Highland Alpaca farm co-owner Fay Steving feeds some of her alpacas. Steving and Jenny Lindsay, both retired teachers, run the 20-acre farm. The number of women listed as pricipal operators of farms in Pennsylvania increased by 1,070 from 1997 to 2002, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Sometimes it's out of necessity, sometimes it's a love of the land and sometimes it's a desire to work with animals. But many women have the know-how as well as the desire to run their own farms.

According to the National Agricultural Statistics Service's most recent census in 2002, 6,079 women in Pennsylvania are principal operators of farms. The number jumped from 5,009 in 1997.

Jenny Lindsay and Fay Steving of Worth Township, Mercer County, are among those women. For the last four years, they have operated the Highland Alpaca farm, a scenic, 20-acre spread they built from the ground up after retiring from their teaching jobs in 2004 and 2005, respectively.

Lindsey was teaching at Slippery Rock University, and Steving was working for the Butler School District.

Although the women were involved with alpacas before purchasing their property north of Grove City, retirement presented the chance to expand their interests.

"We fell in love with the animal, first of all," Steving said. "And it was a great opportunity for us to supplement our retirement."

They now have 75 alpacas on the farm, which includes a barn to house the animals, a sheering barn — although someone else comes in to do the sheering — and a beautiful stone and wood house they designed themselves.

Lindsay and Steving also have a computer system connected to cameras in the barn, which helps them keep track of the animals, whose fleece is then made into items sold in a gift shop in their basement.

The women said alpacas are mostly bred for their fleece, and no harm comes to the animals through shearing. They're also herd animals, which means they're easy to maintain and great for people who lack a background as full-time farmers but who can be motivated and nurturing.The women said an alpaca farm was a perfect fit for them, partly because the animals are only about 160 pounds."I would say that it's a very woman-friendly livestock because of its size and because it's gentle in nature. They're not challenging you," Steving said. "An alpaca will either spit or kick to try to defend itself. And a kick is like a punch and a spit is far better than being bit by an animal."Lindsay also said the fashion component is a big draw for women, some of whom attend knitting and other workshops on the farm.Lindsay and Steving do all their own feeding, shots and birthings for the alpacas. In between farm chores, they also attend shows. According to the farm's Web site, high rankings have qualified Highland Alpaca's breeding program as one of the nation's top 200.Combining their lingering love of education and their newfound pursuit of alpaca farming, the women offer workshops on site and raise animals for investors who want to be involved but who lack the time or acreage to farm full-time on their own.

Lindsay and Steving are not the only women who want to teach others about their animals.Mary Bergbigler and her daughter, MaryBeth Guynup of Clearfield Township, said the most important part about their job is presenting a positive dairy image.Groups like boy scouts, 4-H, the farm tour and even preschool groups will come by the busload to see what farming's really like at the Bergbigler's state-of-the-art dairy facility on Game Reserve Road.The women live on the 280-acre farm, making it a full-time job. This pair also counts a third woman in the family, 5-year-old Mercedes, making every day a take-your-daughter-to-work day for Guynup.Bergbigler's husband, Leroy, works just as much his wife and daughter, but the three share duties. If one person isn't there, the other two can pick up the slack.Guynup said she does just about everything her dad does; she just does it differently."I can't carry 100 pounds, so I'd have to get out the skid loader," she said. "But I drive all the equipment."Meanwhile, her mother said her favorite part of the job is being able to choose her work and take care of her grandchildren, keeping the place neat for visitors and planting flowers."We spend a lot of time here. I want it to look as good as possible," Bergbigler said.When her two daughters were younger, Leroy did all the milking, but she helped out with the field work. As her daughters got older, they were able to help more and free up their mother's time for milking and farm upkeep.

Evelyn and Maryjo Minteer of Franklin Township also have formed a mother-daughter farming team.Evelyn took over her farm, which has been in her family since 1944, when her husband died two years ago.She was put into an unexpected situation, and she didn't want to leave her home."I could go out and get a job, but I don't know if I'd be happy inside," she said. "It's love of the land. I don't want to see the land go into houses — plus I like the hard work."It shows. She and her daughter run her 200-acre beef and dairy farm on North Road.Maryjo also works at Agway, so many of the farm responsibilities fall to Evelyn. Eveylyn said her daughter is a big help though, and sometimes, relatives will stop by and help out with the field work. But both women operate the machinery and share the feeding jobs for the three goats and 30 cows.While Minteer acknowledges that keeping the farm pays the bills, she mainly stays for the land."I love farming," she said. "It's my life. When you're a farmer, you have it in your heart."That sums up exactly how Lorraine and Ed Thiele feel about farming.

The Thieles have been married for 17 years, and it's Ed's 150-acre dairy farm in Jefferson Township that keeps them happy. As a lad, he wanted to make sure he was marrying a woman who wouldn't mind working beside him on the farm.Lorraine was an animal lover, and Ed said she's naturally good at farming.While the wife does all of the bookwork, records and breeding paperwork for their farm on North Pike Road, she also takes turns milking with Ed, keeps a garden in the basement and can also be seen riding the tractor out along the road that borders their land."The neighbors will drive by and say: 'I always see her out on the road. Don't you do anything?'" Ed said. "So I tell them I do the gravy jobs."The couple takes turns with milking every 12 hours, and their 14-year-old twin sons help out, too.Lorraine said when she was pregnant with the boys, she had morning sickness, but she still went out to the barn in the morning.When the children were born, Lorraine and Ed rigged a way for her to keep an eye on the children and still get her work done: They put booster seats in the tractor. Ed said they'd tie the kids in with baler twine like suspenders so when the kids fell asleep, which was most of the time, they wouldn't slump over like rag dolls."That was the way we both had to do things," Ed said. "That way she knew where they were at and we didn't have to get a baby-sitter."Ed said farming is in his blood, and it's beginning to get in his wife's too. She said she doesn't understand why more women don't farm."I love being outside and under the sun," she said. "Smelling the hay after you cut it or the ground after you plow it. And seeing what God made and how he made it grow. And he trusts me enough to take care of it."

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Left, Jenny Lindsay, on the truck, and Fay Steving do much of their own work on the farm except the shearing of the alpacas. The animal's fleece is made into items which are sold in their giftshop.

The women use a computer system connected to cameras in the barn to keep track of their 75 alpacas.

Lorraine Thiele works with her husband, Ed, on their farm in Jefferson Township. Lorraine handles the paperwork, but she also helps milk cows, keeps a garden and operates equipment. Married for 17 years, the Thieles have 14-year-old twin sons who also help out. When the twins were born, Ed and Lorraine put booster seats in their tractor to avoid hiring a baby-sitter.

Mary Bergbigler, left, her daughter MaryBethGuynup and granddaughter Mercedes, 5, liveand work on the family’s state-of-the-art 280-acre dairy farm in Clearfield Township. Bergbigler and Guynup share duties with Bergbigler’s husband, Leroy. The family said the most important part of their job is presenting a positive dairy image, regularly hosting tours by students, scouts and 4-H members.