The first swallow?
Hedges starting to blossom?
Lawnmowers coughing into life after being hidden away for 6 months?
Gardeners with bad backs from unaccustomed exercise?
Easter Eggs replaced by barbecue charcoal in the supermarket?
Caravans on the roads?
No - the real sign that summer is on its way is the sight of cows in the fields again.
The sun is shining and the grass is growing so this afternoon our cows get to run around like school children at playtime, as they go into a field and eat fresh grass for the first time since last autumn.
"Turnout" is a welcome milestone for farmers as it means (in theory) less time "doing up" and more time for other work (not time off of course!). Not all the stock go out at once, it's staggered, with the milking cows first, then the dry cows, younger heifers and finally young calves.
Up until the Sixties and Seventies, many cows were housed in shippons over winter, usually tied up. So their exuberance on the first day out was more exaggerated than it is now, when they are housed in large buildings, with space to walk round, lie down and feed. I wish I had a film of our cows running down the Paddock, but as I'm stuck indoors this one (see link) will do.
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I don't want to criticise the video, but it's maybe too simplistic in implying that only Organic cows get to eat real grass. The vast majority of conventionally reared dairy cows live outside in summer - and are only brought inside when the weather, grass growth and conditions underfoot demand it.
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And - most importantly - don't forget
NOT ALL COWS ARE BLACK AND WHITE!
SHORTHORNS - A Native Breed for the 21st Century
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