Agriculture on Mörkö
Grain, Open Landscapes, and Grazing Animals
The agricultural land on Mörkö, consisting of 499 hectares of pasture, 219 hectares of organic farming, and 772 hectares of conventional farming, is typical of the area with the so-called “Sörmland profile.” This is characterized by irregular fields with small forest patches and solitary trees scattered across the landscape.
In general, the more rational part of crop production is located on the northern half of the island, with relatively large fields and a more open landscape. Crop rotation is flexible, with a priority on autumn sowing. The crops we rotate include fall oilseed rape, fall wheat, oats, malting barley, peas, flax, meadow fescue, seed ley, and fallow—always in consideration of the crop rotation requirements, primarily for oilseed rape and peas.
The southern part of the island, apart from the climate, resembles the highlands in Småland. For efficiency reasons, most of the land here is used for ley. Parts of the production is KRAV-certified and harvested as large bale silage for livestock. The extensive areas of natural pasture are kept open with the help of grazing animals from Askeryd, that are brought to Mörkö for their “summer vacation”. There is also a local sheep farming business on the island that contributes to maintaining the open landscape.