Farmvisit: Tjulsta Gård
Tjulsta Farm produces pigs for slaughter and suckler cows, that graze in paddocks or are kept in loose housing. The farm is 99 per cent self-sufficient in feed, and both its crop and livestock production are KRAV-certified.
For over eighty years, the clay soils of Uppland have been farmed by three generations of the Karlsson family. Usually with great optimism for the future and always with a focus on the farm-based cycle. Together with their children and staff, Oskar and Maria now run Tjulsta Farm, located south of Enköping in central Sweden. Anders, aged 75, still works on the farm; he ran it for almost 40 years alongside Anna-Greta before Oskar and Maria took over in 2010. Anders still calls himself the VD "Verkställande Dräng" in Swedish meaning Executive Farmhand.
The stiff, clay soils of Uppland are challenging, but with solid knowledge, organic farming methods and a bit of luck with the weather, they still manage to achieve good harvests. A total of 1,000 hectares of land is cultivated, divided between arable land, pasture and forest.
Facts: Tjulsta Gård
Land
- Arable land: 510 ha
- Pasture: approx. 150 ha of natural pasture
- Forest: 135 ha
Livestock
- Cattle: Approx. 60 suckler cows. All calves are reared for slaughter
- Slaughter pigs: Approx. 1,700 per year.
Other: Some contract work involving round baling and harvesting.