Göran Olsson likes open spaces

When you drive towards Grundsund it is Göran's cows you see grazing on the meadows on both sides of the road.

"I have about one hundred cows in two herds on Skaftö. The white cows are called charolais and the two black bulls are angus", Göran explains when we meet him.

"The cows help keeping the landscape on Skaftö open. If it had not been for the grazing cows, the beach beds here at Näreby would have been overgrown with reeds. If you drive out to Islandsberg you will see green spaces on the left side where the cows are, the other side is full of reeds. Then there is also a lot of space in between the rocks that the cows keep clean and prevent them from overgrowing."

Open landscapes are important - even on Skaftö

Why is it so important with open landscapes? Swedish Society for Nature Conservation writes about this on their home page. In short, grazing animals in natural pastures are crucial for keeping large parts of our landscape open, making the landscape rich in valuable plants, insects and birds. It is valuable in itself, but it also contributes to important features that make nature stronger. This is important for the future when it comes to climate change and extreme weather.

The variety of species in the landscape is called biodiversity and gives us several services in the ecosystem that we can not do without. This includes the production of food, clean air, carbon storage, soil preparation and pollination.

The local beef can be bought locally

What kind of farmer is Göran?

”I keep beef cattle and deliver to ICA Nära in Grundsund here on the island and the rest are sold to Dahlberg's slaughter house in Dalsland. I have also started selling live animals, where I sell the calves when they are one year old to other farmers for breeding or production, as opposed to a slaughtered animal which is an animal to be slaughtered."

Näreby Golf Course Pay & Play

Göran also runs Näreby Golf Course Pay & Play

"Me and my father had excavators and did the work on Skaftö Golf course when they expanded to 18 holes. When it was finished, my dad, who was a fussy man, wanted to have his own golf course as a complement to agriculture and that is the way it was!"

Näreby is a pay and play golf course, 9 holes with varying lengths between 94-277 m. The golf greens are modernly built according to the USGA rules. You do not need a green card to play. The golf course is open to everyone, beginners as professionals. Golf sets are available for rent and your dog is welcome. There is no booking. You pay your green fee, in the golf cabin/café when it is open. Other times you pay your green fee on the corner (honesty box) by cash or your mobile phone to a swish account (if you have a Swedish bank).

For previous articles on and from Skaftö - please check the "Reports from Skaftö" on this page!