Of course, the environmental impact of those hot houses might also be slightly less that you would expect due to Iceland's use of Geothermal power generation in its grid.
90% of its power is generated by geothermal! Geothermal energy is an interest of mine. I used to work for a geothermal energy developer ages ago. Every once in a while I have to dig around for information.
we do the same in Norway. when the spring comes all the sheep are sent out in the wild for summer and in late October they are gathered up again for winter.
Thank you, Morgan & Allison, for taking us on these tours of your vacation! So much to see and learn! Love how in-tune you are to re-generative agriculture! The icons on the road sign are a puzzle...an ice cream cone, a place to lodge your cow, a place to sit with a tree, and where to place a weathervane????
Icelandic sheep are kind of unique among sheep. They are a dual purpose breed, and historically even a triple purpose breed. Iceland raises them primarily for meat for the reasons you stated, but they are a wool type sheep (not a hair sheep, which is what most americans would raise for meat), because they are better suited to the climate there. At one time, they were also used for dairy, but I dont think they are much anymore. They have a double coat, the warmer undercoat, called thel, and the rougher, water shedding, outer coat called tog. This is kind of cool, because you get a soft, fine wool from the undercoat, and a coarser wool from the outer coat, and of course they can be blended. Which means a single breed can cover all kinds of wool needs from soft, next to skin clothing, to things that need to be sturdier and take wear, like rugs (some of that is determined also by the method of prep and method of spinning). Thanks for sharing this, Morgan. Beautiful place.
I've seen a fair number of youtubers visit Iceland, but you are the only one I really learned things from. I am very interesting in all the environmental issues.
I truly enjoyed this, so informative of Iceland. The only thing we hear about Iceland is the volcano and to hear something totally different is refreshing. Like the comparison between the farms and what they actually grow and their animals. You added history to it and that is awesome, and I thank you. Blessings.
@@bjiornbjiorn on Svarlbard during polar night, you're required to carry a rifle whenever you leave your home. It's not to shoot the polar bears, it's to scare them off.
Wow, you are as good at being a travel vlogger as you are talking about your own farm. I think you should explore doing more travel vlogs (along with the farm videos, of course). Probably make your wife happier too!
I agree Morgan is too intelligent to not be a traveling journalist. Explaining Iceland is amazing. One would think you have been there you entire life.
In fact, many of the Scottish moors used to be temperate rainforest. Unfortunately, the sheep grazing is leading to erosion and habitat loss. Check out Mossy Earth if you want to learn more.
Ive always wanted to go to Iceland. I am into their geothermal energy and the agriculture...I'm glad you and Alison had a interesting time.. Its truly the place to go for something different..😊
You may enjoy looking up Mossy Earth Reforesting Iceland. It talks about how Iceland is working on slowly reforesting parts of the Gov owned areas of Iceland.
Thank you, yes! I came down here into the comments to mention Mossy Earth. I am a member, and signed up for their rewilding course. I hope Morgan looks in to them!
Welcome to Iceland! Nice to have you. All your points about our prices are correct but also we have stupid internal "inflation" that drives everything higher cause of Indexation which probably exist almost no other countries in the world.
Another reason for the high prices, especially on imported goods (just about everything) is "economies of scale'. Iceland doesn't have the population, nor the population density to properly benefit from economies of scale. (~400k, under 4 per km^2, USA is 33.6/ km^2).
Hey Morgan, glad to see you uploading after the news of the American tourists that got trapped in a collapsed ice cave in the south of Iceland. The husband passed, the wife severely injured. Hope your journey goes well, Iceland is a lovely place!
@@beckbeck5110 Yeah it's terribly sad. Very resent too, they called off the search just a couple of hours ago. The couple were found on Sunday. If you search 'cave collapse Iceland' multiple articles, including one from CNN pop up.
I have a small plot of land for a summerhouse in Iceland and yes you are absolutely correct about the sheep eating the trees. I planted few trees last year and I didn't think about protecting them from sheep, so now my trees have all been eaten and I need to plant some more 😅
Yes, I came here to mention to people that Iceland has lost more than 90% of its tree cover. The European rewilding organization Mossy Earth is doing a project to restore some of Iceland's lost forests. Thank you for planting, let's hope you can keep the sheep away. Cheers!
