Show Judges

 

Amanda VandenBosch

Amanda VandenBosch has been raising alpacas, both huacaya and suris for 32 + years along with her family at Flying Dutchman Alpacas, LLC in Bend, Oregon, USA. Amanda travels worldwide as an International Alpaca Judge, judging and teaching on all aspects of alpacas, fiber, and end products. She has been active with many organizations and is co-author of "Art & Science of Alpaca Judging" and "Innovative Fleece Assessment Judging System" along with many research projects related to the selection, health, and well-being of the alpaca. Proud co-hosts of 16th Annual Education with a Destination Event and Stanford Livestock International, Ltd export services complimented with alpaca retail store Alpaca by Design. Amanda is passionately involved with the non-profit organization Quechua Benefit in Peru.

Amanda is an alpaca enthusiast in all aspects from selective breeding decisions and raising of high-quality alpacas to a passionate educator known for her interactive clinics and sharing of knowledge with fellow alpaca enthusiasts worldwide.

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Helen Testa

Helen Testa established Silvercloud Farm in 2001 and managed a large herd of huacayas. Helen has been very active within the alpaca community. She served as the President of the Pennsylvania Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association (PAOBA), managed the PAOBA Breeders Showcase, served on the Mid-Atlantic Alpaca Association Board of Directors, served on several Alpaca Owners Association Sub-Committees, and was founder partner in Silver Penn Sales. Helen recently joined the Judges Advisory Committee (JAC) and plans to remain active and supportive of the alpaca community.

Helen has been an AOA Certified Judge since 2007 and enjoys traveling throughout the country evaluating alpacas, offering educational seminars, herd evaluations, and sale consultations. Helen has now retired from Silvercloud Farm and she and her two children Mia and Raymond reside in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania.
 

Cathy Merkley

CathyMerkley bought her first three alpacas in 1996. In partnership with Trudy McCall, they established T ‘n’ C Farms and produced award-winning registered huacayas and suris, selling top quality alpacas to breeding programs across Canada and to the USA and the EU.

Cathy is an owner of Alpaca Naturally, Inc., a Canadian alpaca fibre and product wholesale company. Alpaca Naturally buys fibre from producers and wholesales a range of products. Cathy is the supervising fleece classer and product development and production coordinator.

After qualifying as a judge through the International Alpaca Judging School in 2001 and with AOBA in January of 2002, and judging for 15 years, Cathy took a break from judging and travel. She missed being in the ring and is very excited to be judging again after recertifying with AOA in 2023.

She certified as a fleece classer in 2004 and estimates that she has classed 30,000 pounds of alpaca fibre since then. She teaches a variety of breeder and fibre-specific workshops and seminars, including the Alpaca Sorter and Classer Certification program through Alpaca Ontario and Haliburton College.

Living in Outlook, Saskatchewan, Canada, she owns A Single Strand Fibre Arts Studio, where she focuses on the production and retail of her handmade alpaca products and teaches fibre arts workshops.

Cathy is a firm believer in the potential of the alpaca breeding and fibre industry and is committed to its growth and success.

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​​Show Photographer

 

Paulis Musteikis from Paulius Musteikis Photography is a professional portrait and headshot photographer based in Madison, Wisconsin. He has been a full-time freelance photographer for 10 years. Paulis enjoys working with and photographing people. He has a curious mind and likes to push the limits and break the rules. Originally from Lithuania, Paulius has lived in Wisconsin for more than 20 years.

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