Grain harvest boosts pig farm’s feed self-sufficiency
Tuesday 13th October 2026 on 22:15 in
Iceland
A grain harvest at Gunnarsholt is helping farmer Björgvin Þór Harðarson secure feed for his pig farm and make the operation largely self-sufficient, mbl.is reports.
The fields at Gunnarsholt on Rangárvellir looked pink on a clear autumn day as a combine worked across them, with Mount Hekla in the distance. About 20 hectares were harvested on Sunday.
“We have only just started working in the fields, and the outlook is good,” Harðarson said. Cold and wet weather in June, particularly in July, has reduced this summer’s expected yield. Grain is grown on about 400 hectares, with a projected harvest of 1,500 to 2,000 tonnes. Most of it is barley, alongside some wheat and rapeseed. Harðarson expects threshing to continue until near the end of the month.
Harðarson runs the Grís og flesk pig farm in Laxárdal, in the rural municipality of Skeiða- og Gnúpverjahreppur. The farm has about 200 sows and sells products under the Korngrís brand.
Nearly 20 years ago, he began growing grain and renting land at Gunnarsholt from the institution now called Land and Forest to strengthen the foundations of his business. As he gained experience and improved his equipment, he expanded the crop operation. “For the farm back home in Laxárdal, this is an important foundation and source of feed. In that respect, we have become largely self-sufficient,” he said.
The harvested grain is taken to barns at Gunnarsholt for drying before being transported to Laxárdal for use as animal feed. A small amount is sold to Lífland and Fóðurblandan, which distribute it to farmers as livestock feed.
Rain prevents harvesting, so the work depends on making the most of dry days. Swans also damage the fields by flattening the plants and eating the grain. Harðarson said the birds had destroyed about 10 hectares of his crops. He and others make daily rounds to try to scare them away, but with little success. He said the swans had also caused damage to other farms nearby, where the losses were proportionally greater, and that farmers were not allowed to shoot them or take other measures against them.