Burning of the Brand, Canadian alpaca fibers on full display at Agribition
The Burning of the Brand marked the return of Canadian Western Agribition in Regina on Monday morning.
The week-long event will feature events for all ages and is located throughout REAL District.
CEO Shaun Kindopp said the atmosphere surrounding this year’s expo can’t be compared to previous years.
“The atmosphere around here is infectious,” Kindopp said. “We are excited to be back again, Mother Nature did not want to cooperate with us, but if there is one group of people that are going to be resilient it is the people of Saskatchewan.”
Among the many activities is one called alpaca fleece judging, where alpaca fibers from all over the country are submitted and judged on their look and quality.
Kelsey Kaban owns a livestock farm in Esterhazy and has owned alpacas since 2017.
Alpacas are seen in this image. (LukeSimard/CTVNews)
She said owning the animals have many benefits.
“We sell stuff like socks, mitts and stuff like that and it's five times warmer than sheep's wool,” Kaban explained. “It actually doesn't have the allergens in it that sheep wool does so it doesn't have that itchy scratchy feeling that you'll get from sheep's wool.”
Kaban also said the wool is highly sought after and sustainable as the fiber grows back every year.
“The nice thing about them [alpacas] is they'll continue to do that throughout their lifespan, so we don't have to worry about retiring them out or anything like that,” Kaban said. “When they get older, we can still make product.”
Amanda VandenBosch has been judging alpaca fibers for over 30 years.
On an international scale, she said Canadian breeders produce a high quality.
“When we travel across the world, obviously there's lots of different regions, there's lots of different bloodlines, but breeders here in Canada have been really doing an excellent job of selecting the traits that are really valuable production traits,” VandenBosch said.
Alpaca fibre also has water-wicking abilities and is flame resistant.
Alpaca fleece is quickly gaining popularity. (LukeSimard/CTVNews)
The fibre can also be worn in cold and warm climates making it a marketable product in North America, South America and Europe.
Breeders are paying attention to those qualities that make the fiber so now you are starting to see a lot more alpaca and alpaca products on the market,” VandenBosch said.
Kaban and VandenBosch credit Canadian Western Agribition for being part of the reason alpaca fiber is becoming more popular.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.