RACING TO THE FUTURE by Leah Call
The llamas at The Brownderosa in Sparta, Wisconsin, are racing to victory lane with Dr. Kristy Brown and husband Curt at the wheel. Grazing the lush pastures of this west central Wisconsin farm are llamas with names like Pocono, Talladega and Daytona. There’s an obvious NASCAR influence in the Brown’s choice of names. One can even draw a parallel between the fine tuning that gives a NASCAR vehicle edge at the track and Kristy’s selective breeding strategy that gives The Brownderosa llamas edge whether in the show ring or in a buyer’s pasture. Since first encountering llamas 15 years ago, Kristy has been on a successful ride, raising and showing two Grand National Champions. But breeding and showing llamas was not always in the plan. A great place for sheep In 1991 when Curt and Kristy Brown purchased their 150-acre farm, it’s rolling pastures, fertile farmland and wooded hills seemed ideal for raising sheep and cattle. But it was llamas that took over at The Brownderosa. Most llama owners profess love at first sight. For Kristy the attraction was on both a personal and professional level. Fresh out of veterinary school working as a dairy veterinarian for Sparta Veterinary Clinic in 1989, Kristy first encountered camelids when called to treat a down llama. That experience inspired her to learn more about camelids leading to a lifetime commitment to the well being of these gentle, intelligent animals. At that time, the late 80s and early 90s, there were a handful of small llama farms and two very large herds in the Sparta/Tomah area: one with 150 llamas and the other with 400 llamas. “I had tremendous exposure,” said Kristy. “I got involved in herd management, neonatal care and reproduction – a lot of hands-on experience that has helped with my own herd and with advising customers.”
One of only a few veterinarians in the state to specialize in camelids, Kristy now advises customers from her own practice, Leon Valley Veterinary Services, which she opened on The Brownderosa in 1999. Good bye sheep, hello llamas In 1993, four years after her initial contact with llamas, Kristy and Curt purchased their first llama, Cranberry Hobbes, as a guard for their sheep flock. In an area with a growing coyote population, The Brownderosa didn’t lose a single sheep after his arrival. Hobbes’ mannerism, curiosity and gentle way with kids captured Kristy’s interest. “It fascinated me that he could be out there stomping coyotes one minute and letting kids lead him around the next,” said Kristy. “I thought, what an amazing creature to be so gentle, family friendly and easy to handle.” As the Browns opened their hearts to these multi-faceted creatures, they opened their pasture gate to welcome their first breeding female in 1998. Devoting more and more effort to llamas, Kristy and Curt lost their interest for the sheep and cattle. Today The Brownderosa is home to 30 llamas and one alpaca gelding. The birth of their first cria, Cervaro’s Blazen Beth, named after a girl who helped out at The Brownderosa, opened the gates to another venture – the show ring. Shown by her namesake, Blazen Beth won National Champion Light Wool Female at the 2000 Alpaca and Llama Show Association (ALSA) Grand Nationals. “Beth really set the standard for us,” said Kristy, now with five years of show ring experience. Since entering the ring, Brownderosa llamas have placed in the ALSA top ten each year. In 2004, Elektrafied, carried on the legacy winning ALSA National Grand Champion Light Wool Female. “I am very proud of my light wool females and the success they’ve had” said Kristy. In 2005, Wheatfield’s Miss Elegance, co-owned with Marbil Llamas of Hammond, Wis., placed second in the Two Year Medium Wool Female class, along with four other top-ten placings. Llama Futurity Association (LFA) showing has yielded similar success with top-20 finishes in 2002 and 2003 and a top-10 finish in 2004. “Show success reinforces what we’re looking for in conformation and movement. And the competition, kept in a positive light, is a great thing. It makes you try harder –
competing against yourself to see if you can do better,” said Kristy. “I always tell people, I don’t go to the casino to gamble, I buy llamas and take them into the show ring.” A self-professed type-A personality, Brown feels comfortable with the stress of the show ring and the often frantic pace of getting to the gate on time and back home again to attend to the needs of her farm and business. “Two things keep me coming back to the show ring – the competition and the friendships. I’ve met great people and made great friendships across the country. I may not have met those people otherwise,” Kristy said. Kristy gets another opportunity to meet and mingle with llama enthusiasts through her active involvement in state associations including ORGLE in Wisconsin, Llamas of Minnesota and Llamas of Michigan. She is involved in the Suri Llama Association, (SLA), Traditional Llama Coalition (TLC), Lamas of North America (LANA) and is a lifetime member of both ALSA and LFA. Involvement in these organizations allows Kristy to stay abreast of the industry as a whole and play an active role in keeping the industry positive as it matures. She also writes a regular column for the LANA newsletter and for Lamalink.com The ALSA’s emphasis on conformation and movement is a draw for Kristy. She finds the International Llama Registry (ILR) equally important to a young growing livestock industry and is on the TLC committee. “The strength of our industry is the strength of our registry,” Kristy said of the ILR. “We need to keep a database that is current, accurate and accessible.” Good business practices Kristy speaks passionately about the importance of customer service in both her llama business and her veterinarian practice. “I try to make contact several times a year with people who buy llamas from me,” said Kristy. “If they have problems, I help with training. You’re a customer for life. If there’s a problem ten years down the road, I’ll try to help you out.” The Brownderosa’s Herd Sire Incentive Option exemplifies that lifetime customer service. The Herd Sire Incentive means a customer buying a female from the Brownderosa receives a permanent discount on future breedings to any of the farm’s three studs. That extends beyond the purchased female to any female in the buyer’s herd.
