Op-ed: Lambing: Where the land gives back

Cami Smalley “That momma just had her twin babies,” co-owner Isaiah Durbin tells me. “And I got to pull one out for the first time!”“How was that experience?” I ask.“Well, I texted my friends, ‘Having pulled a lamb out of mom and treated mastitis, I’m now an honorary veterinarian.”We chuckle.Having offered to help during lambing season, I scan the sea of green for another ewe about to give birth. Instead, I spot two placentas. Momma licks the first voraciously, as a child might attack an ice cream cone, perhaps with an innate understanding of its nutritional value.By 6 p.m., despite the scorching afternoon, nine lambs have arrived: three sets of Dorper twins and a triplet from a Churro ewe.Isaiah speaks of the sheep as a source of resilience, reward, peace, and purpose. Dorpers and Katahdins are hardy, low-maintenance breeds with strong maternal instincts. Their hair sheds naturally, eliminating the need for shearing.

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