Earlier this week Adam and I went for a walk in the woods where we pastured the pigs last summer. For the most part, it still looks like winter: A few dry leaves still clinging to otherwise bare branches. Blackberry canes thick with thorns and nothing else. Crumbling wallows where once the pigs mudded up on hot days.
But if you squint a little you can see the slightest tinge of green on the ground. And if you get on your hands and knees, you can see spring is already on its way! It will be a while before our pigs can return to these pastures–we want them to fully recover from winter first. Who knows how this early spring will play out for farmers–it could bring a longer growing season, or it could create problems with trees and plants blossoming too early–but admit I like to see signs of the new season!