Photos by Roelof Kleis This is how the shepherd lovingly calls his flock of 130 ewes and 100 lambs. ‘Come on girls, come’, he says often. But there is no rush today. ‘They are slow on account of the lambs. We have almost 400 little ones this year. This is only part of the entire flock; the rest remain at the farm on the Langesteeg.’
Winter grazing
Today is a special day for the shepherd and his animals. ‘This is the last day of the winter grazing. We will now start on the nature reserves’, says Oude Groeniger. ‘They grazed on the farmers’ pastures in the Binnenveld during the winter season. There, they keep the grass short. Farmers like having a short meadow in the spring as this helps the grass to grow better.’
They will now move to the former landfill at the Keijenberg in Bennekom
Clemens Oude Groeniger, Grebbeveld Schapen & Zo
Today, the sheep are on their spring trek. They are, in fact, on tour. ‘They will now move to the former landfill at the Keijenberg in Bennekom, followed by the Beekdal in Renkum and the Renkumer Heath. Next, it’s off to the Willem III plantation in Elst, and the remainder of the Utrecht ridge all the way to Leersum. In December, we return to the Binnenveld.’
It is warm today. The excursion takes 2 hours. ‘The animals can handle it’, the shepherd assures us. ‘They will drink later. Drinking only becomes an issue when the temperature rises above 25 degrees. But more for the dogs than the sheep. The dogs work really hard.’
Zigzagging
The dogs, Brynn and Finnick, keep an eye on the front and rear of the flock. Finnick at the back is really pulling his weight. ‘Because of all the zigzagging, he travels three times the distance.’ However, there is no relief. ‘This is how the roles are set; each dog has its own expertise’, Oude Groeniger explains.
The shepherd applied for a permit to traverse the campus with his flock. It is the safest route across the busy Mansholtlaan, as traffic slows down at the roundabout anyway. And no-one objects to waiting for a shepherd and his girls.
