Dairying in Japan

by Paul Meyer

Part one of a three part series focusing on Japan. Additional stories to follow highlight a few visits to dairies on the mainland and key bulls of interest to Japanese dairy producers, plus a glimpse into the culture and geography of the country.

Imagine being a dairy producer in a land where space is so limited that even cars have pens (drive onto a platform and an elevator stacks your car). Every little bit of arable land is used to grow vegetables and rice. In fact on the mainland, in many places land sells for $1M per hectare. Still, the dairy industry in Japan thrives and there is no question that its citizens appreciate good quality dairy products: witness the 3.7% homo milk, the delicious yoghurts and decadent ice creams. While the true dairy heartland for Japan is located on the island of Hokkaido, this series focuses on the mainland where, although farms are somewhat smaller in size, a location of close proximity to urban centers is a clear advantage. Our farm visits and seminars are met with interest and good questions that demonstrate a passion for breeding among the dairy farmers here.

On the mainland in Japan, herd sizes remain relatively small by North American standards, with expansion possibilities limited for most. Throughout the south, dairies compete not only with urban centers, but with small terraced vegetable plots for space. On most, the majority of the land holdings are used almost entirely for the buildings to house cows and heifers. It is not uncommon for almost no feed stuffs to be grown and in many cases growth on the cow numbers has been offset by farming out the heifer raising to the more spacious land holdings on the island of Hokkaido. It must be a challenge to make a living with 50 cows when nearly all feed stuffs must be purchased from far off places, like Washington State. No doubt, a favorable milk price is key. Still, breeders are passionate about the genetic choices for their dairies and are keenly aware of the best bulls from all around the world including those supplied by Alta.

Posted Apr 4th

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