Sweetgrass

In this clip from "Sweetgrass," bucks are castrated, their tails are cut (docked), and the ends of their ears are cut to distinguish them from female lambs.

In this clip from "Sweetgrass," Lawrence mixes and matches orphan and newborn lambs with ewes in order to maximize the lactation efficiency of the mothers. After the birth of a newborn lamb, there is a 24-hour window to convince a ewe to raise another orphan lamb as her biological offspring.

SWEETGRASS presents a riveting and poetic portrait of the American West just as one of its traditional ways of life dies out. Shot amidst the grandeur of Montana's Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, the film follows the last modern-day cowboys to lead their flocks of sheep up into the breathtaking and often dangerous mountains for summer pasture.

In this clip associated with the "Sweetgrass" lesson plan, sheep are sheared in early spring to prepare for the trek to summer pasture in the mountains.

Filmmakers Ilisa Barbash and Lucien Castaing-Taylor discuss the making of "Sweetgrass." They describe the difficulties that came with filming a sheep drive through mountains, as well as their distinctive aesthetic choices for the film.