We arrived at the beginning of autumn in Nathalie and Philippe's home, two shepherds from France, whom fate led to Sør Fron, a small village located in the valley of Gudbrandsdalen. They settled there in 2009, although their life in Norway had started several years earlier. After a first trip in 1999, Nathalie and Philippe returned in 2003 to work in the country as livestock workers, during which time they became more skilled at shearing sheep. Since 2012, they own their sheepfold at 650 meters above sea level, in which they breed 65 Norsk Kvit Sau ewes and around 20 Norsk Pelssau ewes (two local breeds of sheep bred for meat and wool). Nathalie and Philippe own 19 hectares of land, of which only 6 hectares are arable and half of the surface is unusable, including for grazing. They rent out a few more hectares of pasture near the farm.
Photo. Altitude pastures owned by Nathalie and Philippe
Sheep farming in the region is 100% transhumant: an adaptation to the harsh winter climate and the mountainous and wooded land of Norway. The ewes are raised in and around the sheepfold for 7 long months of the year, during which they feed on fodder harvested in the spring (hay and wrapping). Lambing takes place in March / April, shortly before the transhumance at the end of May. From there, no more barriers! The ewes and their lambs go to the summer pastures on the plateau, at an altitude of 900 meters, where they will frolic until the end of September in complete autonomy, exploiting the food resources available between wood and undergrowth. We must admit one thing to you ... Not all the sheep participate: the Pelssau, whose character is similar to that of the goat, will have the fenced-in altitude pastures on their own. No total freedom for these ladies, under penalty of finding them a few days later at the neighbors in the valley, in search of sweets or hugs!
Photo. While the NKS ewes go about their business, the Pelssau ewes appreciate the closeness to Nathalie.
Photo. Norsk Kvit Sau ewes
For the others, the Norsk Kvit Sau, is the great odyssey. The large, remote areas of altitude only allow rough control of the herd. For some ewes that breeders know to be intrepid, a GPS box is added to the collar to locate them at the end of summer. The association of shepherds in the region also employs someone in charge of tours in the mountains, in order to identify the sick and dead. Pascale was the overseer of the sheep this summer. She has walked long kilometers all season long in the mountains to watch over the sheep, cows and goats that roam the area all summer. Pascale is an essential link for breeders, whose summer management of the herd is integrated into a natural environment rich in predators: wolverine, wolf, bear, lynx, eagle ... Each of them has its own hunting strategy but all have a common point: when they are hungry, they love summer sheep.
Photo. Pascale, guardian angel of summer pastures
In the fall, here, it is the "sanking": an important step for the shepherds, who come down their sheep from the mountain to start the "wintering"! From then on, Nathalie and Philippe gather their sheep to lead them to the sheepfold. A step that does not last one day! During the month of September, the shepherds of the region are in turmoil. It will take several round trips in the mountain to find everyone.
"So, how many do we have?"
- 48
- We are missing 17 then
- No, there are the 6 we were parked a few kilometers away
- So 11… But where are they? "
The phone is ringing. Nathalie picks up. A lively conversation in Norwegian begins. We don't understand a thing, but it sounds like good news.
"They found the 5033 with its lamb, we just have to go get it! "
Photo. Kima, Nathalie and Philippe's herding dog
In summary, sanking is a great event for the shepherds of the region, during which everyone crosses paths, 4x4 and empty or full trailers, they discuss what they have seen or what they have made. Group cohesion sets in during the fall season, when it is essential to help each other get all the roaming animals together before the moose hunting season begins. We stayed a week with Nathalie and Philippe. The sanking had started before our arrival and we left the farm when the whole herd was not yet fully assembled. The operation will last until the beginning of October! Grazing will continue around the farm until the snow fall at the end of October.
Photo. The lambs are sorted, counted and transported to the sheepfold.
On arrival at the sheepfold, beautiful, plump lambs must leave their mothers. Sorting is necessary in order to identify the lambs that will go to the slaughterhouse first, the slightly light lambs that will benefit from the green pastures around the sheepfold for a few more days, then the few lambs that are much too light, which will finish their growth with hay and pellets in the fold.
