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AlpacaNation Q&A with Checkered Flag Fibers, LLC
Debra Gaskill
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5522 Hunter Road, Enon, OH 4323
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1.800.566.4072
AlpacaNation: How did you decide on your farm name? Is there a special meaning behind the name?
Checkered Flag Fibers, LLC: Checkered Flag Fibers mirrors Greg's love of auto racing. If you notice, each year's crop of babies have been
named for race tracks — Talledega, Charlotte, Darlington, Bristol and Richmond. We also have a Lola, named
for the racing engine.
AlpacaNation: What sets your farm and herd apart from others in the industry?
Checkered Flag Fibers, LLC: We believe that small forms offer the best opportunity for hands-oncare, great custoer service, good pricing
and diverse genetics. Unlike a number of new breeders who have no previous experience with
livestock, we can look to 10 years of 4H goat and cattle
projects as part of our learning curve.
Deb is also the advisor for the county's only llama and alpaca 4H club,
a project she worked to develop. We know what it's like to be in the barn
late at night in January working to keep an unexpected newborn alive
— we've even brought babies into the house when need be! Our experience
breeding goats has taught us what to look for in an animal's conformation.
We adore our animals and work to keep them healthy, well-fed and safe.
AlpacaNation: What advice would you give to those just getting started in the industry?
Checkered Flag Fibers, LLC: Make sure you deal with a reputable breeder and be sure you look at more
than one farm when searching for your animals. Talk to others who have
bought from a farm your considering — ask them to be brutally honest about
their experience. Would they buy from XYZ again? Why or why not?
Be sure that you have a veterinarian who is experienced in treating camelids before
those animals set foot on your property—the time to to find out your large
animal vet doesn't treat them is NOT during an emergency. Just because a vet has experience treating large animals doesn't necessarily mean they know how to treat alpacas and llamas.
Go to a number of farms: see how they set up their barns and fences, what protocols work for them in their
situation and why.
AlpacaNation: Describe your first alpaca purchase... would you do anything differently today?
Checkered Flag Fibers, LLC: We would go to more than one farm. I would make sure that I can handle the
animal I want to purchase and that that animal has been handled. An animal that has not been haltered is as
much a danger to itself as it is you the owner.
AlpacaNation: What steps did you take to prepare for raising an alpaca herd?
Checkered Flag Fibers, LLC: We built a bigger barn! While we'd had goats for a number of years, we'd let
them stay in a smaller three-sided shelter. I wasn't going to let these
expensive alpacas come in here without a warm dry place for these awful
Ohio winters.
We made sure that our pasture fences were in good condition and
subdivided our current pasture into four smaller paddocks.
We also talked to our farm veterinarian to make sure he could treat
camelids—he could!
AlpacaNation: What unique challenges do you face as a small, mid-size, or larger breeder?
Checkered Flag Fibers, LLC: As a small breeder, it's hard to compete with larger farms who can attract
more people with the starter packages, advertising and financing. We have to
rely on our reputation and quality of our animals.
AlpacaNation: What is your greatest achievement or favorite memory since you started raising alpacas?
Checkered Flag Fibers, LLC: The first reserve championship we received with Goldstock's Heritage in 2005 at the Michigan International
Lamafest sent us over the moon, but the following March when we came home with THREE reserve
championships from two animals, we knew what we were doing was right.
AlpacaNation: How do you see your farm and alpaca business growing over the next 5 to 10 years?
Checkered Flag Fibers, LLC: We are currently looking to expand our operations from a small five acre plot to 19 acres, complete with
expanded boarding and breeding facilities. The process is just getting started, but the goal is to have the
farm and house built by 2008.
AlpacaNation: Tell us about yourself...
Checkered Flag Fibers, LLC: We are Greg and Deb Gaskill. Greg is a retired (at 42) USAF officer and Deb
is a reporter/editor. Greg currently works as a contractor developing software
for the B-2 bomber and Deb works as a freelance writer after 15 years as a reporter and editor.
Deb has written two novels, The Major's Wife and Barn Burner, which are currently being marketed to publishers
through her agent.
AlpacaNation: How long have you been in the alpaca business?
Checkered Flag Fibers, LLC: We raised goats and cattle for our daughter's 4H projects from 1993-2004 and
we've had alpacas since 1999.
AlpacaNation: How did you become interested in alpacas?
Checkered Flag Fibers, LLC: Greg got interested in alpacas when he attended a farm show at the Ohio State
fairgrounds. He saw a booth there, picked up the information and we started
visiting farms. (And Deb thought he was crazy until she met her first alpaca!)
AlpacaNation: What has been your biggest lesson learned in terms of breeding?
Checkered Flag Fibers, LLC: The biggest lesson we've learned is the make certain that there is genetic
diversity within your herd.
AlpacaNation: If you could change one aspect of the Alpaca industry what would it be? Why?
Checkered Flag Fibers, LLC: I'd like to see less emphasis on marketing these animalsand mor eemphasis on developing a fiber industry
within the US. This over emphasis on marketing has led to an awful lot of folks owning alpacas who have no
clue about raising livestock and therefore creating hysteria on health matters where no problem actually
exists.
It's also very hard to sell an animal when the first question asked is "What do you do with them?"
development of a US fiber industry would go a long way to solving that.
AlpacaNation: Do you have a favorite Alpaca? Why is it your favorite?
Checkered Flag Fibers, LLC: My favorite alpacas always seem to be the one I see first that year... Last year's favorite was Sonoma Spark —
we just called him Sparky because he was sooo laid back and easy to handle. He went to a good home in
Pennsylvania.
I adore Talledega — she's so laid back and calm. I also have a special place in my heart for bright White, our first alpaca. She's an old girl now — we don't breed her anymore and I've promised her that she won't go anywhere else.
AlpacaNation: What do you tell prospective buyers who look at the small profit the alpaca fiber produces compared to the daunting prices of alpacas?
Checkered Flag Fibers, LLC: I would tell them that the US alpaca fiber industry is in its infancy and needs to be given time to develop.
When alpaca prices fall — and face it, they will, like any other item being sold in the marketplace — a good
solid fiber industry would help keep the value of these animals stable.
AlpacaNation: What has been the most helpful advice you have received from your veterinarian?
Checkered Flag Fibers, LLC: The most important thing our veterinarian ever said to us was "If you'd called
me sooner..." Don't think you can handle it alone. Don't think you're bothering
your vet. If it's an emergency, CALL ! Odd's are, you'll save your animal's life.
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