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YTRA-LÓN (Outer Lagoon), Langanes (Long Peninsula district)

Current occupants: Sverrir Möller and Mirjam Blekkenhorst

The farm was listed amongst the highest rated farms in Iceland for the production year 2015 by Rannsóknamiðstöð landbúnaðarins (The Agricultural Research Centre).

The farmers at YTRA-LÓN participate in the following national initiatives:

• Quality managed sheep farming (Gæðastýrð sauðfjárræktun)

• A reforestation project (Skógræktarverkefni)

Sverrir and Mirjam have pursued farming at YTRA-LÓN (Outer Lagoon) since 1991

The farm is situated approximately 3 km from the ocean and its tracts of land primarily consist of flat marshes, with low hillocks and gravel bed ridges in between. River LÓNSÁ (Lagoon River) crosses the hayfields and then collects to a lagoon before joining the sea. Good leas are found alongside the river to the north and west, with a sandy beach and fields alternating at the coastline. South-west of the farm river STÍFLUÁ (Dam River) runs from lake HÓLSVATN (Hillock Lake) and joins river LÓNSÁ (Lagoon River) south of the farm´s hayfields. The heathlands west off lake HÓLSVATN, the socalled GRENJAMÓR (Lair Peat), are grown with occasional birch bushes. A lagoon called YTRA-LÓN (Outer Lagoon) is found close to the coastline east of river LÓNSÁ, indicating that the farm draws its name from the lake. Another farm, KIRKJULÓN (Church Lagoon), was registered in this area in 1703.

A new farm, EFRA-LÓN (Upper Lagoon), was built on the land of YTRA-LÓN (Outer Lagoon) in 1943.  The farm YTRA-LÓN was deserted in 1964 and the farm still in operation kept the name EFRA-LÓN (Upper Lagoon) until 1997 when the farm was again given the original name of YTRA-LÓN (Outer Lagoon).

The farm´s hayfields are mostly situated in an area of dewatered marshes but dewatering in this area is problematic because of the negligible inclination of the land. Besides sheep farming, the farmers at YTRA-LÓN (Outer Lagoon) run bed-and-breakfast services for tourists. Prequisites belonging to the farm include driftwood, trout fishing and eider duck breeding places.  Sverrir and Mirjam are also in tourism. Click here for more information about that.