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A DREAM REALIZED by Corry Pratt Robin knew she would be an alpaca farmer from the time she was a very young girl. Making family trips to various Maine fairs where they were featured, she only had to see them once to fall in love and the dream began. I, on the other hand, discovered the wonderful creatures much later in life, with Robin's help, at the Common Ground Fair. They absolutely intrigued me. Robin is a planner and a strategist. She always has a running "to do" list. When I first met her, she had a poster on her office wall outlining her "Goals of a Lifetime." Owning alpacas was on that list. But how could she do it? She was busy in corporate America management and human resources with a fortune 500 company. She decided to learn as much as possible about all aspects of the alpaca business. Over the next couple of years she attended seminars, classes, traveled to other farms, and worked to familiarize herself with the industry. Then, after a 21 year career with the same company, she took early retirement to make her dream happen. 
In 2004 she enlisted the help of friends and family volunteering weekends for a summer and fall,
a beautiful barn was built and pastures were created. I was one of those volunteers. I did
roofing, siding, paneling…all things I had no idea how to do only a year earlier. Seeing me with
a nail gun is similar to seeing a toddler driving a car. My background is in human resources and
communications. But with direction, I learned the fine art of construction. Robin and I met
10 years earlier and have been best friends ever since. Her dream became my dream, too. I
sold my house in the city and moved to the country. All we could talk about was alpacas.
(Just ask our families). Buying the animals was the next step to take. But when? Are we
ready? How will we know? In order to gain more "hands-on" experience, we rendered our services
to a farm just a few miles from us. Lakeside Alpaca Farm graciously took us in. We did the
chores when they were away or needed help. They taught us all about the animals, the procedures,
protocol, giving shots, birthing, illnesses, you name it. With their guidance and their trust
with us handling their animals, we built the confidence we hadn't had to that point. A year
later we purchased our first three animals and started our own farm.Our goal is to remain a relatively small farm of less that 30 animals. We have a complete farm shop and on-line store, we now have 14 alpacas that include a few boarders. We’re pleased to have our families – grandparents, parents and children - involved in the farm. Our mission is to focus on quality breeding with a particular focus on gentle disposition and education. We are located adjacent to the MOFGA property in Unity. We love the land and join them in their desire to preserve a natural way of living. Our farm promotes visits from area schools, senior facilities, family organizations, civic groups, and anyone with a curiosity for alpacas. With both of our backgrounds being in HR, working with people and educating seems to come naturally and teaching about something we love so much and that is as magical as the alpaca, lets us know we've made the right choice. One day we hope to make a living from the farm and can relinquish our "other" jobs. For now, life is good and a dream is realized! |
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