Alpacas raised at Marquam Hill Ranch in Molalla | OregonLive.com

BY KRISTINE THOMASMOLALLA -- Greg Schockelt, 22, is a little more cautious of what he says because he knows how words can alter the course of a person's life.

When he was 16, he told his mom, Jennifer Cameron, that she didn't need to focus on him so much because he was getting older. That inspired Cameron to start exploring new opportunities for herself as her children grew up.

Wearing a T-shirt reading "Alpacas at Marquam Hill Ranch," Schockelt watched as his mom greeted guests to his family's 18-acre farm on National Alpaca Farm Days. More than 300 people visited the farm during the recent two-day event to learn about the 80 huacaya alpacas.

A 2012 Linfield College graduate, Schockelt said the transition from living in a cul-de-sac in Tigard to a farm near Molalla has been "interesting."

"I have learned to appreciate both lifestyles," he said, who is job-hunting. "There are no structured hours working on a farm. Today I started at 6 and will end at 7 and that is six to seven days a week. When you work an 8-to-5 job, it's a 40-hour week. On a farm, you work until the job is done."

For Cameron, learning what her son had to say makes the journey she has taken even more rewarding.

"I think this move has taught the kids to be more accepting to change and to trust that change is OK," she said. "They know now that they can live in the country or the city. I think if they never had to adjust to change that it would be more of a struggle to accept change when they got older."

Jennifer and Bill Cameron are the parents and stepparents of Greg, 22; Lindsay Cameron, 20, and twins Dan and Valerie Schockelt, 17. Lindsay Cameron is a student at Syracuse University in New York, and Dan and Valerie Schockelt are seniors at Silverton High School.

Flock of fiber

What: Alpacas at Marquam Hill Ranch

Where: 35835 S. Hwy. 213, Molalla

When: Open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and by appointment. The farm is open daily Friday, Nov. 23 to Monday, Dec. 31, except Christmas.

Making their way

The journey from city to rural life wasn't made overnight, Jennifer Cameron said.

It began when she saw a picture of a "cute little alpaca" in The Oregonian, she said, adding that the story was about an alpaca show in Portland.

"Let's go exploring," she told her husband.

On the farm's website, Cameron wrote, "I wanted to go, my husband joined me. He really didn't understand why, but he went. Once we got there, we asked questions and learned some people made a living breeding and selling these cute animals."

As they drove home, Cameron said she wanted to be an alpaca farmer.

Bill Cameron, who was the chief financial officer for Miller Paint Co., provided the voice of reason.

"I worked on a large cattle ranch," he said, adding he knew what it took to raise animals. "I told her this wasn't cul-de-sac work and that she should go out and explore what it would be like to raise alpacas. If she was still interested in a year, we would move forward."

Jennifer Cameron attended classes and shows, volunteered at an alpaca farm, followed a veterinarian around and learned everything she could about the animal. Her husband, meanwhile, was calculating numbers from the initial investment to the sale of the animals.

For a reason she can't quite explain, she was drawn to alpacas.

"There is something unexplainable about them," Cameron said. "They each have their own personality. You have to let them know you have a respect for them and understand each has a certain way to approach it or hold it."

A year later, they purchased five female alpacas that were housed at a local farm. In 2007, they purchased a berry farm with a mobile home and spent five years -- along with their children -- putting up fences, removing berry plants, planting pastures, and building a barn and home. They moved to the farm in 2009 when their twins started their freshman year at Silverton High School. Bill became a judge in 2010 for the Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association, certified in fleece and performance.

Gratifying work

The Camerons said their lives have changed by owning a business. As Miller Paint's CFO, Bill worked 60-plus hours a week.

"I work more hours on the farm than I did at my job, but my hours here are building something of our own," Bill Cameron said. "It's more rewarding and less stressful. It's a stress that is induced on ourselves instead of a stress associated with working at an organization and for someone else."

The Camerons show their animals at events as far away as Kentucky as well as in Oregon. A wall in their farm store is covered with ribbons and plaques. They are the owners of Ezekial's Challenger of Marquam Hill Ranch, the white reserve champion at the 2012 Alpaca Futurity, judges' choice at the Great Western Alpaca Show in 2012, color champion at the Columbia Alpaca Breeders Association in 2012 and reserve champion at the Alpaca Breeders and Owners Association Nationals in 2012. He is only one of the many award-winning alpacas at the farm.

During the Alpaca Farm Days on Sept. 30, visitors roamed the barn and pasture looking at the alpacas.

Phoebe Whipple, 6, Alice Whipple, 3, Scout Funk, 6, and Louise Moen, 5, listened as Valerie explained during a tour what the animals eat, what their babies are called and how their fiber is used. They giggled as Valerie Schockelt tried to hold Challenger so they could pet him.

"She has to herd him just like I do the chickens," Phoebe said.

From cleaning the barn to helping with other farm chores, it's been a transition for the Camerons' children.

But it's been worth it.

For Greg Schockelt, it's rewarding to see his parents more at peace.

"When I told my mom to get a life, this wasn't what I expected," he said. "It's good to see her happy and that she found something she wanted to do and went for it."

-- Kristine Thomas

Source: http://www.oregonlive.com/clackamascounty/index.ssf/2012/10/alpacas_raised_at_marquam_hill.html

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