The Brownderosa herd sires are selected based on strict criteria of conformation, heavy maternal milk production, balance, strong bone and disposition. Each sire has an impressive show record, including several with a trip to Nationals. Equally impressive are The Brownderosa’s quality females. “I really see the females as the core of the program,” said Brown. “I put a lot of effort into what we buy for the breeding herd. I never buy anything with the intention of reselling it. I buy it because it fits the program. We buy the absolute best females we can afford and breed from there. So far it has worked very well.” Though the emphasis at The Brownderosa is on high-quality breeding stock and show animals, they are happy to sell a guard or pack llama or even a pet. Those with no plan to enter the show ring may not see the importance of a show record, but the experience in the ring helps the animal’s socialization and ability to adapt to a new home. Placing animals in good homes is a priority for Kristy, who adds, “If you’re going to keep breeding, you’re going to have to sell, but it’s still important that they have good homes.” Just part of the Job Instrumental in getting the Monroe County 4H llama project started, Kristy enjoys the opportunity to teach 4H kids not just about llamas, but about ownership responsibilities and respect for animals and for each other with healthy competition. From preventative care to disease treatment, teaching is also a regular part of her veterinary practice. She educates future veterinarians at the University of Wisconsin and University of Minnesota in their didactic programs and opens the clinic doors to veterinary students interested in learning about camelid medicine, surgery and reproductive health. Currently Kristy devotes about 40 percent of her practice to llamas and alpacas. “I’d love to get to the point where I work exclusively with llamas and alpacas – with maybe a handful of horse customers,” said Kristy. “It’s fascinating work. I like the fertility issues. It’s a big personal challenge when someone brings in a female that they can’t get bred, to try to diagnose why there is an infertility issue and to see if we can resolve it.”
The Leon Valley Veterinary Service has a program that allows clients to leave their females at the clinic for diagnosis and treatment of infertility issues. They can then be bred to one of the Brownderosa herd sires under optimal conditions and monitoring with ultrasound, and with any luck, go home pregnant. Team Brownderosa If she’s not at work, you’ll probably find Kristy at either a llama show or a NASCAR race. The Browns frequent smaller local tracks and travel to at least one big NASCAR race each year. The Brownderosa even sponsors a car driven by Nick Schroeder at the local NASCAR track – the La Crosse Speedway. Kristy and Curt share a love of NASCAR, but how does Curt feel about the llama business? “I have 110% of his support as long as he doesn’t have to participate,” said Kristy. “He’s quite content to sit on the deck and watch the babies play, as the show string rolls out the driveway.” Though Curt, a heating and air-conditioning contractor selling TRANE equipment, opts to stay home, Kristy and The Brownderosa llamas generally don’t travel alone. Linda, Kara and Amanda Leake of Holmen, Wis. and their llamas are frequent traveling pals to shows, sharing the work, the expenses and the fun. Chances are The Brownderosa show string will be rolling in to a show near you. And we can definitely expect to see Kristy and her llamas on victory lane once again. Make The Brownderosa your next stop online at www.brownderosa.com.