Mid-conference Tours
You register for the Mid-conference Tours on the registration form on a first come, first served basis.
A. Mid-conference Tour – Kungsängen FULLY BOOKED!
Research centre visit followed by scenic boat trip: Animal production and amenity questions in one tour!
This trip takes you to Kungsängen Research Centre, which is the dairy research farm of the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Uppsala. Here you will be taken on a tour of the research barn with informal presentations of ongoing research and new results about forage utilisation, automatic milking etc. Afternoon coffee and tea will be served while ensiling procedures are demonstrated. Finally, a boat trip along the river will show you the beautiful surroundings along the river bank, which has been protected to give the inhabitants of Uppsala city an easily accessible grassland recreation environment with a rich bird life.
More information: Eva Spörndly, eva.sporndly@huv.slu.se
Grazing cows at Kungsängen Research Centre.
Photo: Rolf Spörndly.
B. Mid-conference Tour – Forage Breeding and Production FULLY BOOKED!
Forage Crops in Field Trials and on Farm Level
At SLU´s experimental sites Säby and Ekhaga Research Station, we will demonstrate the official variety testing programme with legumes and grasses in Sweden, in both conventional and organic systems. Research relating to perennial ryegrass is important in Sweden, since much of the country is on the climatic borderline for ryegrass survival. Research relating to cutting strategies to improve winter survival in perennial ryegrass will be presented. We will also visit an organic farm with automatic milking, short rotation leys and permanent grassland. We discuss different varieties and seed mixtures as well as fertilising, cutting and silage systems.
More information: Lars Ohlander, lars.ohlander@vpe.slu.se
A typical seed mixture in Sweden consists of red clover, timothy and meadow fescue.
Photo: Nilla Nilsdotter-Linde.
C. Mid-conference Tour – Northern Uppland FULLY BOOKED!
Forage in Horse and Dairy Production
On this tour we will visit two farms east of Uppsala. The Stiernström family runs a farm with 50-60 Icelandic horses, 55 ewes and forage production. The small flock of sheep is mainly kept for grazing the semi-natural pastures. The farmer’s intention is to use the sheep products within the business, for instance at barbeques during riding camps.
At the second farm we will meet Mr and Mrs Kumlin at Hallkved dairy farm. With close to 140 dairy cows kept in an automatic milking system, this is considered a rather large dairy farm in Sweden. The cows are fed a mixed ration, mainly based on silage, grain from the farm, dried molassed sugarbeet pulp and a commercial protein concentrate. Efforts are made to harvest the silage three times per year and it is stored in two towers with a total capacity of 2,000 m3.
More information: Jan Olofsson, jan.olofsson@huv.slu.se
Automatic milking systems are increasing in Sweden.
Photo: Jan Olofsson.
D. Mid-conference Tour – High Nature Value Farming Systems
Market-adapted Beef and Lamb Production Integrated with Nature Conservation
We will visit the enterprise Grellsbo Hereford in Bälinge, where Bo and Mats Larsson keep around 100 suckler cows. The progeny is raised for both breeding purposes and beef production. They graze a total of more than 200 ha of valuable semi-natural grasslands around Uppsala leased from the different owners. The next stop is to Monica and Staffan Höglund, Östa, Märsta, who run a flock with 200 ewes (Gotland sheep and Finnsheep-Suffolk crosses mated with Texel), divided into three groups – lambing in winter, spring and summer. They graze 40 ha of semi-natural grassland, some of it with high botanical value. An interesting question for both enterprises is: How do we optimise biodiversity and production within the framework of CAP?
More information: Inger Pehrson, inger@palustre.se
Heifers from Grellsbo in a newly restored valuable historical rural landscape at Krusenberg.
Photo: Bo Larsson.
E. Mid-conference Tour – Linnaeus Excursion FULLY BOOKED!
A Walk in the Footsteps of Carl Linnaeus
Scientific excursions, international collaborations, ethnobiology and exhibitions – SLU, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, is highlighting the Linnaeus Jubilee in 2007 with a number of different events and activities. As part of the Jubilee programme, Linnaeus Excursions are being arranged in the Uppsala area.
During EGF 2008, delegates will be invited to follow in Linnaeus’ footsteps. The Linnaeus Excursion will take you through a number of different environments. The idea is to make a historical journey starting off in an 18th century landscape, visualising the farming methods of the day, and finishing in the present modern agricultural landscape. This historical journey will be guided by researchers and lecturers from SLU, with their respective areas of expertise and specialisation, which will give unique insights into modern research with both historical and contemporary perspectives.
More information: Göran Dalin, goran.dalin@adm.slu.se
Linnaeus’ Hammarby close to Uppsala was the summer residence of Carolus Linneaus.
Photo: Rolf Spörndly.
F. Mid-conference Tour – Novel Alternatives for Grassland Use
Golf and Biogas Production
In recent decades, there has been an enormous expansion in the golf sector in Scandinavia. There are now more than 1 000 golf courses, many of them developed on former agricultural land. The growth of the sport has resulted in a demand for scientifically-based knowledge about potential environmental risks and possibilities/advantages of golf courses and on environmentally and economically sound golf course management.
We will visit Fullerö GK, a golf course built on agricultural land close to the city of Västerås. Several research projects have been carried out on this course and in 2006 a new unique research green was constructed. We will discuss the properties of different turf grass species, overwintering problems, fertilisation regimes and problems with the use of pesticides.
In Västerås, we will also visit a biogas plant using ley from farms in the region for gas production. Farmers in the region have found that soil fertility has declined due to many years of cereal monocropping. We will meet farmers and discuss how the grassland cultivation for energy purposes has given new opportunities to improve the crop rotation.
More information: Mats Linde, mats.linde@mv.slu.se
Golf courses are common elements in the agricultural area.
Photo: Magnus Barth
Last update 3 June, 2008