The crops

The farm is divided into 4 fields. But the farming system works out best with the crop areas divided into 10 plots taking differences in soil classes etc. into account. All arable land has pipe draining. About 40 hectares, consisting mainly of organic soils, are situated within an embankment where the drainage water have to be pumped out into the river Svartån. The remaining arable land consists mainly of clay soils also including certain areas of fine sand/moraine. The pH level in the soil is high 6,5-7,0 due to the occurrence of limestone in the substrate. The phosphorous and the potassium level are very favourable.

The crops grown every year are presented, with the yield levels between brackets: winter wheat (6-8 tons/ha), oats (5-6 tons/ha), spring barley (5-6 tons/ha), spring rape or oil flax (2,5 tons/ha), peas (5 tons/ha) and potatoes (35-40 tons/ha). With some spare time to spend and a little bit of extra courage the following crops have been cultivated: winter rape, winter barley and spring wheat. We always try to have about 10 ha of potatoes. The whole grain yield and all the pea yield is needed to feed the pigs. While the oil flax and rape is sold. The manure from the pigs (11 000 cubic metre) is spread with a slurry spreader to growing crops on our land and on our neighbours land. The amount of nutrients available in the pig manure is almost enough to cover the demands of the all the grain grown on the farm. Some fertiliser nitrogen has to be applied as a complement to prevent nitrogen dilution. To the potato area, phosphorous and potassium are applied as fertiliser. No pig slurry is applied to the potato area.