Waldorf News

Järna Biodynamic Agricultural High School Loses Barn and Herd to Fire

JÄRNA, SWEDEN — Seventy cows died in the early hours of Friday, March 22, after a barn at the Järna Biodynamic Agricultural High School about 50 kilometres south of Stockholm caught fire. Emergency services were alerted to the fire at the giant barn at Järna Biodynamic Agricultural High School (Naturbruksgymnasium high school) in the town Ytterjärna at about 2.30am. Firefighters from six nearby stations rushed to the rescue, but the barn’s structure had crumbled by morning.

“Now we just have minimal presence on site – one fire truck and two staff – to make sure the remains of the fire don’t spread,” emergency service spokesman Roger Magnusson told the TT news agency. He said the cause of the fire was yet to be determined. “When we arrived the barn was more or less entirely engulfed by fire so it is difficult to even say where it started,” said Magnusson. “The other two buildings on campus that contain a workshop, classrooms, a hay loft, and stables seem to be unaffected,” he added.

No people were hurt in the blaze.

The agricultural high school is owned by the Nibble Foundation (Nibblestiftelsen), which focuses on biodynamic milk production. Ytterjärna and its environs are home to many agricultural and educational establishments inspired by the Anthroposophic movement.

John Gerhard, head teacher at the school, said that 22 young animals were saved, 9 of which will be calving in October or November. The herd was essentially a closed herd and was built up over the course of 35 years.  In addition to the loss of the herd, the school’s cheesemaking and dairy processing facility was destroyed. The loss of the animals was heartbreaking for everyone at the school and in the area.

On a positive note, John related that the school had been planning to build a new barn behind the old barn, which was destroyed. New EU guidelines call for free-range space within the barn for the cows, meaning that they have “room to roam” in the barn. A new barn had been planned to comply with these guidelines and construction was due to start in May, but has since been postponed due to the fire. A generous private donation, coupled with the insurance payment from the old barn, will ensure that the new facility will be even better than planned.

He reflected, “After all the shock and sorrow, all of us are looking forward.”

About the Järna Biodynamic Agricultural Senior High School – a small, personal high school on a farm:

Our agricultural high school is located in the beautiful surroundings of the village of Järna, just south of Stockholm on the Baltic coast. The school is in line with the Swedish national agricultural program, with emphasis on organic-biodynamic farming and with a educational profile inspired by the Steiner Waldorf Education.

The classroom and practical work are combined, woven in to one another. The students work with animals and soil, gardening and forestry. With classes containing no more than 12 students, the school can maintain its intimacy. Our smallness is a strength, helping us meet the students’ specific interests and giving us the freedom to find solutions for their individual needs.

Our three-year-training provides fundamental professional skills in working with farm-animals, organic farming, gardening, forestry and ecology.

The school was founded in 1999 on Nibble Farm, where biodynamic farming based on milk production has been done since the 1960s.

Our teaching is inspired by Steiner Waldorf Education, aiming to develop the human as a whole, taking into account the needs of the whole being, including the soul qualities. Theoretical, artistic and practical work is integrated as far as possible.

We have chosen an organic-biodynamic emphasis for our agricultural program, which means that our whole training is based on principles for ecologically sustainable farming, environmental activities and animal-husbandry. An ecological attitude towards the soil makes it possible for it to be cultivated without being depleted.

In addition to the obligatory core subjects and the subjects connected to the national agricultural program, we give courses such as organic farming, horses and forestry, history of culture, farm-animal-husbandry, field-crop-cultivation and vegetable-cultivation etc. The school and its staff are also deeply engaged in the organic-biodynamic movement in general, both on a Swedish and an international level.

Through out the year, the students get a broad practical experience and the opportunity to gain an understanding of all aspects of life and work on a farm. At our neighboring Nibble Garden Center you are given plenty of opportunity to learn how to grow vegetables. Nibble Farm has milk cows, and on the farm itself there are a dairy, a bakery and a saw mill. The school has horses to work with, sheep and pigs. You also learn how to drive a tractor, to do repair work and to weld.

The summer between the 2nd and the 3rd year is entirely devoted to an apprentice program. This summer is a unique chance for you to gain practical experience in an area which deeply interests you.

Perhaps a sheep farm in Scotland would attract you, or maybe the experience of a whole season in a garden, or why not a self-supporting farm in Canada? Maybe your interest is focused on milk cows and the life on a milk farm in Sweden, Southern Europe or maybe in South Africa? But then maybe medical treatment of animals is your fascination and you want to spend the summer on a veterinary clinic? The school has a broad net of contacts, in Sweden and worldwide, making almost anything possible!

We have two boarding houses with a total of 11 rooms. Some rooms are big enough to share with a friend. The rooms are equipped with a bed, a desk, shelves, a bureau, lamps and carpets. Apart from that you are free to decorate your room as you wish.

The meals served are almost entirely organic/biodynamic, as much as possible coming from local and regional growers. The meat served is either from our own or neighbouring farms.

For more information about the school visit http://www.jarnanaturbruksgymnasium.se/english/english/

If you would like to get in touch with John Gerhard to help with the rebuilding, contact him at john.gerhard@telia.com.

This article was prepared with articles and information from the Local – Sweden’s News in English, the Järna Biodynamic Agricultural High School and a conversation with John Gerhard.