Originally printed in the Kennebunk Post

By Brandi Neal Editor Pamela Drew steps out of a small barn in Arundel, buckets in hand. She sets them down so she can open the gate. “They were looking at me with hungry eyes,” she explains, gesturing to the animals behind her. It’s Monday afternoon and Drew has just returned from her day job at Kennebunk Savings Bank. Now, dressed in shorts and a yellow polo shirt, she has just finished feeding her 16 alpacas. The remnants of a hot steamy July day are fading into a calm cool Maine evening. Drew is getting ready for the weekend when she will introduce her alpacas to the public during the statewide Open Farm Day. Sunday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. participating farms across the state will open their gates to the public for fun, education and to raise awareness about local farming communities. Drew’s farm, Pamelamas LLC, is located at 233 Limerick Road. Besides showcasing her animals, raw fleece and yarn will be for sale to the public. Drew calls Open Farm Day her “coming out.” It’s her first year participating in the event. “I really have no idea what to expect,” she says. An avid knitter, Drew became interested in alpacas about 10 years ago. She says she is the least likely in her family to farm or raise livestock, but here she is raising a herd of curious animals that produce a fiber similar to wool. After five years of intense research Drew bought three male geldings in 2001. “I’ve been a knitter since high school,” Drew says, “I began to see the finer points of sheep’s wool versus a manmade fiber.” During the early part of the 1990s she came across a llama farm. She attended a few events, but decided that llamas were too large since they can weigh more than 400 pounds. Drew kept doing research and discovered a magazine that featured an article about alpacas. She had never heard of alpacas before and her interest was sparked immediately. They were first imported to the United States in 1984 for their luxurious natural fiber and once held an elevated position in ancient Incan civilization. “Alpacas are a great investment,” she says. “I got started with a small herd. In some years to come I want to retire from my day job.” Currently she is selling some of her baby alpacas, which can command up to $20,000 for a breeding quality female and much more for a strong sturdy breeding quality male. When she decided to start raising livestock, she needed more land. Drew moved from a small half-acre lot, bought property on Limerick Road, built a house and a barn and became an alpaca farmer. Each spring she has the animals shorn for their raw fleece, it’s then spun into yarn, something Drew is still learning to do. For the time being she send it out to a mill. “I thought I’d start small with three animals,” Drew says. “I’d never raised livestock before.” She adds that it’s very common for people who have never raise livestock to start with alpacas. “I didn’t go ho-hog with a full barn,” she continues, “because I just wanted to try it. After a year with the geldings I was like ‘I think I’d like some females.’” On hot days, like Monday, Drew has friends come by to hose the animals down so they don’t overheat. Sometimes she comes home during her lunch break. “They love to run through the hose,” she laughs, “one of the babies hasn’t quite caught on yet.” She describes her alpacas as “rather cat-like.” “They’re very observant,” she says. “They don’t miss a thing.” She says the animals can be somewhat standoffish, but are ultimately very curious and very nosey creatures. “If you’re doing anything different they’ve got to come and see what you’re doing,” Drew says. Drew says her alpacas don’t spit at people unless provoked. “They spit to communicate amongst each other, to establish pecking order,” she says. “They don’t spit indiscriminately. They don’t normally spit at people but you can get caught in the crossfire” The alpacas hum to communicate with one another and have distinct names and personalities, says Drew. Moms hum to babies, babies hum to each other. Drew calls the animal’s fleece very warm, but not as heavy as wool. “The great thing about it is it’s light weight,” she says. She’s currently working on knitting a shawl. She has also knitted a sweater and some socks. Drew says alpaca fleece is really catching on; even Reny’s sells socks made from the animal fiber. Drew and her “sweetie” John Jellison, run the farm together, though Jellison lives in Kennebunkport. She says some tasks, such as trimming the animals toenails takes two people. “This would be quite a challenge for one person alone,” Drew says. She calls 16 a good number of animals and says she doesn’t see herself getting anymore. Caring for the is a full time job, with a long list of details such as remembering shots, feeding time, haying, cleaning the manure and trimming their nails. “There is some work to it,” Drew admits. “I’ve never had a horse but I’m told that alpacas are a lot easier, and you get this great fiber to go with it.” She calls her alpacas “wonderful animals” and can tell all 16 of them apart. Monday evening steps into the pen, when she approaches the animals they step away. “They want everything on their terms,” she explains. Arwen, her “baby” nuzzles her nose and lets Drew stroke her neck. She says the animals really have no interest in leaving and the protective fencing is more to keep out predators, such a coyotes and stray dogs. Drew is committed to her herd. “The life span of these animals is 15-20 years,” she says. “I don’t take that lightly. It certainly has turned out to be an amazing adventure. To get a full list of farms participating in Open Farm Day visit getrealgetmaine.com.

---

This site is designed and maintained by
Dog Bone Designs of Waldoboro, ME
If you have any questions regarding this site send us an email