A month ago, the pastures were showing the first signs of coming out of winter dormancy.  Now a month on, as the farm is taking on a much greener cast, watching the grass grow has become a suspense-filled activity.

Dogs in grass-8637

Every morning I check to see if the grass has grown enough overnight for sheep to start grazing without harming it.  This will be the moment when the farm shifts into summer mode.  The pregnant sheep will get full access to their 2½-acre paddock so they can spread out and lamb with some measure of privacy, and the rest of the flock will start moving to fresh sections of pasture every day, chasing the growing grass around the farm.  I’ll write much more about both of these changes as they happen, but for the moment I keep watching the grass.