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AlpacaNation Q&A with BLUE RIBBON FARMS
Eric & Jennifer Folkman
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11250 Aquilla Road, Chardon, OH 44024
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440-254-6304
AlpacaNation: Tell us about yourself...
BLUE RIBBON FARMS: We are a full-service farm dedicated to customer care. We specialize in breeding superb alpacas, particularly grey and brown Huacayas. We are very involved with the industry at several different levels:
1. Jennifer is sought after to be a fleece show superintendent. She has run many fleece, spin-off, and skein shows. She is also an AOBA apprentice judge.
2. Eric is President of the Board of Directors of the largest AOBA regional affiliate, the Ohio Alpaca Breeders Association (OABA).
3. Eric and Jennifer have started an alpaca transport service, primarily for shuttling animals to shows and back. We will also show your animal if desired.
4. The whole family shows like crazy.
AlpacaNation: How long have you been in the alpaca business?
BLUE RIBBON FARMS: We purchased our first alpaca in May 2001.
AlpacaNation: How did you become interested in alpacas?
BLUE RIBBON FARMS: We researched alpaca husbandry for about 4 years prior to buying any. We enjoy the lifestyle, income, and family activity.
AlpacaNation: How did you decide on your farm name? Is there a special meaning behind the name?
BLUE RIBBON FARMS: We intentionally selected sort of generic name. We didn't want something like "Folkman Alpacas". We wanted a name that reflects our breeding program. We selected the name before we ever showed, let alone won a blue ribbon. So far, we have over 200 blue ribbons, and dozens of championships. Our breeding program has let us live up to our name!
AlpacaNation: What sets your farm and herd apart from others in the industry?
BLUE RIBBON FARMS: Quite simply, our dedication to client satisfaction. We have worked hard to maintain our reputation as customer-focued, and we don't want to lose that. If there is a problem, we will "make it right".
We also include fleece-related services as a bonus to doing business with us. This is completely customizable, but typically, we will show people how to skirt fleeces for showing, or prepare samples for a 2-ounce show or spin-off. Jennifer is a nationally recognized fleece expert, and is an AOBA apprentice judge.
AlpacaNation: Describe your first alpaca purchase... would you do anything differently today?
BLUE RIBBON FARMS: Our first alpaca was a Peruvian female import, and we bought her from a large farm. We had another breeder acting as our consultant, and she told us that this particular animal was never for sale before. We bought her, and have had two excellent multiple-champion herdsires! We would not have done anything differently today.
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