THE ANIMALS: Our Beautiful Conservationists

Ulfsby gård’s main source of income is lamb production. Today we have around 400 breeding ewes both of meat breeds as well as wool and fur breeds. In other words, when the lambing is over and it is time to let the animals out grazing, well over a thousand animals take to the parks and fields in order to make our beautiful island even more beautiful. Our lovely lambs and ewes graze on approximately 400 hectares all over Åland. We have chosen to let our animals graze along the country roads, thereby allowing all who travel them to enjoy a more open landscape. Furthermore, in collaboration with the Åland Museum we let our sheep graze the areas around castles, ruins and old settlements alike in order to keep these ancient monuments in shape. We also work together with the city of Mariehamn as our sheep graze the city parks, keeping them nicely groomed. All this while families can enjoy a nature alive with grazing animals!

Complementing our sheep, we keep a stock of Highland beef cattle. Today we have some twenty breeding animals, meaning we actually have some 80 animals mainly grazing on our own farm. Our Highland cows and calves are a little shy, but when visiting the farm you can always see them grazing on the field.

Our restaurant produces quite a lot of food waste which we are reluctant to just throw away. Instead, thinking of the cycle of life, we keep quite a few chickens that like next to any kind of food. It is fun for young and old alike to feed our lovely chickens some grass and watch them peck at their food. Furthermore, they reward us with fresh eggs daily.

A real treat for the kids – baby rabbits – appear at the farm every summer. The children can always feed them some fresh grass which is a mutual pleasure.

Our number one worker is our dog, Hera. She guides the sheep and helps us during the hundreds of moves that form part of every grazing season. And working is her favourite thing!