the champion: háafell in iceland
Jóhanna Bergmann Þorvaldsdóttir, a former nurse, currently owns and operates Háafell, an Icelandic farm that has been in her family for generations. Jóhanna was born and raised on this land as were her six children but now a combination of forces including Icelandic dairy regulations, is threatening to make her farm as extinct as the breed of goats that she raises.
Háafell is the only commercial and breeding goat farm in Iceland and it works specifically with one of the world’s oldest and rarest breed of goats: the Iceland Goat. For years, the Icelandic Goat has been teetering on the verge of extinction. At one point, the Icelandic Goat population had fallen to less than 90 animals worldwide. Feeling as if she had to do something to prevent the breed’s collapse, Johanna left her successful career as a nurse and focused her energy on saving the Icelandic Goat. Now, thanks in part to Johanna’s efforts, there are just over 800 Iceland Goats scattered on farms around the globe and the breed also enjoys the distinction of being part of the Slow Food International Ark of Taste, a catalogue of endangered, heritage breeds and other historical foods.
Háafell is the home to 190 adult goats and 170 kids, which makes up a significant percentage of the just 800+ remaining goats in the world. Johanna has worked tirelessly for years to create a viable and sustainable industry in Iceland for the goat farmer. She has created many value-added products such as soaps and balms made with goat milk and arctic herbs and botanicals that she grows in her garden. She hosts over 100 people daily on the farm for tours and has a variety of goat related products for sale that help supplement farm income.
When considering livestock in Iceland, most people think of the Icelandic Sheep. The sheep are known the world over for their exceptional wool and meat. Lamb is a staple of the Icelandic diet. As a result, the goat has played second fiddle and many Icelanders are unaware of the obtainability of goat products. Jóhanna has worked non-stop, along with other local goat owners to create public awareness and to create a new market for goat meat, their cashmere wool and dairy products. To make goat farming truly viable, Johanna needs to expand the products goat farmers can bring to the market however, current governmental regulations have made it impossible for Jóhanna to build and open a raw milk dairy and creamery despite the growing demand and available market for raw goat milk and cheeses. Turning the goat’s cashmere into silky yarn has unfortunately proved to be too expensive since it has to be sent out of Iceland for processing.
The Icelandic government does provide a grant to aid in the assistance for farmers who maintain Icelandic Goats. If provided with paperwork and a report on each goat, the government pays out 4,500ISK (approx. $39.00 USD) per goat per year with a cap of 20 goats per farmer. For Johanna, governmental assistance works out to be approximately$783.00/year for her 360 goats. With this minimal financial assistance and the governmental restrictions restricting the ability to create a sustainable business for the farm, she had been forced to selling off parts of her 900-hectare (or 2,200-acre) farm. Since my visit, the financial situation has become dire and now the entire farm is in danger of going to auction in mid-September and Johanna will be forced to send her goats to slaughter.
The look in her eye when she talks about her goats is familiar to me. Goats repay respect and kindness and Johanna has both for them. She calls them by name and they trot over for hugs and pats and then wander away, munching on the sweet grass that the Icelandic summer is providing. The goats spend their days wandering the hills on her land and come home in the evenings of their own accord. She keeps a few of her friendliest goats near the barn for the visitors to see and visit. These goats have even been featured on a recent episode of Game of Thrones, which films some of its scenes in Iceland. Sadly, the sum of all these parts do not add up to a sustainable farm or a secure future for the goats--something Jóhanna strives for daily
To lose Háafell would mean the loss of Jóhanna’s considerable breeding expertise as well as a quarter of the world’s population of Icelandic Goats. For Johanna, the loss runs deeper as it also means losing the family farm and a way of life that is rapidly becoming extinct.
Update: The fundraising campaign was successful, the farm has been saved. Jóhanna has been working tirelessly to introduce the goat products to the Icelandic people with great success.
This article ran in Modern Farmer, August 2014
To read more about the farm and the efforts to save it and the breed:
The Fundraising Campaign on Indiegogo
Thank you to Jóhanna and family for being a part of the Female Farmer Project and for hosting me on your farm.
Originally published: August 04, 2014
COMMENTS
Jeanette
11 months ago
This is heartbreaking. Also stupid, the loss of the genetics of these useful animals who have survived in one of the world's toughest environments and still provide healthy milk, meat, and warm fiber is a total loss for humanity. History is being lost by government rules and regulations that do not apply to her situation.