Last year, I listened to the radio while driving where a journalist was interviewing Ragnar Dahl, who had been breeding Smaalen geese for 30 years as a hobby. The county of Østfold was called Smaalenene until 1918 and, since this type of goose was living in the county of Smaalenene, the goose was called Smaalen goose. It has been bred since the 1600s and they are hardy, good at brooding and taking care of the chickens.
In the old days, a fine could e.g. consist of 2 geese and farmers could pay tax with geese. Ragnar Dahl’s mother got a cow and two geese-down duvets as a dowry in 1936; 6 geese were required to make one good duvet. In addition to duvets, goose feathers were used to make quills. In autumn, farmers walked with the geese to Oslo where they were kept inside pens and fattened up before being slaughtered and sold to wealthy people.
In 1969, there were only 7-9 Smaalen geese and 3 breeders left in the county of Østfold. Then the brother of Ragnar Dahl sent the geese to a foundation near Florø where the geese were bred and tested. 3 years later, they were sent to the breeding centre of Svein Nore at Jæren. Ragnar Dahl bought 10 Smaalen geese from Svein Nore in 1986 and he still has them, 30 years later. He said that Smaalen goose is a part of our cultural heritage, it contributes to a greater genetic diversity and it’s adapted to our climate.
There were about 60,000 geese in Norway in the 1950s and there was a breeding centre for Smaalen geese in Eidsberg. Geese and poultry were a common sight on farms in Norway and children grew up with them. In fact, the geese and poultry were allowed to roam freely, because they didn’t run away. Then, agriculture was mechanised and domestic breeds like Smaalen goose, a local turkey and the Jær hen were no longer wanted due to slower growth, less meat and fewer eggs than more modern races.
Having parked the car in the farmyard of Taraldrud farm, I could hear clearly the honking of a flock of geese nearby. Next, after I had met Camilla and her husband Kjartan, we went inside the combined brewery and dining hall where guests can enjoy food and drinks from the farm.
Kjartan is half Danish and he was used to eating goose meat at Saint Martin’s day and on Christmas eve when he grew up. He was breeding geese in the 80s and 90s as a hobby and he sold the meat to restaurants. Then, Norway joined the European Economic Area in 1994, which was followed by new rules for slaughtering domestic animals. Suddenly, an activity which had been done for centuries at home, was required to be done at certified slaugherhouses. This led to that many hobby breeders gave up breeding geese. Next, the swine flu pandemic in 2009 led to that geese had to be kept inside and this made even more hobby breeders give up.
In 2011, the County Governor of Østfold wanted to save the Smaalen goose and Kjartan and Camilla bought 30 Smaalen geese in 2012 and now they have in excess of 300 geese. They have one group of geese, which are allowed to live for several years, while the other group is born in April and slaughtered in September. The weight of adult geese vary from 3.5 kg to 5.5 kg, while the ganders weigh about 7 kg. Each goose lays about 4-5 eggs per week and the eggs are put in brooding machines, while only a few of them are eaten.
The ganders walk together with the geese and in the breeding season, the young ones fight to see which one is strongest, while the oldest and strongest one stay outside the fights.
Sometimes, geese are blown over the pen, but they don’t go away. They are able to fly, but the don’t do it because their parents don’t do it. Anyway, if they are flapping their wings and it’s windy at the same time, it happens that they are gone with the wind, surprising them that they are able to fly. They are also very curious when wild geese fly over them.
At the moment, all handling of the geese is manual, which requires a lot of space. However, Camilla and Kjartan have plans for buliding a barn for 1000 geese with a separate, warm room for the chickens. The chickens are first fed concentrated feeds, next they are fed grass and grain, which are grown at the farm. Unfortunately, spring and early summer have been very dry and the grass has grown poorly. On the contrary, the cold winter has led to that the geese have laid a lot of eggs, which just shows that farmers are totally dependent on the weather.
I asked Camilla and Kjartan if the geese had any diseases, but they told me that only the chickens are vulnerable to cold and damp and they may get a cold. Thus, they have to be kept in a warm and dry place until they have grown enough feathers to avoid freezing. Instead, the adolescents and grown-ups hardly get ill. Instead, there are dangers like fox, mink and badger, all of which may finish off the geese. Besides, the geese may have some mishap, which requires that they are helped by their owners.
The geese of Camilla and Kjartan are outside all year, but they have shelters which they can enter if they want. They need water all year and it’s difficult to provide it when it’s below zero and water starts freezing.
Nowadays, very few eat goose meat in Norway, while they are common in Catholic countries. Anyway, they have been popular in Protestant countries like Denmark, Sweden and northern Germany all the time and now the 3 commercial breeders of Smaalen goose, and Holte farm, which breeds white geese together with various hobby breeders hope that more people will start breeding geese and eating goose meat. In fact, we need to eat goose meat in order to let the producers be able to go on breeding geese. In addition, in case of diseases like swine flu, it will be easier to keep the Smaalen goose safe and sound if it’s being bred in many places such that if one group of geese get ill from swine flu, another group, which lives far away, may be healthy.
I was also shown some of their cured meat products like salami and bacon. In fact, after slaughter, the meat is brought to Felloni spekehus where it is cured by means of smoking, salting and aging and turned into various cold cuts.
SInce Kjartan made beer as a hobby and some of their customers asked for beer to the meat, he decided to build a brewery and start selling beer. He now produces two types of beer called Slåttekær, meaning someone who is cutting hay, and Fløtær, meaning someone who is releasing timber in rivers. In addition, he’s planning to introduce more types of beer in cooperation with local companies. In fact, Kjartan has a license to both make, sell and serve beer and he and Camilla arrange various events in the dining hall where customers are served food and beer from the farm.
There is a farm shop at Taraldrud farm where customers can buy parts of the geese and cook them themselves together with cured meats and beer. In addition, they sell their products at Mat og mer, Fru Blom and Matfatet Ørje.
After having got an introduction to the activities on the farm, it was time to go outside and have a look at the geese. The live animals, which are allowed to live for several years lived inside one pen, while the other ones lived in an adjacent one. Running water was continuously flowing out of a perforated metal tube such that the geese could drink water and clean their noses, beaks and heads. They apparanetly liked to stick together, always walking because a stranger was nearby. One goose had possibly been blown over the pen because it was very windy. Anyway, Kjartan brought it safely inside the pen where he released it and let it return to the flock.
Afterwards, we walked up to a hill overlooking the farm where Kjartan had cleared it of trees and set up an electrical fence. Inside were three woolen sows and one Mangalitsa sow. The pigs were very good at opening the landscape and tearing up roots. The pigs would be slaughtered in autumn, next goats from a neighbouring farm would be let loose insde the fence in order to clean up more. The aim was to make another field ready for geese by first cleaning it and then planting grass.
Walking a short distance further, we could see an old building in the valley. Kjartan told me that it had been used both as a hydroelectric power plant and a flour mill, but it had been abandoned a long time ago, probably in the 50s. Now, he wanted to restore the flour mill and make a road from the farm to the mill. He also said that he wanted to grow peas since they contain more protein than grain.
Obviously, Camilla and Kjartan are very active and full of ideas on how to expand their farm and have several ways of earning a living. Last but not least, they also have a country house for rent and guests can fish pike in a nearby lake. Of course, they have to accept the honking of the geese, but I got the impression that it hadn’t been a problem for their guests so far.
Finally, it was time to say goodbye after a very interesting and pleasant visit.
NB! Remember to eat Smaalen goose at St Martin’s mess and at Christmas eve.
