Blog

What an amazing show season this has been!Our animals have exceeded our expectaions and we are so pleased with our results. In speaking with many of our friends over the years, I have often heard people comment on how they won't attend certain shows because they feel they don't stand a chance against the large farms. Believe me, I get it. It can be so frustrating going to show after show

Outstanding Dreams Rocky BalboaGetting off to a rocky start and being a fighter earned Rocky his name. Rocky had sepsis at birth and was severely compromised. Weak and unable to stand or nurse, we knew intervention was needed to save him.  Thanks to our skilled vet,Dr Callahan, and our being prepared with plasma and colostrum on hand, Rocky bounced back. At the

The truth about raising livestock is that they will eventually break your heart. Today was the day we said goodbye to Anticipation Annie.Annie was the first cria born on our farm and as such, held a special place in our hearts. She was such a special girl, from her beautiful markings to her personality, Annie stood out in the crowd.Many little kids mistook her for a cow with her black and white pattern resembling a Holstein.She was the boss of the girls pasture and

I had a very nice day today as I delivered Ragnar to his new home. Such a beautiful, well tended farm with loads of room to roam and a new pasture buddy! He settled in right away and though both are intact adult males, they got along quite well right from the beginning.I'm often asked how I'm able to part with our alpacas. Honestly, it is bittersweet and sometimes very difficult for us. After all, here's an animal that you raised from birth and oftentimes have cared for for years.The thing

Boy, there's never a dull moment around here!What an exciting and fun day as we experienced a birth while being interviewed for a segment on our local TV station.We were contacted a few days ago by reporter Brooke Butler who works for Channel 47-WMDT Salisbury to do an interview for a segment called The Brightside on the evening news. Of course we were excited to take part in this and things were set for today at 11:00. As we were getting ready this morning, one of our alpacas named

What's in a name?Since today is Throwback Thursday, I thought I'd let everyone know how we arrived at the name of our farm.Recently there have been several very nice articles written about our farm and our festival.While these articles are wonderful and flattering and we are truly grateful for them, the one thing they all have in common is mistakes in the story of how we came about the name, Outstanding Dreams Farm.So here you go, it's pretty simple really!When we b

Thank YouTwo little words with such big meaning. Recently, we had a wonderful visit from a very nice family. The grandparents are local, while the daughter and granddaughter were visiting from England. The little girl, age nine, loved meeting our alpacas and had loads of great questions. Lucky Charm and her daughter Lucky Lady played their roles as our alpaca ambassadors while we discussed all things alpaca. She was such a sweet and k

Another Year's shearing is in the books. The day dawned bright and sunny despite a gloomy forecast. However, as shearing got underway, thunderstorms broke out and torrential downpours set upon us. Luckily, we were prepared and all our alpacas were already inside our barn. Actually, we never missed a beat and things continued running smoothly. The showers passed and the sunshine returned. All our alpacas sported their new haircuts and are now prepared for warmer weather. We are

Hats off to the Pennsylvania Alpaca Breeders Association (PAOBA) for putting on a wonderful show! As this was our first time attending the show at their new venue, we weren't sure what to expect. We were pleased with the animal friendly setup which made our alpacas feel more at ease than the traditional arena setups with concrete floors. We know how much work it takes to put one of these shows on and the volunteers are to be commended. The hospitality we were shown was great and mu

We recently had a nice couple call us interested in purchasing alpacas. We set up a time for them to visit and spent a couple of hours answering their questions, finding out what it is they are looking for, and explaining the ins and outs of what is involved in caring for the animals. We showed them several good candidates for their situation , proven females that have calm temperaments and are great mothers. One of the topics we stressed was the need to have more than one alpaca as they are her

We had a wonderful time at our Holiday Open House this year! Welcoming hundreds of guests to our farm and introducing them to our alpacas is always a fun and rewarding experience for us. We sometimes take our alpacas for granted as they're part of our daily lives. However, it's great to see the excitement when others meet alpacas for the very first time. Visitors enjoyed meeting the alpacas and learning all about why and how we raise them, shopping for holiday gifts in our Alpaca Far