The lambs are shorn on their return to the fold, as are the ewes, which had their first shearing before the summer. The wool of Norsk Kvit Sau ewes and lambs is white and well valued in Norway. On average, wool is sold for 5 euros per kilo. But for a good payment, it is necessary to an impeccable sorting of the wool because the presence of wool soiled by the droppings or the hay can strongly devalue the wool sold by the shepherds. Nathalie and Philippe are experts in the field. Philippe dances around the sheep to take off his coat, while Nathalie on her knees picks up and sorts the wool at full speed, before it mixes with the next scraps.
Photo. Philippe shears a lamb before leaving for the slaughterhouse
With the exception (again!) of Pelssau, whose grey finery is of little interest to enhance the wool because it cannot be dyed. In Norway, however, wool is as popular as the traditional production of skins of all kinds, which locals appreciate for their warmth and decorative appearance. From Pelssau sheep (whose literal translation means "Sheepskin"), the skin is therefore valued, which will be tanned and then marketed. Pelssau grey curls are all the rage and many Norwegians offer skin for major events, such as births. Nathalie collects some of the skins that she sells herself, often decorated with inscriptions or drawings, or in the compositions (cushions, quilts, etc.).
Photo. Curled wool of Pelssau
The profession of shepherd cannot be improvised, and even less so when it is not possible to have a permanent eye on your flock in the summer pastures. The breeding of local breeds adapted to the territory has therefore held up very well here: we cannot afford to breed fragile animals if we cannot monitor them 24 hours a day. Nathalie and Philippe attach a lot of importance to the selection of their ewes and the eye of the breeder is better than any performance calculation: at home, when choosing ewes for the renewal of the herd, we look for a production of two maximum lambs per litter, a rich milk production that lasts all summer and we exclude ewe lambs who have extra teats. This will ensure that the sheep can feed all of their offspring all summer. They both deplore the fact that genetic selection centres for sheep breeds are increasingly geared towards producing "kilos of meat per ewe". According to them, an aberration that leads to litters of 3 or even 4 lambs per ewe, which they will not all be able to feed. Indeed, for a litter of more than 2 lambs, the additional lambs will either be adopted or fed all summer in the sheepfold.
Being a shepherd also means making strategic choices (not without a little feeling) for the well-being and good management of the flock. At Nathalie and Philippe's, an old sheep with a square chin responding to the sweet name of Shawn (or Shawny) sails in the middle of the herd. Shawn no longer produces lambs. She is sort of the retiree of the group. Normally, culled ewes leave the flock for the slaughterhouse. But Shawn is a leader. She is the head of the herd and maintains a good group of sheep around her, which makes the job easier when it comes to finding everyone during the sanking. So we forgive her everything: her old age, her bad temper and her determination, every year, to make mowing hell! Ah, damn Shawny!
Photo. Shawn, the leader of the herd
Norwegian moment
- What color is the ear tag?
To recognize their sheep when sanking, the shepherds use colored ear tags. Each shepherd has his own color code, which ensures him to find his animals among the thousands of sheep that occupy the mountain! At the same time, colored ties are used to identify ewes with one or two lambs, so that no one is forgotten along the way.
Photo. Nathalie and Philippe's ewes have red and green ear tags. They add purple ties to all of their sheep, which complement the color coding of the buckles. Red ties are added to mothers of two lambs. Without forgetting the essential bell for spotting!
- Express shearing!
During our stay with Nathalie and Philippe, we tried our hand at shearing sheep. We started quietly ... With lambs weighing less than 40 kilos. Well ... two hours for six lambs is not bad! It's been 20 minutes per lamb. What do you think ? On average, a professional shearer shears a sheep in three minutes ... I think we will have to improve! There are shearing championships for the fastest shearers, who can shear 50 to 100 sheep per hour ... for 8 hours!
- The Shepherd's Dome
Nathalie and Philippe have built a dome to welcome visitors to the farm. They also offer the Norwegian meal service to their guests. A concept on which they still have little perspective, given the current health situation which has limited tourism in Norway. However, the construction of two more domes is already planned! We tested for you, and we recommend!!!
- The French attitude
Nathalie and Philippe are French ... But Pascale too! After some experiences in the countries of northern Europe, Pascale settled down in Norway to create her personalized travel company. Fate wanted the Coronavirus to turn his plans upside down ! While waiting for the resumption of tourism, Pascale volunteered to monitor the herds at altitude throughout the summer. Now that business is picking up for her, we invite you to visit her website: https://wondernorway.com/
