Sheep Breeding Community Farm
Uppsala
Do you enjoy spending time outdoors and contributing to the daily life of a farm?
You don’t need to be an animal enthusiast, as long as you’re willing to learn and assist with caring for our animals. We host 1-2 volunteer at a time and have welcomed around ten WWOOFers since 2014. Our aim is to create a meaningful and memorable experience for both you and us, so finding the right match is important.
Our farm is home to around 25 ewes, hens, 3 social cats, all of Swedish breeds. We are dedicated to breeding sheep and also run courses on managing sheep and hens. If you’re curious about farming, nature, or animals, this is a great opportunity to expand your knowledge. We are also working toward greater self-sufficiency with vegetables and make use of berries and fruits from our old garden. The farm is EU-certified for organic sheep farming.
Annette focuses full-time on the farm, while Anders has an outside job and sometimes travels for business. Our sons are now grown up and our youngest moves in August 2025, that means that it will just be the two of us left in the household.
Your tasks will depend on the season, weather, and ongoing projects, as well as your interests and skills. Daily chores might include tending to the animals, helping in the garden, or lending a hand with various projects around the farm. While some activities may be repetitive, each day brings its own rhythm and challenges. Flexibility is essential, as plans can shift depending on circumstances. You’ll also need to feel comfortable handling some responsibilities independently.
In spring, you might help with:
Caring for and feeding the animals.
Assisting with lambing in late April (around 40 lambs are born).
Preparing the garden, including planting seeds and tending to the soil.
Clearing branches and maintaining the pastures and farm areas.
Tidying up the camp area in the forest.
In autumn, you might assist with:
Animal care and feeding routines.
Weighing and handling lambs during their growth stages.
Seasonal gardening tasks.
Clearing branches and improving the pastures.
Supporting various ongoing projects.
You’ll stay in a cozy caravan equipped for Swedish winters, with a comfortable bed, table, sofa, and electricity for heating and lighting. The main house will provide access to the shower, toilet, and a space for your outdoor gear. We share meals together in the house. When our sons have moved there are also an aviable room in the house.
Smoking, drugs, and excessive alcohol use are not allowed. We occasionally enjoy a glass of wine with dinner. To protect our animals from diseases, we have strict biosecurity measures in place. Before your arrival, we’ll go through any specific precautions, such as cleaning clothes or shoes.
Our farm is located 90 km from Stockholm, 20 km from Västerås, 60 km from Uppsala, and 15 km from Enköping. Since there is no bus service nearby, we’ll need to plan if you’d like to explore the area during your free time.
Sustainability and organic practices:
We prioritize composting and avoid pesticides. As a EU-ecological certified farm, our sheep are fed only organic food.
We value biodiversity, caring for flowers, insects, and wildlife.
Animal manure enriches the fields, and materials from the farm are reused in our vegetable garden.
Our hens roam freely during the day, lambs graze in pastures (though they’re born indoors).
Our cats also enjoy spending time outside.
The property includes 20 hectares of farmland and 50 hectares of forest. We practice sustainable forestry, maintaining diverse tree species to support wildlife and reduce risks related to climate change.
If this sounds like an experience you’d enjoy, feel free to contact us. We’re happy to share more information! 😊
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Learning opportunities
Vegetable farming
Fruit or nut farming
Grain farming
Poultry farming
Raising of other farm animals
Forestry
Flower farming
Meat processing
Vegetable or fruit preservation
Food justice / sovereignty
Methods or systems
Holistic management
Rotational grazing
Host type
Production farm
Certified organic
20
Hectares
|
49.4
Acres
Annette
Member since 2015
Languages spoken:
English, French, Swedish
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Response rate: 100%
Response time: typically within 1 day
Uppsala
Pick you up in Enköping. Probably you arrive with train or from Arlanda airport with bus.
Reviews
Xenia
Switzerland
•
February 2026
My six weeks at Vretagard Farm were truly special to me. From the very beginning, Annette and Anders made me feel welcome. They are incredibly kind, positive, caring, and open people.
They appreciated my help on the farm and with the sheep, but what meant a lot to me was that they also cared about me having a good time and feeling comfortable sharing my needs and wishes. They always listened.
They took a lot of time for me, and long, meaningful conversations were a natural part of our days. Very quickly, I felt like part of the family. I was included in birthday celebrations, family trips, and everyday activities without question. I also felt included in family life, village life, and local clubs.
I deeply enjoyed this strong feeling of belonging, the outdoor work, and the freedom to use my time in a way that felt right for me.
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Reply from Annette
Thank you! We miss you!