We had a fun weekend participating in the Maryland Alpacas and Fleece Festival this past weekend! This was our first time participating as vendors, as in years past we served as volunteers manning the Maryland Alpaca Breeders Association (MABA) booth and helping out wherever we were needed. We had a great time spreading the word about alpacas and showing people the many wonderful products made from their fiber. Sales were brisk, (as was the weather!) and many people were fascinated

Join us for a wonderful shopping experience and opportunity to visit our farm on Saturday, December 1st for our Annual Holiday Open House. Held in Preston on Maryland's eastern shore, this festive event takes place from 10:00 am until 5:00 pm. Enjoy strolling the farm, seeing our friendly alpacas and shopping in our Farm Store while the kids enjoy visiting with Santa. Our retail store offers a wide range of fiber products, apparel and accessories crafted from the luxurious fleece of

We're so excited to introduce the newest member of our herd! Please welcome Outstanding Dreams Gabriela.Gabbie is so named as she's the gabbiest alpaca we've ever known! I actually heard her before seeing her. She really is one Gabbie Girl! What is so exciting about Gabbie is that her sire and dam have now combined to give us three consecutive Pinto patterned offspring. Gabbie has an older sister and brother who are almost identical to her, ODF Annie's Minnie Me and ODF Rebel's

What an exciting and unique way to spend the day!Once again, we were delighted to bring our alpacas to be part of a wedding celebration. It's such a fun and exciting experience for us as the alpacas are so popular and bring happiness to so many people attending the wedding. This is actually the third wedding we've been a part of, so now, we're kind of getting the hang of it.The alpacas are always part of the wedding photos with the bride and groom, as well as the we

Our tagline is "Let us fulfill your Outstanding Dream". Today we got to do just that! We delivered three of our alpacas to their new home at New Groove Alpacas in Middletown Delaware. Bonnie and Scot are wonderful people who first visited our farm almost two years ago inquiring about entering the alpaca business. They made several follow up visits to our farm as well as visiting many other farms and attending various shows and seminars. We worked with them throughout the

It's hard to believe that we've just celebrated our 10th Alpaca Farm Festival and Open House here at Outstanding Dreams Farm! As they say, "Time flies when you're having fun!" And what fun we are having! We so enjoy hosting this festival and opening up our farm to the public. Each year we have droves of people come to enjoy a fun day at our farm learning about alpacas, shopping in our Alpaca Farm Store,enjoying good food, live music, children's activities, and a variety of craft ven

We are very excited to again be offering a business seminar here at our farm for those interested in alpacas. Whether you are thinking of adding a few animals to your current property as companions, curious about the possibility of starting your own farm, or looking ahead to building a business for the future, Vickie and I would be delighted to speak with you. Talking with those who fall under the spell of these sweet, calm and lovable animals is one of the best parts of our job, as we remember

We are part of "National Alpaca Farm Days", an event taking place all across the country which encourages people to visit a farm and explore the wonderful world of alpacas. Our 10th Annual Fall Festival is the same weekend of Saturday, September 29th and Sunday, September 30th so make your plans to join us for a great time! Located in Caroline County just about 2 hours from the city areas of Annapolis, Baltimore and Northern Virginia, our festival offers shopping, music, fiber produc

We are pleased to introduce the newest member of our herd, Outstanding Dreams Go With The Flo!Named after Hurricane Florence, Flo was born early Thursday morning just as the storm was preparing to make landfall. Flo is the kind of cria we all hope for as she was already up walking around and trying to nurse when I came out to the barn. Big, strong, healthy, and stunning she's sure to take the world by storm! She is the second of our McCoy's crias to be born, and the sixth of hi

As you all know, we have been looking forward to celebrating our Fall Festival with you this month. Due to the potential for poor weather across the Delmarva Peninsula which was predicted earlier this week, we felt it was best to reschedule our event. Please, come and join us as we celebrate ten years of hosting this free, family-friendly event in Caroline County, Maryland during the last weekend of September!Saturday, September 29th: 11:00 AM - 5:00 PMSunday, September 30th: N

As I came out to the barn early on Tuesday morning, I spotted something small laying on the ground just outside the barn door. We had a cria born the previous morning and at first glance I thought this was her. As my eyes focused, I saw the other cria walking around the pasture. It then dawned on me that we had a new arrival!I quickly went over to check out the new cria and while it was small, everything looked okay. We had a nice little brown boy. I went to the house to get the cria

Labor Day arrival!On Monday, September 3rd, our girl Mercy finally had her cria. All is well with our new big, strong and healthy female. Her father was Snowmass XXXtreme, one of the most well known herdsires in the country. He passed away at the age of seventeen shortly after this breeding and this will be the last of his cria. Here are some photos of her first day here on the farm!

