Mike Harnett founded Heart’s Desire Farm back in the 1990′s and was able to put together an incredible herd of more than 400 animals, before he suddenly died earlier this year.  Rick and Nancy for GSAF had been good friends of Mike and his partner Elizabeth Tricase.  When Mike tragically died, Rick was able to negotiate a purchase of selected assets from the Heart’s Desire Farm estate.  Rick asked us and the Milligan’s to partner on this acquisition, and we were excited to participate.

We have now settled into our new configuration for this exciting purchase that we made.  The animals have been allocated among our three farms/ranches and we are now each managing our own circumstance as we did prior to this ambitious purchase.  We are still partnering with Gentle Spirit for a group of the herdsires, and we have about 100 of the outstanding breeding females that we own and that reside with us here at the Ranch.

A number of these females have already produced some awesome 2011 cria for us and we are excitedly looking forward to the 2011-2012 show season to see just how nice these youngsters are. The genetics of this herd is rare and outstanding.  Mike had owned a number of the best of the Peruvian imports including many where all you have to know is one name and you recognize them in pedigrees – Leon, Felix, El Mustachio, Guillermo, and Antonio.  We have daughters of all these studs and also daughters of Bueno, Hemingway, Danko and other famous imports.  You just do not find this genetics everywhere.

We are offering some outstanding deals on these HDFC animals – co-ownerships of herdsires, three-in-one packages of outstanding foundation females, young females, and some show quality girls we will not even be able to show because we have more than AOBA allows to be shown in a single age group of a color.  We have several yearling girls that have fineness less than 15 microns and one (Batista) with an AFD of 12.2 microns.  Thats right 12.2.  She has been in only one fleece show (the prestigious Estes Park Wool Market) and her cria coat won Judges Choice Award for Best Hand.  Look for her in the 10-14 shows we will be attending from now until Nationals in Louisville, in May, 2012.

We would love to have you come see and put your hands on these outstanding new Rocky Mountain animals.  We know that a buy of one or more of these girls would improve both the genetics and phenotypes of your herds, if you are looking to improve on what you have.  Give us a call at 303-495-3705 or email us at waynedorband@gmail.com.

Bright Stars carries a lustrous soft and fine fleece.  She is indicative of the incredible genetics of the Snowmass breeding program that we are carrying on here at Mountain Sky Ranch.  You could not go wrong with having one of her crias become a foundation mom or herdsire for your program.

Her first cria, Snowmass Matrix Belvedere (Belvidere), is a gorgeous biege male. Belvidere is out of the top selling alpaca of all time Snowmass Matrix. As a very young (just barely 6 months) juvenile he got 2nd in a class of 15 at the largest alpaca show in the world in 2010 (GWAS), and he got 4th in a large juvenile class at the National Championships in Indiana.  He will be campaining throughout the country this fall and next spring.  Watch for him in the color championship classes.

Snowmass Bright Stars has been bred back to Matrix for a September 2010 cria. We are still considering our breeding options for her next cria, but would love to here from you about your thoughts, and possibly a partnership with us on her next cria.

Fall 2010 and Winter 2011 Show Results:

Second Place, GWAS 2010

Fourth Place, AOBA Nationals 2010

Second Place, Mid-America 2010

Second Place, Fall Fest 2010

RESERVE COLOR CHAMPION, Hi-Plains Alpaca Show 2010

Second Place, Hi-Plains Alpaca Show 2010

RESERVE COLOR CHAMPION, National Western Stock Show, 2011

Alpacas have been domesticated for more than 5,000 years. They are one of Mother Nature’s favorite farm animals. They are sensitive to their environment in every respect. The following physical attributes allow alpacas to maintain their harmony with our Mother Earth.

• The alpaca’s feet are padded and they leave even the most delicate terrain undamaged as it browses on native grasses.
• The alpaca is a modified ruminant with a three-compartment stomach. It converts grass and hay to energy very efficiently, eating less than other farm animals.
• Its camelid ancestry allows the alpaca to thrive without consuming very much water, although an abundant, fresh water supply is necessary.
• The alpaca does not usually eat or destroy trees, preferring tender grasses, which it does not pull up by the roots.
• South American Indians use alpaca dung for fuel and gardeners find the alpaca’s rich fertilizer perfect for growing fruits and vegetables.
• A herd of alpacas consolidates its feces in one or two spots in the pasture, thereby controlling the spread of parasites, and making it easy to collect and compost for fertilizer.
• An alpaca produces enough fleece each year to create several soft, warm sweaters for its owners comfort. This is the alpaca’s way of contributing to community energy conservation efforts.