Pauline
France
•
March 2023
J’ai eu la chance de partager le quotidien d’Annette et sa famille pendant un peu plus de 3 semaines en février 2023 et je repars des souvenirs pleins la tête. Malgré que je ne sois pas venue à la meilleure période de l’année (je conseille aux futurs wwoofeurs d'y aller à partir d'avril, car moins de travail à la ferme pendant l'hiver), j’ai pu découvrir les habitudes à la ferme et j’ai rapidement appris à connaître les animaux. Moi qui suis normalement pas très confiante en compagnie d’animaux, je n’ai jamais ressenti de la peur. Entre missions à la ferme, cuisine et pâtisserie, promenades et jeux, j’ai vite pris mes marques dans cette ferme familiale conviviale et calme, où l’on se sent bien et en sécurité, un peu “comme à la maison”. C’était une très belle expérience. Merci encore à Anders, Annette, Erik et Albin :)
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Degroote
Belgium
•
October 2018
961/5000
I had the opportunity to stay with Annette and her family for two weeks during my summer vacation. They were all very nice, it was an unforgettable and beautiful experience! I learned to take care of sheep, weigh them and also feed them. They are actually very affectionate animals. Annette, her husband, Eric, Albin (both children) spent an evening around the fire in the woods, eating a barbec and watching the stars. We also did gardening, taking care of rabbits and taking walks in the forest to watch the moose. Annette also made me taste the specialties of the country. They also have three cute cats! I also had the opportunity to go horseback riding with a very special horse: the Icelandic horse! I met Isa the sister of Annette who is a great person too! This is just a brief summary of all the things I've lived there! I highly recommend this traditional farmhouse!
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Marika
Germany
•
November 2017
I would recommend Vreta Gård for everybody, that likes having animals around and spend time with a very nice family. There you can learn so much about farms, forests, animals and nature in general.
I spent eight weeks in Autumn there and I have earned so many new experiences. I worked with the animals and in the garden, but I was also baking and cooking and the family took me to places I've never been and I could join them to their free time activitys. So, they integrated me so well and they were really attempt to show me their life and surrounding. I felt welcome and my wishes were always considered. Moreover, I spent an amazing birthday there. Thanks a lot to this lovely family!
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Maëlle
France
•
June 2017
I was supposed to stay at Vreta Gard for 5 weeks in May but I left after one week. I have visited several farms and my stay at Vreta Gard was my worst woofing experience. Still, there was probably a accumulation of some special circumstances that may not occur again (Annette has got a teeth operation the week before I came, Anders was at the farm only on the week-ends and May is a stressful period because goats can get infection after lambing…). I didn’t enjoy my period at Vreta Gard for the following reasons:
- The tasks: essentially lots of cleaning (of the barn where the goats have been in winter, the soil behind the barn, etc.), take care of the small animals (rabbits, chicken, cats), give hay to goats, a little bit of gardening (creating a new bed). I have been working 6 to 8 hours a day. In the farm’s presentation, it is said that they are doing permaculture, but Annette has neither the single interest nor knowledge in permaculture. Just to take one example, we have been digging a big hole to create new “potato land” using a spade, which is not a method of permaculture as I could learn in the other farms I have visited later. Furthermore, since May is a critical period for goats, the only contact I had to the goats was when I had to give them hay, so I had neither much contact nor learned much about goats… On the whole, Annette didn’t seem to be very willing to explain things or to listen to the ideas I suggested in the first days.
- The food: for lunch, I got a bowl of sour milk and some muesli, and Annette told me that “if I wanted more muesli, I should buy it myself”… In the evening, we had some pasta, bolognaise sauce and sometimes a spoon of vegetables…
- The accommodation: when I was at Vreta Gard, it was snowing. In the morning, the temperature in the caravan was around 12°C.
- The shower: water seems to lack in the summer; so, comprehensibly, there are some water restrictions, so you should not take showers every day. During my stay, I could take 3 showers and only one was hot because Annette’s son had showered before.
- Since I was disappointed of my stay at Vreta Gard, I informed Annette that I will be leaving the farm the next day. Then, Annette went completely crazy, yelled at me throwing things through the kitchen.
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Anton
Sweden
•
October 2016
I was at Vreta gård during september 2016. I really liked my stay here. I spent much time in the house with the family and felt really welcome. Whole the family wants you to be a part of the daily life and that´s great! I worked most of the time with Annette and she got much knowledge about animals and nature overall. Sometimes we were walking in the forest for hours looking for interesting things! Both Anders and Annette is doing their thing really serious and Erik and Albin are very kind and funny. If you want to get more knowledge about breading and taking care of animals I absolutely recommend this farm!
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