We have some amazing new merchandise in our retail shop that just arrived this week and we are so excited to tell you about it. Partnering recently with a manufacturer who has the ability to create beautiful fiber items from the fleece of our own animals is opening up new possibilities for "products from Preston"! We are so pleased to now offer scarves, hats and premium yarns created from the luxurious coats of the alpacas and provide a truly special connection to our farm.Shown her

We are excited to be offering another seminar here at Outstanding Dreams Farm. Various aspects of starting your own herd, care and raising alpacas, and breeding and showing considerations will be discussed. We will have a meet and greet with our own animals so that you can ask any questions you may have, along with providing a wealth of informational material. Since 2008, Phil and Vickie Liske have enjoyed running their own farm as well as guiding new clients and mentoring thos

Join us to celebrate the 10th Annual Fall Festival here in Preston, Maryland. Visitors and local residents are invited to come out to enjoy our farm on the beautiful eastern shore of Maryland, enjoy shopping and entertainment, and meet our alpacas and learn more about them. ** Due to Hurricane Florence, we have rescheduled this event to Saturday 9/29 and Sunday 9/30 **Saturday, September 29th: 11:00 AM - 5:00 PMSunday, September 30th: Noon - 4:00 PM Guests can look

Today was a rewarding and exciting day as I was asked to visit a new client's farm and advise on pasture and barn set up for their new herd of alpacas. I've done this often and find it to be one of the most rewarding aspects of the business! To be a part of the new breeder's planning and especially to share in their excitement is an incredibly wonderful experience for me and I consider it an honor to first, be selected as the alpaca breeder that they chose to purchase from, and secondly, to be a

Okay, Maybe Magic is not a young man, but he is going West! We are excited to announce that AW Magic will be heading to his new home at Wild Hair Alpacas in Colorado Springs, Colorado. There, he can continue his breeding career with a herd of unrelated females. Magic joined our herd in 2012 and has been a cornerstone of our breeding program. He has given us and our clients many award winning offspring, being a consistent producer of dark, show quality crias. He's also been a pl

We were very pleased to receive the results of our entry in the AOA National Fleece Show!Outstanding Dreams Perseverance placed second in his class next to the male that went on to win the overall Gray Male Champion. Pretty impressive, considering this is Nationals which is the top Fleece show in the country drawing entries from far and wide. In his first showing, Perseverance placed 1st at the MAPACA Small Breeders Show in Halter Class as a Juvie.Percy is just 20 months

I'm often asked, "What is your favorite part of raising alpacas?"My answer is always the same and comes without giving a second thought, "When the crias are born!" We're now on our 10th birthing season and I can still say "This never gets old!" The excitement and thrill are still there as each new cria enters the world. It's amazing to watch as the newborns find their legs, start nursing and walking around literally minutes after birth. You wonder, "How can this be?" See

We are excited to introduce to you one of our crias currently available for purchase, Rebellion. This stunning patterned boy, the product of two outstanding Pinto Patterned parents, has a sturdy, correct conformation coupled with a wonderful fleece.His sire, Clear Mountain's Painted Rebel is a striking Blue ribbon winning Pinto herdsire, a beautiful phenotype with lots of curb appeal. His dam, Anticipation Annie, is also a Blue ribbon winning Pinto who has produced two Pinto patterne

Shearing Day is always an exciting and hectic day at our farm! Preparation is the key to success and experience is the best teacher. Having a good setup with the alpacas in close proximity to the shearing area, yet leaving ample room for the shearers is essential. Having all your supplies on hand along with plenty of help is also necessary.Perhaps the most important component for success is employing the services of a skilled shearer. This should be scheduled several months in advanc

