The Great Midwest Alpaca Festival Seminars

updated 4/30/10
contact the webmaster

Steve Doyle, Seminar Coordinator
608-783-1204

• Seminars will be held in the Coliseum Club room, mezzanine level of the coliseum.

• There will be a drawing for a vendor gift certificate for all attendees.

• Free and open to the public

Information here for reference only -- will change for 2011

Saturday
10:00 – 11:00 Mike Kovacs, CPA “Tax and Financial Aspects of Alpaca Breeding”
11:00 – 12:00 Dr. Lynn Peterson, DVM “Alpaca Health 101”
1:00 - 2:00 Wade Gease “How to start in Alpacas” (beginner audiences)
2:15 - 2:45 Wade Gease “Alpaca Fiber Coop, Got Fleece!” (all audiences)
3:30 – 4:30 Dr. Lynn Peterson, DVM “Internal Parasites – A new look at an old problem. Identifying, treating and controlling.”

Sunday
10:30 – 12:00 Mike Kovacs, CPA and Dr. Lynn Peterson, DVM “Alpacas 101 – Q&A”

About the Speakers

• Wade Gease is an AOBA certified alpaca judge, judge trainer, presenter and consultant. Wade has judged & presented throughout the United States and Canada. Wade is also a certified Camelid Fibre Sorter from Olds College Natural Fibre Centre, Canada. Presently he serves on the board for the Great Lakes Alpaca Association and is the research and development director for AFCNA, Alpaca Fiber Cooperative of North America. He has been co-owner of LondonDairy Alpacas and Alpaca Threads gift store since 1997. Wade is honored to be involved with so many different activities in the alpaca world: speaking for educational events, consulting for auctions, evaluating for private alpaca breeders and in organizing eight past private trips to Peru.

• Michael J. Kovacs has served as an accountant for closely-held businesses for more than twenty years. He is a shareholder in the Chicago based CPA firm, Ostrow Reisin Berk & Abrams, Ltd. Mike specializes in providing audit, tax, and business consulting services to mid-sized companies in a variety of industries, including real estate, hospitality, construction, and financial services. Away from the office, Mike is a partner in Tiskilwa Farms Alpacas. With a herd of more than 125 animals, Mike is well versed in the tax and financial aspects of breeding alpacas. Mike is a member of the Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association, the Alpaca Registry, the Illinois Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association, and the Peru based International Alpaca Association.

• Dr. Lynn Peterson graduated from Purdue School of Veterinary Medicine and has been in private practice in Wisconsin for 15 years. About 20 percent of his time is spent working with camelids. He finds them to be interesting, challenging and fun to work with. He's attended several camelid veterinary conferences and has done extensive study and reading to learn as much as he can on how to work with these animals and understand their unique health needs.