Here are our 6 Judges for the A-OK Shows
Jacob Hart
A-OK Alpaca Blast-Off Show—Huacaya
Halter Show—Regular Classes—Full Fleece, Bred and Owned with Championships and Judge’s Choice (minimums met)
Group Classes – Get of Sire, Produce of Dam, Breeders Best Group of Three
A-OK Rose Rock Alpaca Show
Walking Fleece—Regular Classes with Championships
Certifications: Huacaya Halter, Suri Halter, Fleece, Performance
Native to Central Ohio, Jacob has been involved in the alpaca industry since 2009, when he followed his parents into the industry at the age of 12. He first acquired his alpacas as a way for his parents to teach him about finances and investments. It was at this time that he founded Rakhel Farms.
Jacob attended Delaware Valley University (Doylestown, Pennsylvania) and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agribusiness in 2018 with the intention to apply his education to the alpaca industry.
In 2019, Jacob entered the Alpaca Owners Association Judge Training Program and became a certified halter judge in 2022. He has volunteered at numerous AOA Certified alpaca shows and served on the AOA Show Revitalization Task Force in 2020. He now serves on the Judge Advisory Committee (JAC) and as a Judge Liaison for the Show Rules Committee (SRC).
Helen Testa
A-OK Rose Rock Alpaca Show—Huacaya
Halter Show—Regular Classes – Full Fleece, Small Breeder, Bred and Owned with Championships and Judge’s Choice (minimums met)
A-OK Rose Rock Alpaca Show
Walking Fleece—Regular Classes with Championships
Certifications: Huacaya Halter, Suri Halter, Fleece, Performance
Helen 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.
Frauke Berman
A-OK Alpaca Blast-Off Show
Fleece Show
A-OK Rose Rock Alpaca Show
Walking Fleece—Regular Classes with Championships
Certifications: Huacaya Halter, Suri Halter, Fleece
Frauke resides with her husband and four children in Manhattan and South Salem, New York.
She has a background in hospitality and interior design and showed horses back in Germany.
In design school she discovered alpaca fabrics and their unique qualities. Soon after, she visited several alpaca farms which consequently inspired her to acquire her first alpaca in 2014. Ever since, she passionately embraced learning about every facet of the industry.
In 2021, she was certified to be a fleece judge and in December 2022 she completed the AOA halter certification. She feels privileged to have had the opportunity to judge several fleece and halter shows.
Frauke is enthusiastic about helping the alpaca industry continue to reach its vast potential.
Cathy Merkley
A-OK Alpaca Blast-Off Show—Suri
Halter Show—Regular Classes—Full Fleece, Bred and Owned with Championships and Judge’s Choice (minimums met)
Group Classes – Get of Sire, Produce of Dam, Breeders Best Group of Three
A-OK Rose Rock Alpaca Show
Walking Fleece—Regular Classes with Championships
Certifications: Huacaya Halter, Suri Halter, Fleece
Cathy 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.
Ken Hibbits
A-OK Rose Rock Alpaca Show—Suri
Suri Halter—Regular Classes Full Fleece, Bred and Owned with Championships and Judge’s Choice (minimums met)
A-OK Rose Rock Alpaca Show
Walking Fleece—Regular Classes with Championships
A-OK Alpaca Blast-Off Show
Performance—
Youth – Showmanship, Obstacle, Public Relations, Costume Class
Adult – Showmanship, Obstacle, Public Relations, Costume Class
Certifications: Huacaya Halter, Suri Halter, Fleece, Performance
Victoria and Ken Hibbits own and operate Alpacas By The Sea, Inc. in Montara, California. They have both worked in the alpaca industry for over 16 years. Alpacas By The Sea has been raising alpacas since 1992. They managed a herd of up 100 alpacas and have presented educational seminars for their clients that provide an excellent informational foundation for success in the alpaca business. Ken is an AOA Halter Judge. Victoria Hibbits was an ARI Phenotypic screener and they have traveled together in Peru learning advanced husbandry directly from breeders on the altiplano. They have also studied and shared breeding techniques and alpaca screening criteria with some of the worlds leading experts. They have enjoyed raising alpacas in Northern California and take great pleasure in sharing the rewards of alpacas with others. Alpacas By the Sea is located just 25 minutes south of San Francisco on scenic Highway 1 along the Pacific Ocean.
Angie Grove
A-OK Alpaca Blast-Off Show
Performance—
Youth – Showmanship, Obstacle, Public Relations, Costume Class
Adult – Showmanship, Obstacle, Public Relations, Costume Class
Sunday Funday & Education with the Judge
Certifications: Performance
Angie Grove is a mother of two, wife, Full-Time Medical Dispatcher, and 4-H Leader. She started learning about alpacas in 2010 when her daughter visited Bent Pine Alpaca Farm. Over the years her passion for the alpaca industry has grown which has led her to purchase her own alpacas and create Angie’s Alpaca Paradise. Angie’s alpacas are boarded at Bent Pine Alpaca Farm. As the owners of Bent Pine Alpaca Farm have moved into retirement, she has become the manager of the farm.
Angie has strived to learn the Youth Performance rules as youth are her main passion. She has been the Course Coordinator for her county 4-H Alpaca Show, the Pennsylvania Farm Show, and PAOBA. As she studied the youth rules and asked many questions, her relationship with Superintendent Sue Ives grew. Angie began to shadow Sue Ives for Show Superintendent and Judy Schroeder for Fleece and Walking Fleece. She attended the AOA Show Superintendent training in September 2018. Angie completed Judge Training in December 2022 for Performance Judge certification.
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