Champion son of AVC AJ'S Kodiak, McCoy is indeed the Real Deal!McCoy has bannered in his last two shows, taking Reserve Champion honors at VAOBA and CABO to compliment his Champion Banner earned in Wisconsin. McCoy continues his winning ways bringing home the Blue Ribbon in both the MAPACA Jubilee and the MAPACA Small Breeders show against some awesome competition! Judges have been impressed with his zipper crimp, fineness, density, and compact frame. McCoy'

Phil Liske Hay and Straw has been in business serving the local area for over 30 years. We sell top quality hay to horse and alpaca farms throughout the Delmarva peninsula, specializing in horse quality hay sourced from our suppliers in NY and PA. Delivery is available across the Delmarva Peninsula for large orders and we also offer cash and carry pickup here at the farm. Contact us today for all your hay needs! "Delivering premium hay across the Delmarva area"

We welcomed hundreds of people to our Holiday Open House this year, held November 25th on Thanksgiving Weekend. We were blessed with ideal weather which made for an enjoyable outing for all. Many first time visitors were introduced to alpacas and learned how and why we raise them, while other guests were some of our regular visitors. Seeing the people who we know returning here to say hello and see the new additions to our herd is always a wonderful time. We had a lot of folks enjoyi

We were very excited to deliver four of our boys to their new home on Sunday. The excitement of the new owners was contagious as they welcomed the new family members!It is always a joy to help fulfill the dreams of our clients, and to be part of their introduction into the wonderful world of alpacas. Knowing these boys are going to such a nice, loving home makes parting with them easier although of course, we will still miss them. However, with each goodbye, there is also a new chapt

Over the last ten years it has been our pleasure to help many new people get started in raising alpacas.This truly is a rewarding experience for us as we share in the excitement of people as they are first introduced to alpacas and as they learn all about raising and caring for them. Our satisfaction continues as we see our clients experience grow through the years as we continue to mentor them. We pride ourselves on always being available to answer questions and help whenever needed.

In my previous story I wrote of the difficulty in letting go of some of our alpacas and seeing them leave our farm. I have to admit I was feeling a little emotional at the time and while the story may have sounded a little downhearted, this not a sad time, but a new phase. When we raise wonderful, healthy animals to grow up and then move on to new homes where they are loved and valued, well, that is our goal and one we strive to do in the best manner possible!The rewarding side of se

I'm experiencing mixed emotions as I prepare to deliver two of our favorite girls to their new home today. I'm often asked how we are able to let go of our animals, and what the process feels like. Honestly, it hurts. We love our alpacas and letting go of them is difficult. We care deeply about the homes they will be going to, and we interview prospective buyers to ensure they understand how to care for the alpacas and the responsibility they are taking on. We stay in touch with the new owners a

As we wrap up the celebration of our 10 Year Anniversary at Outstanding Dreams Farm, we feel what is most important is to be looking forward and planning for the future. Vickie and I are excited for the many things which lie ahead!We are eagerly anticipating this year's crop of crias, including those produced by our newest herdsire, Blueridge Peruvian McCoy. Along with McCoy's contribution to our breeding program, we are also expecting crias produced from some other top performing ma

Another milestone here at Outstanding Dreams Farm was the construction of our alpaca barn in 2014. This had been a dream of ours from the beginning and we were finally able to build our barn in September of 2014.What a big improvement this was over our scattering of run in sheds! While the run ins were functional, walking between all the various buildings in all sorts of weather was quite a chore. We hired a local contractor and were amazed to see how quickly worked progressed.

This story could also be titled "Love at first sight." We had only been in the business for about two years and were attending a seminar at a large breeding operation. We spotted this incredible looking alpaca walking in the distance and were immediately drawn to him. I told Vickie right there and then, "I don't know who he is, but I want to breed our girls to him."We did some inquiring and found out that his name was MFI Peruvian Maximization and arranged for a breeding.

