News : Aulds receive national Llama breeding award

Aulds’ Lluminous Llamas of Van Horne was awarded the 2011 Small Breeder Award at the prestigious 23rd annual Celebration, LLC, World Futurity Show & Sale held in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, April 1-3, 2011. This award is given to the llama farm, that had less than 18 registered females as of January 1st, which earns the most points during the World Futurity show. The Aulds owned just 9 registered females as of January 1, 2011.

Started in August of 2006 with just 4 female llamas, Aulds’ Lluminous Llamas began breeding llamas that summer and welcomed their first crias (baby llamas) in June and October of 2007. They began showing these crias in April of 2008 where their first cria, Mercury, was awarded a Reserve Grand Champion the very first time in the show ring. Fast forward 3 years. With some acquisitions and additional locally bred and raised crias, Aulds’ Lluminous Llamas is now home to 30 llamas and 4 alpacas. The Aulds continue to show their llamas locally, regionally and nationally with their next show taking place in Webster City, IA on April 30th and May 1st. Several shows in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri and Nebraska will keep them very busy this summer. The Iowa State Fair Llama Show, traditionally held closing weekend of the state fair, is always the highlight of their show season as it has the greatest public interaction of any show at which they appear. The Aulds love to share their llamas. Outside of the show ring, the Aulds love to take their llamas on public relations appearances. You may have seen them in downtown Vinton, IA the last two years during the holiday open house weekends, or at many of the local parades in Blairstown, Atkins, Van Horne or Palo. They have taken their llamas to nursing homes, day cares, church youth groups and farmers markets. Their farm, located 2.5 miles northwest of Van Horne, is open by appointment to visits, tours and llama 101 classes. The Aulds’ main goal in raising llamas is to educate the public on the many uses of this versatile species and to dispel all those nasty stereotypes of the “mean spitting creatures” which can often be seen on the myriad of home video shows on television today. To schedule your own up-close-and-personal llama experience today, give Steve or Sandy Auld a call at 319-228-8581 or drop them a line at info@lluminousllamas.com. Individual visits to their farm, by appointment, are free. Off farm visits are free to non-profit groups and $50 an hour to for profit groups.