Hemsedal Farmer

Synnøve Malt pitched the idea of speaking with a farmer who lived near her family cabin in Hemsedal, a mountain community about 3.5 hour train ride west of Bergen. We met the farmer Ole Lien during a snowy day in November. He was happy to show us his dairy farm and give us a tour of the systems he built to feed, house, and milk the cows. Ole told us about the longer growing season, the movement of the treeline up the mountain sides, and the increased grasses from warmer summers that allow him to leave the cows grazing longer and saves him from buying as much hay in winter. In response to these productivity increases, Ole has grown the number of cows on the farm and is able to produce more milk. Climate changes are producing winners and losers.