One of the highlights of our memories from the last ten years was having our alpaca, Crown's Jewel win at Nationals in 2014. We had never attended Nationals before as for the most part, it was held many hours away, however that year they were being held in nearby Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Count us in!We felt it was important to only bring our very best to this show as you really are competing against the best alpacas in the country here. Having said that, we only brought one entry,

Our Farm Store Gift Shop started out with humble beginnings! In 2008 we basically had a couple of display tables and few items in our then unfinished garage. We needed to be convinced there was an adequate demand for alpaca products before giving up our garage space and making the investment to convert the space into a Farm Store. During that first winter when people would visit the shop you could literally see your breath in there! I don't know if perhaps the cold helped motivate pe

My partner in crime, Vickie hard at work cleaning a fleece in preparation to be sent to a local fiber mill to be processed into yarn. This is referred to as "skirting" a fleece and doing so properly ensures having nice clean yarn to offer our customers. Vickie excels at this and is meticulous in cleaning our fleeces.All of the yarn we offer in our store is from our own alpacas and is processed locally."Maryland Made"

We'd like to introduce the newest member of our herd, Rebel's Rebellion.Rebellion is another carbon copy of his mom, Anticipation Annie and his full sister, Annie's Minnie Me.We seem to have found the right combination to produce the pinto pattern by breeding Anticipation Annie to Clear Mountain's Painted Rebel.We really like the unique pattern of these alpacas and hope you do too!

First ShowAnother memory I’d like to share is that of our first show. We entered the Virginia Classic Alpaca and Llama Show in 2008. We just brought two boys, Havana Smoke and Ice Man. Having attended a couple shows as spectators, we had a general idea of what to do but no real experience. What a way to start! Smoke was the first to go into the ring and was, to put it mildly, quite a handful. He was a very nervous, high strung animal and combined with my inexperience and nervousness,

How well I remember this day! Nervous doesn't begin to describe my feelings. I remember watching her mom, Outstanding Omen going into labor and wondering what to do. I had read all about this, but until you're actually in the moment, you have no idea how this feels. I literally had the alpaca neonatal book in one hand and my cell phone with the vet in the other! The vet told me to just calm down, grab a chair, and Mother Nature will take care of everything.Well, not so much. Th

Our journey into the world of alpaca farming began in October of 2007 with little more than a dream.After researching alpacas for a little over a year we decided that we wanted to enter into the business. We had read everything we could lay our hands on and visited several farms, falling in love with the idea of raising these lovely, gentle animals. The idea of raising livestock that produced a high quality end product without having to be slaughtered in order to harvest it appealed to us

September 16th and 17th marked our 9th Annual Alpaca Festival and Open House at Outstanding Dreams Farm. We were pleased to welcome hundreds of guests to our farm and even had a local television station come out to cover the festival! The festival featured alpacas, our farm store, food and craft vendors, fiber arts demonstrations,children's activities and much more.Our hearts are filled with gratitude for the support we received from our community,as well as our family and friends t

Join us as we celebrate our 9th Annual Fall Alpaca Festival on Saturday, September 16th from 11:00 am – 5:00 pm, and on Sunday, September 17th from noon - 4:00 pm. The farm, located on Maryland's beautiful eastern shore in Preston, will host arts and craft booths, fiber art demonstrations, food vendors, children's activities and live music as well as a unique shopping experience at our Farm Store.The festival offers visitors a chance to take a tour of the farm, meet our lovable alpac

Here is an update on one of our favorite little girls here at the farm. We are so pleased with Minnie Me, one of our outstanding fall crias, who at 10 months old is maturing nicely. She has a lovely and calm temperament to go along with her good looks and has played "The Bride" along with Miracle in the two weddings we recently participated in. As you can see from the photos, she is the spitting image of her mom, Anticipation Annie and is exactly what we were hoping for when we bred Annie to Reb

Our farm, located on the scenic eastern shore of Maryland, is a popular place for tour groups and visitors. Folks enjoy the peaceful drive out to Preston, often coming from the nearby city areas to explore the Delmarva Peninsula for an afternoon or day trip, and we enjoy meeting new people and being able to share our love of these animals with guests. We offer tours by appointme

Where are we located and what's nearby? Planning an afternoon or day trip to our farm offers the opportunity to stop and enjoy some of the local flavor and area destinations. Today we are introducing you to our neighbors located just a few minutes away from Outstanding Dreams Farm on Route 16.

