers can use on the farm.  I want the average person to be able to breed the best animals in the lease amount of time by the use of AI and genetic selection. Having worked with Whole Foods Market rabbit producers, I have set up breeding programs with the producers to be able to meet the demand of the marketplace.

With the use of AI, we are sharing the genetics within the co-op of producers, to create a uniform product. Dealing with the number of several thousand females in production, we are setting up EBV (estimated breeding values) system to use for mating on the females, to produce the maximum yield with the least inputs.

Growing up on a production livestock farm, I started to see the advantage of the use of AI.  Being common place in the dairy cattle world, I have taken the knowledge learned there into other species.  Rabbits with their short generations, they were the perfect animal for the gains.

After graduation with a Masters in Animal Reproduction/Genetics from University of Wisconsin, I have set out to help expose people to the use of artificial insemination in their breeding programs.  With the use of use of AI, people are able to gain faster genetic gains in the offspring in fewer generations.

Fee for Seminar:  $20 includes lunch

ACCOMMODATIONS

The Wildwood Hotel

The Wildwood Hotel

As previously announced, accommodations have been arranged for IAGARB members at the Wildwood Hotel.  All AGM events will be held at Rosalie’s Grand Army Farm, near Labadie, MO.  For reservations at the Wildwood Hotel, you can contact the hotel directly.  IAGARB has reserved a block of rooms at a rate of $90 + tx  per night.  This rate will be available to members only until March 15th.  Please book before then to obtain that special rate.  Pet friendly rooms are available.

To Register, please follow this link:

REGISTRATION FORM

 

Posted on by admin | Leave a comment

The IAGARB Annual General Meeting is scheduled for April 15 through 17 at Rosalie Truong’s farm near St. Louis, Mo. Our host hotel is The Wildwood Hotel about 30 minutes west of St. Louis and about 15 minutes from Rosalie’s farm.  All events will take place at the farm.  Check back soon for more information on workshops, rabbit registration times, special events and speakers.

The Wildwood Hotel

The Wildwood Hotel

Posted on by admin | Leave a comment
Wishing everyone a very merry season!

Wishing everyone a very merry season!

Posted on by admin | Leave a comment