Fiskum, December 2016 Naturvernforbundet i Buskerud Åssideveien, 3322 Fiskum, Norway Registration number: 970492283 County secretary: Per Øystein Klunderud tel: Phone ++ 47 / 32 75 05 04 mob: ++ 47 948 86 503 email:
[email protected] The 24th Haymaking Festival at Ryghsetra, Buskerud County, Norway 6th - 9th July, 2017 A course in the practical and theoretical management of ecologically important hay meadows, at Ryghsetra, Buskerud County, Norway. (In Norwegian: Slåttekurset på Ryghsetra.) Course organiser ‘Naturvernforbundet i Buskerud (‘The Nature Conservation Society’), Buskerud County. The course has been running since 1994. See also www.naturvernforbundet.no/buskerud under “Slåttekurs”. Time of year The course always takes place over the second weekend in July, from Thursday afternoon to Sunday, finishing about 16.00. Venue The course takes place at Ryghsetra, the small farm in the municipality of Nedre Eiker, in Buskerud County. The farm is situated about 60km west of Oslo. The nearest community is Mjøndalen, and the nearest city is Drammen. Accommodation is at Solsetra, a well-equipped mission centre right next door to Ryghsetra farm. Sleeping is arranged in double or triple bedrooms (bring sleeping equipment or sleeping bag), and there are WCs, showers, a large dining room and course auditorium. Our very good kitchen team makes all the meals. We can take up to 30-35 participants, and in addition there are about 30 helpers (including children and teenagers). The wonderful botanically-rich hay meadow at Ryghsetra is characterised by the following: - No fertilizers are used - No chemicals (pesticides etc.) are used - The soil is left unploughed - Parts of the meadow have a very high biodiversity regarding the plants, fungi and insect life Aims & objectives of the course: During the course we mow with scythes the 3ha meadow, and stack the grass for drying on specially-built wood and wire hay-drying racks (in Norwegian: ‘hesjing’).