On Saturday, April 1st 2017, agriculture students from across the country visited our area of Delmarva as part of an educational tour program. They were attending the 97th National Block & Bridle Convention in Arlington, Virginia which was co-hosted by the University of Connecticut and American Society of Animal Science, and the theme focused on “A scientific voice in agriculture”.

Our little cria "Miracle" with the unusual marking pattern on his face, is becoming quite a celebrity lately. First, he got his picture in Alpacas magazine, and now he's on the front page of The Delmarva Farmer! We were honored to have our farm featured in The Delmarva Farmer in an article focusing on our agritourism efforts.

Outstanding Dreams Farm is excited to introduce the newest member of our herd, STF Mercy.Many thanks to our friends Timm and Helen Herman of Sugartown Farms for allowing us to purchase Mercy at the VAOBA Expo where she won the Black Female Color Champion class as well as being awarded the Blue Ribbon in her Walking Fleece class.She was also the Reserve Champion Black Female at PAOBA in November, as well as being awarded the Blue Ribbon at AOA Nationals in the Fleece Show

"Why do you raise alpacas?"This is a question we are often asked.As we're working our tails off preparing for our Open House next weekend, we find ourselves asking this same question, "Why are we doing this?"Well, a picture tells a thousand words and I have thousands of pictures that will explain why we do this.Last night after working in the heat all day, I took some time to go out and enjoy some time with our alpacas. I watched as our newest cria, Perseverance, di

Recently I've been going through our old photos and reflecting on our start in the alpaca business. For us, we were searching for another business venture, one that would be less stressful physically and emotionally. I'm so happy that we learned of the alpaca industry and decided to take the plunge! Our first couple of years were a struggle to be sure. We knew very little about the animals or the business side of things. Mistakes were made, lessons learned.However, through sheer d

Spring is in the air and what an exciting time of year it is! We started early in March with halter training our Fall crias in preparation for their show debut at the MAPACA Jubilee. What a remarkable transformation has taken place from their start as "Bucking Broncos" to well behaved ladies and gentlemen at the show! It just takes patience and practice and any cria can be trained to walk on a lead and stand for examination. Of course some are easier than others, but with persistenc

I am happy to say that 2015 has been an Outstanding year for our farm!This year marked the birth of many beautiful crias and is highlighted by what we consider to be two of our best prospects so far, ODF Sonic's Celebrity, and ODF 'S Epiphany. We are also excited to introduce our newest herdsire, Jetson's Sir William, a 9X Champion Rose Gray male we now co own with Long Lasting Alpaca Acres. We can't wait to see his crias gracing our pastures! Sales have also been very stron

Epiphany: By definition, " A sudden and striking realization, a breakthrough". We recently had an epiphany of sorts here at our farm. It came in the form of the birth of our latest cria, a beautiful rose gray girl,aptly named," Outstanding Dreams Farm's Epiphany". Marking a breakthrough in our breeding program, this girl possesses all the traits we have been striving to achieve for several years. We have been working diligently to improve the overall quality of

Each year we look forward to the start of birthing season. This really is my favorite time of year. As Vickie says " Each birth is like opening up a Christmas present." What color will it be? Will it be a Boy or a Girl?This year things started off with a bang with two births occurring minutes apart! This was a first for us. First, Serenade went into labor, then Tempest walked over to her, sniffed her and decided it was time to join the party! Serenade delivered a beautiful faw

Spring has finally arrived here at our farm and with it comes the promise of a new generation of alpacas being born. Each year, we get so excited with the anticipation of our newest crop of crias!What color will they be? Male or female? How will their fleece and conformation look? No one can know the answers to any of these questions for sure. I'm actually glad we can't predict these things, it only adds to the excitement! We have a saying here at our farm, " Every birth is like opening up

When we started Outstanding Dreams Farm in 2007, neither Vickie nor I would have ever imagined what the future had in store. Eight years ago, we embarked on this venture with two bred females and a cria at his mom's side. Today, our herd of 35 includes some of the top bloodlines in the nation. One of those alpacas is Crown’s Jewel, a stunning medium silver grey Huacaya who will always hold a special place in our hearts. Sired by Casanova’s Peruvian Crown Prince, the two-year old Jewe