Hoyvik farmer mows fields for Kalsoy farmers

Farmers in Mikladalur and Trøllanes have hired Hoyvik farmer Siggert Patursson to mow their fields, according to Kringvarp Føroya.

The villages no longer have cattle, so they need less forage than before. Instead of spending a long time mowing and waiting for dry weather, the farmers have arranged for Patursson to travel north with a large crew and advanced equipment to mow and bale the grass.

Eyðun Eliasen, a farmer in Trøllanes who keeps sheep in both Trøllanes and Mikladalur, said the arrangement benefited both sides.

“For us, this is a win-win situation. Before, it took us a long time to bring in the hay. Now the Hoyvik farmer comes north with a well-staffed crew and good equipment, mows all the fields and bales the grass within a few days,” Eliasen said.

Patursson said he agreed to the arrangement because he believed the fields should not be left unmowed.

“I was convinced that we should give it a try, because the grass is just as good as anywhere else and it creates jobs in the country. It should not be left unmowed, because it is better to have plenty of forage in storage than money in the bank,” he said.

He said he was also satisfied with the cooperation with the farmers in Kalsoy. Patursson works with Johan Jógvansson, a farmer in Saksun, who handles the baling.

The equipment used for the work is large, and transporting it to Kalsoy has required help from the ferry service. The Ternan ferry could not carry all the machinery because its ramp is too narrow, so the ferry service took the Sam from work at the shipyard to make a trip with the equipment.

Now that the Sam is returning to service, the farmers will also be able to bring all the equipment back.