All but the first picture, which is from Aftonbladet, comes from Eskilstuna Kuriren.
This past Monday, 15 May, the Royal Couple and Crown Princess attended the Stenhammar Day at the Stenhammar Palace and Estate in Södermanland County.
A big gathering of people, including many speakers and distinguished guests, gathered to celebrate the start of the cooperation between the King as a farmer and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences that has recently commenced.
At Stenhammar, the King, Queen and Crown Princess took the time to greet their new family members, the cow Désirée (named after the King's sister), and the calf Karl-Johan (named after the King's uncle), which were birthday presents to the King from the staff of the Royal Court. The King also met with another cow, Aster of Ultuna, which is a gift from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.
The day consisted of lectures from knowledgeable persons from many areas, lunch in the new barn, and a joint excursion on the estate. The King started the day by sharing his own personal experiences of taking over the estate after Prince Wilhelm 40 years ago now.
The Stenhammar Day will be a returning event in the future, it will be a forum were theoretics will meet practitioners, and students from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences will conduct special works and essays on and about the estate.
The King has decided to invest a lot of money in his farm, and hopes to make it go around without any losses in a few years time. The estate consists of around 150 buildings, the new stables that are built will have room for 420 animals, and in a few years time Stenhammar hopes to have a highly productive range of cattle, and their meet will be organic. Five breeding bulls will be purchased, the first one, Jazz, the most expensive simmentaler animal ever sold in Sweden, purchased for 108 000 SEK.
The King's new developments of his farm costs a lot of money. Estimated figures mentioned in the press are around 16-18 million SEK, and the business newspaper Dagens Industri says that the King, just like any other farmer, has been given bank loans for part of the investments.
The lunch was set up in the barn. The dessert cake was shaped like a cow, so suit the occasion. Pictures from Eskilstuna Kuriren.