I bought plants begonias a couple of hostas, and some flouff plant to fill pots…. The rabbits, squirrels and now opposums have very full tummys- in Ne… from a green house…
I can ship you loads of trees that the squirrels plant all over my yard and in my potted plants. Maples, oak ash, pin oak you name it- but no evergreens- bought many- many died😅
it's not only the fact that things are imported - its also a different concept of running a country. High prices, high taxes and high WAGES. And then a lot of things US citizens are used to pay for, which are run or operated by the government, are free (libraries, swimming pools, education &c). It's a similar concept as in Denmark and it is MUCH more communal and absolutely superior imo.
Long time viewer and Icelander: Cost of groceries are pretty resonable because of the high pay people get in Iceland. Fun fact, the Artic Fox is the only non-human introduced mammal on the island. In the fall we have a "réttir" which all the sheep are gathered and each farmer gathers his sheep from a soup of sheep(Since sheep can wander between farmlands(mountains) quite easily). The efficacy of raising cows, pigs and chickens is a large debate right now for exactly the reasons you said. Why call it "Icelandic" pork, beef, chicken if most of the feed is made outside the country and just cost more to produce(and much worse for the environment). Doesn't help that "Icelandic" meat has no tax while imported meat has a huge import tax to "save icelandic production". Fish, whale and shark are more culturally significant but are dwindiling in popularity because it just doesn't hold up to a juicy hamburger. Fishing has a large nepotism problem that is yet to be fixed. Thanks for coming to Iceland and I hope you come again!
Looks like Scotland. The lack of trees in the Highlands is depressing. Sheep and deer are king. The landscape is like a rocky desert, the birch forests are long gone 😭
There is a saying in Iceland “glöggt er gests augað” which might be roughly translated as “keen (or perceptive) is the eye of the guest. Hope you and Alison had a good time in Iceland.
I like the fact that they tap into their geothermal resources to produce some of their power needs. Also watched a documentary about how they are using ALL parts of the fish. From fresh eats to powdered 'parts' . The powder is used to make broth & add nutrients to things like rice. Even using the skins of some fish like we use pork skins.
My wife and I just did a Norway-Faroe Islands-Iceland cruise. The scenery is just stunning. Norway was beautiful, but generally I found Faroe and Iceland pretty empty and desolate. Sheep seem to be about the only animal that does just fine there. We must have nearly crossed paths in Reykjavic.
I love your points about the free ranging sheep, it's so different to have sheep without any fear of predation, Iceland is such a beautiful country, I really enjoyed the lesson!
Apparently they also do not have predators. You really need to go to the West Coast of Ireland. All of the islands have sheep on them. The shepherds let them go, on the islands, in the spring and then pick them up later in the season. They bring flatbed boats and their sheepdogs. The dogs are released on the sheep and herd them up at the end of the season amazing!!!
Thank you so much for this! It's exactly the kind of information I wonder about in regards to various countries and don't exactly have the time or money or energy to go seek out. Especially since I don't need it. I really appreciate you sharing your information and opinions!! 😍😂😁😎
Thank you for all the information on Iceland. My husband has always wanted to go there, and this video was very informative and beautiful to watch. Hope you and Alison had a wonderful trip.
I had a teacher/friends mom in junior high that was from Iceland. I remember her talking about how expensive it was to live there and that was a big reason that they rarely visited her family that still lived there. She preferred to have them visit her in the US because of it. I don't even know if her son, who was a friend of mine ever did get to travel there.
Last year I did a Scotland, Icleand and Norway cruise and noticed the same things. i should add there are very few trees and they are imported from the Artic circle. Yes Iceland was expensive, but wait till you go to Norway.... a coffee will cost you ten euros. I also live on an island in the mediterranean and traditionally we have always had sheep and goats + yes because everything is imported everything is more expensive here.
What gods forsaken coffee shop did you end up in? Most Norwegian places I've been to are still at around €5 for a nice coffee. ❤ In all seriousness though, it's very funny looking back at some of the stupid bills I picked up in Norway. My favourite one is the time I bought a half litre of IPA at a bar and it cost me €14.68 😂
Licorice in general, but especially the salty variety, is a nordic thing. There is an east- west licorice equator going through Europe. Most people north of it love it, most people south of it don't.
