Our Way 1
In the greenhouse, which is a part of the kitchen
garden, plants such as tomatoes, kiwi and eggplants are grown. A great deal of the farm’s land is pasture for the horses. There are also some 50 Hereford cattle. Roe deer are a part of the wild fauna at Menhammar. A ll trotting enthusiasts know that Menhammar farm is one of Sweden’s most well-known and oldest stud farms. What few people know is that the farm at Ekerö dates back to the thirteenth century and agriculture has always played a central role in the business. Fertile soil and nearby water sources make for excellent conditions for both farming and animal husbandry and, in addition to around 300 horses, the farm is also home to some 50 cows and about 25 sheep. THE FARM IS self-supporting in cattle forage and even produces almost 70 per cent of the needed horse forage. The beautiful surroundings not only offer arable and grazing land, but there is also a lush kitchen garden where fruit, berries and vegetables thrive. Farming at Menhammar currently occupies 580 of the property’s 1,800 hectares, with a full 320 hectares set aside as horse pasture. This is necessitated by Menhammar’s freerange system in which horses roam free in herds across large pastures. Success in horse breeding and competition demands careful planning of crop production, tasty, trample-resistant pasture and the production of forage with the correct nutritional content. Last year’s dry, hot summer presented a challenge to the majority of the business. Menhammar farm came through the situation relatively unscathed thanks to having the right competences and taking the right measures at the right time. “It was positive to see that, even in a drought year such as 2018, we were able to provide our mares and foals with highquality pasture. This was largely thanks to the fact that my agricultural co-workers were on their toes and responded quickly with watering and careful management of pastures,” says Ulf Segerström, Menhammar’s operations manager, who has been responsible for the agricultural side of the business for the past couple of years. AT MENHAMMAR, they take pride in working sustainably and smartly, something that is fully supported by the owners, the Wallenius-Kleberg family. “Circulating plant nutrients in the form of horse manure to arable land and incinerating manure and wood chips from our > OUR WAY MENHAMMAR 17 PHOTO: KARIN RÖSE PHOTO: MARKUS NILSSON PHOTO: CLAES KÄRRSTRAND