About Us

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=84 BGCOLOR="#660000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" ><B>Sugar River Llamas</B></FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" ><B>    </B></FONT><B> </B><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#336699" FACE="Arial" ><B>  </B></FONT><B>|     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sugar River Llamas"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> <B>About Us    </B><A HREF="id18.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="News and Events"><U>News</U></A><B>  </B>  <A HREF="llamas_are_fun.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Llamas are Fun"><U>Virtual Pasture</U></A>    <A HREF="for_sale.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Llamas for Sale"><U>Llamas for Sale</U></A>   <A HREF="stud_services.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sugar River Llamas Stud Services"><U>Herdsires</U></A>.     <A HREF="sales_services.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sales and Services"><U>Sales and Services</U></A>     <A HREF="id83.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Upcoming Events"><U>Upcoming Events</U></A>     <A HREF="id20.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact Us"><U>Contact  Us</U></A></div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#336699" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <IMG SRC="238aa920.jpg" border=0 width="170" height="146" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Ali and Randolph</div> </td> <td valign="top" height=396 BGCOLOR="#AAAAAA" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I>Sugar River Llamas is a family operation.  Our first llama, Jack, came to the farm in 1992, as a guard llama for a herd of sheep.  We fell in love with Jack.  He just fit right in with the flock and our life style.  The next year, we bought Krinkles, a bred female.  Now our llama herd numbers 55 - and more crias are due this year.</I></div> <div> <I>What do we do with our llamas?  We have fun with our llamas!  </I></div> <div> <I>We hike with our llamas.  It is great exercise and a wonderful way to start the day is to go for a walk in the woods in the back of the property. We have trails cut through the pine and mixed hardwood forest just for llama walking.  Great trailing for halter or obstacle, too. </I></div> <div> <I>We shear our llamas to harvest their fiber.  There is nothing as wonderful as handspun llama fiber to knit, weave, or felt.  Wisconsin summers are very hot and humid, so shearing our llamas is also a way to help them cool off during the summer, and to keep them healthy.  And, that led to both of us becoming ILR-SD Llama Fleece Judges.  Fran is also an instructor for llama fleece judging with the ILR-SD.</I></div> <div> <I>Both Ali and Fran judge 4-H shows, county fairs, and open shows - for not only fleece, but, also halter, showmanship, and performance.</I></div> <div> <I>We take our llamas to parades, schools, day cares, and nursing homes.  It's just plain fun to show off our friendly, soft, curious llamas.</I></div> <div> <I>We show our llamas.  Ali and Randolph are both national champions.  More than half our herd have been in the show ring.  Nearly half the herd are halter champions.  Sugar River llamas has placed first in a silky/traditional class at Celebrity in Oklahoma City, OK, for the last five yearrs.  This year, SRLL Chabela place first in the young silky/traditional femal class, while SRLL Fa`iz placed second in the older silky/traditional femal class at the Celebration World Futurity. The critters are doing well!</I></div> <div> <I>We are active </I><A HREF="mailto: apply@chibardun.net" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto: apply@chibardun.net"><U><I>ORGLE (Wisconsin Organization of Llama</I></U></A><A HREF="mailto: apply@chibardun.net" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto: apply@chibardun.net"><U><I> </I></U></A><A HREF="mailto: apply@chibardun.net" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto: apply@chibardun.net"><U><I>Enthusiasts)</I></U></A><I> </I><I>members.  Ali became ORGLE's first youth board member, for two terms.  Fran is ORGLE's librarian.  We are also members of </I><A HREF="mailto: kmberg@mmm.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto: kmberg@mmm.com"><U><I>LOM (Llamas of Minnesota)</I></U></A><I>.  Fran successfully planned the first annual LOM Youth Conference in January of 2002, and continued the program in 2003.  The LOM Youth conference grew from 15 youth to 42.  Then, Fran turned over the youth to others and began an annual Fleece Show. This year will be the 5th year LOM has sponsored a Fleece Show at the LOM Winter conference.  </I></div> <div> <I>In her spare time - which isn't much, since she entered the Ph.D graduate program in genetics at UW-Madison - Ali does custom show grooming, shearing, and show ring handling.  If there are llamas, Ali is probably at the event.  </I></div> <div> <I>Fran knits, spins, weaves, felts, and generally plays with fiber.  Fran is chair of the ILR-SD Fleece Committee and secreatry for LFA.  In addition, Fran maintains LFA's website and promotes LFA through email  blasts.</I></div> <div> <I>We help new llama folks get started.  New to llamas?  Do you have a question about llamas?  </I><A HREF="mailto: fran@srllamas.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto: fran@srllamas.com"><U><I>Contact us</I></U></A><I>: If we don't know the answer, we probably know someone who does.</I></div> <div> <I>Llamas have become a way of life for the Soukup family.  It means a lot to all of us for the family to work with the llamas.  We'd like to help others to know how wonderful llamas can be - for you and your family.</I></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>