What a fantastic video, Erpstaðir Creamery is a fantastic place the Ice Cream is really good and the other products as well, and so is Eiríkkstaðir to visit.
Morgan, this was a great video. I'm a fiber artist and work with wool extensively, and am inspired by the history of cloth. I'm so glad you had a chance to visit such a unique ecosystem! Too bad you weren't there for Réttir, which is the annual roundup of the Sheep. It's fascinating! Thanks for another great video, skál!
Sheep on the upland fells of the UK arent usually fenced in. We dont have wolves or bears either. They are Hefted to a particular fell from birth and wont normally stray. It sounds like its similar in Iceland.
Great vid Morgan. 100% of the electricity in Iceland's electricity grid is actually produced from renewable resources. Geothermal as many have said and hydro play a big part in their overall energy mix.
Thanks Morgan. I was going to mention the lack of trees..thanks for the very detailed explanation of Iceland farming .Hope you and Allison are enjoying your holiday ..🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺
I recommend watching the 2015 Icelandic film "Rams" about a dispute between brothers who live next door to each other but never talk, and how they deal with a disease outbreak in their flocks. It's available on Kanopy and Tubi, among others. As an aside, I found at least 2 films from Iceland entitled "Sheep," so you have an idea how important they are on the island.
A close friend of mine visited Iceland decades ago before there were a lot of hotels and restaurants available for off islanders. Essentially, nobody was visiting the island. Anyway, she was there for research and was shocked by her food choices. In addition to the lamb and fish, there was Minsk whale, puffin and Icelandic foal that was offered. No chicken, beef or pork available at the time where she was staying/eating. She ate the fish and copious abouts of bread apparently.
That was a really interesting video having never been to Iceland. And yes it makes sense to raise and grow what the land and enviroment are best suited for.
It is great that you have gotten out of the US. Things are much more expensive in general. Americans who have not traveled across an ocean do not have any clue how good they have it. I'm more than happy to eat the lamb. Looking forward to you raising sheep.
Keep in mind that in many countries prices are high, in part, due to taxes. But those taxes actually provide great things for the average citizen like health care.
We had alerts over the weekend here in 🇬🇧 about a toxic cloud coming over from Iceland due to a volcano erupting. The views on your video look amazing, hope you enjoyed your time there
Scandinavian country prices are all higher than the USA b/c of taxation and other economic factors. Iceland is by far the highest due to import costs on top of that. You should check out other high-alpine agriculture, animal crazing is super common in those areas (ie. Llamas) FYI: Sheep and Cattle were introduced to Iceland in the 9th - 10th century with the arrival of the Vikings. Farming WAS a huge part of Viking life. I also think you might want to check out Surtsey (a recently formed volcanic island off Iceland) that's been completely blocked from humans so science can study the natural migration of animals and plants to the island. I'm a bit of a scandiphile.
If you want to see expensive, try going to Hawaii or Catalina Island. Tabby is like the default coat pattern for cats, so it's not unlikely to find cats resembling Pablo.
It’s like the lost pet ads - is this your cat- no that marking is not right… bet there is a slight difference but it shows they miss their kitties - and Morgan is not a cat guy 😂😂
Same here a bit outside Manchester, we go to peak district and lake district a lot and see sheep 🐑 on roads, we have to drive around or stop. Late nights we'll have foxes in streets, sadly with all the constructions and buildings they've been driven out and other half finds them run over on motorways 😢at 5 am
A friend of mine is Icelandic. It used to pay her to buy her son's shoes from an American retailer, ship them to MY house, and have me mail them to her. Crazy but true. I'm also guessing there are very few vegetarians in Iceland. Heating a greenhouse there isn't a problem in areas with geothermal heating in common use, but for things that can't be grown in a small space they're not ideal.
Loved that video, this area where you were or some of the pictures you showed is my favourite place in the world. As i have long roots of history and family/ancestors in and from that area. Did you visit Erpstaðir Creamery ? Its one of my favourite places to go and get Ice Cream.
