Japan Agricultural Information

Production of Cheese with Uncompromising Quality – Shimizu Milk Farm and Cheese Factory in Nagano Prefecture -

Introduction

There is a ranch where cheese that French people highly praise is produced in Nagawa Village in Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture. This ranch and the cheese factory are operated by Mr. Norihei Shimizu and his wife Harumi, and the factory is in the forest of the Japanese Northern Alps at an elevation of 1,400 m. Mr. Shimizu moved all over the mainland with his family and cows in search of a place where he could produce cheese that is comparable with Alpage cheese which Mr. Shimizu had thought was the most delicious cheese. In 2005, approximately five years ago, he finally found an ideal location, and it was in Nagawa Village. Alpage cheese is a type of cheese handmade by farmers in summer ranches on the slopes of the European Alps. It is made of milk rich in flavor pumped from cows and sheep that fed on wild flowers or grass mixed with herbs; therefore, it is full of flavor and internationally recognized as a tasty cheese.

The Shimizu family now owns approximately 30 cows and 50 sheep. The cows are of the Brown Swiss breed. It is a type of breed that is improved based on the breed that is native to Switzerland. The cows and sheep are grazed on 60 hectares of grassland surrounded by forests that spread from an elevation of 1,400 to 1,800 m. The grazing period starts at the end of May, when the snow melts and grass grows, and ends at the beginning of November. Fresh milk from these cows that eat the grass and drink clean spring water is made into extra mature hard cheese called Bargkass or semi-hard washed cheese. The reputation of cheese handmade by the Shimizu family has quickly spread across Japan and the Shimizu family is now sometimes unable to fulfill a large number of orders that come via phone or fax everyday. Their French customers also highly commend their cheese as being rich in flavor.

Mr. Shimizu at his grazing land

 

Furthermore, the Shimizu Milk Farm and the cheese factory has been contributing to the revitalization of Nagawa Village, which is a mountain village with a declining and aging population. Every year, 20,000 people visit the cheese factory. Some stay at nearby accommodations, and some buy soba (buckwheat noodle) which is the specialty food of the village. Also, local female residents have started to produce and sell bread and custard puddings made of flavor-rich fresh milk from the Shimizu Milk Farm. All of the above are now having positive impacts on the local economy.

Mr. Shimizu’s Challenge

Mr. Shimizu grew up in a family with his father who worked as a salaried employee. He studied livestock sciences at university. After graduating from university, he started a ranch operation in Okayama Prefecture with his wife, who was his classmate, to produce tasty milk products (i.e. cheese) that he was happy with. The type of cheese that Mr. Shimizu thought was the best was Alpage cheese, handmade by European Alpine farmers in their mountain lodges. Alpage cheese is a type of mountain cheese. From the early summer to the fall, dairy farmers living at the base of the Alps take their cows and sheep to grazing land on the slopes of the Alps. Cows there eat grass mixed with flowers and herbs, and cream-colored milk rich in flavor obtained from these cows is used to produce homemade cheese in their mountain lodges.  

Scenery around the Shimizu Milk Farm

Mr. Shimizu selected Brown Swiss cattle to produce the cheese of his dream. The Brown Swiss breed was bred specifically for milk production purposes from cows native to Switzerland. They produce less milk than Holstein cows, but they have strong legs and their milk is suited for cheese production. When he first started to raise the Brown Swiss cows, there were very few breeding cattle and the amount of related technical information available was insufficient. He therefore had a very hard time breeding and raising them.

Believing that production of tasty cheese would require tasty milk, and to get that tasty milk, raising cattle in a place where there was fresh air, lush greenery, and clear water was essential, he first moved from Okayama Prefecture to Shiga Prefecture and then to Nagano Prefecture (Mimakihara, Tomi City) with his family and cows. Finally in 2005, he found the ideal place at the current location (Nagawa Village, Matsumoto City).

The grazing land in autumn

 

About the Shimizu Milk Farm and Cheese Factory

Owned by the limited company Sangaku Bokuchiku Kenkyukai (meaning mountain stock raising workshop), the Shimizu Milk Farm and Cheese Factory operated by Mr. Shimizu is in Nagawa Village in Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture. After approximately an hour’s drive from Matsumoto station on the JR Chuo line of  to Nomugi Hill, along Nomugi Way, there is a small signboard that reads “(有)山岳牧畜研究会自家製チーズ (Sangaku Bokuchiku Kenkyukai Homemade Cheese),” which may be overlooked if one is not careful. To get to the cheese factory, you must drive further up the forest road to an elevation of 1,400 m. There, the cheese factory, a building with an office and shop, and the Shimizu residence can be found. The grazing land is approximately 1 km away from the factory. It is in the forests that spread from an elevation of 1,400 to 1,800 m. The area of the grazing land is 60 hectares. At the cheese factory, a male employee responsible for agricultural work and a female employee who serves as a sales clerk are working alongside Mr. and Mrs. Shimizu.

On the ranch, the Shimizu family raises approximately 30 Brown Swiss milk cows and approximately 50 Friesland sheep. For approximately 5 months, from the end of May, when the snow melts and grazing can start, to the beginning of November, cows eat grass, drink clear spring water, and produce flavor rich milk on the 60 hectares of grassland. It spreads from an elevation of 1,400 to 1,800 m, is surrounded by fresh air, and there is Northern Alpine underflow water nearby. Using this milk as an ingredient, Mr. Shimizu produces cheese and yogurt with passion. For example, he produces extra mature hard cheese (“Bargkass”), produced during summer grazing and matured for 10 months, semi-hard cheese with its surfaced washed with salt water, and goat cheese (available only in early summer).

(Upper left) Fromage dans la Montagne, semi-hard washed cheese named Cheese in the Mountain; (right) Mr. Shimizu, producing the fresh cheese, Petits Nuages; (lower left) Fromage dans la Forêt, semi-hard washed cheese named Cheese in the Forest

 

The place the Shimizu family arrived at at the end of their search for an ideal place for a ranch and cheese factory operation was far away from the nearest villages, and Mr. Shimizu was at first worried whether people would come this far to buy cheese. The reputation of his tasty cheese, however, quickly spread across Japan and the products were introduced on TV, resulting in the reception of a large volume of product orders. His French customers also highly commend his cheese, and some of them buy his cheese every time they come to Japan. Orders are taken only by fax and phone, and throughout the year, many orders come in. His cheese is so popular that sometimes the orders could not be fulfilled.

Also, from the spring to the fall, 20,000 people come to the ranch annually to enjoy hiking or to buy cheese.

We would like to show our respect to Mr. and Mrs. Shimizu who have realized a profitable as well as sustainable dairy farming operation in a mountain area by focusing on producing and providing high quality and tasty dairy products.

Collaboration between the Local Community and the Shimizu Milk Farm

The Nagawa Village in Matsumoto City, where the Shimizu Milk Farm and Cheese Factory is located, is in a mountain area. In this area, there are a total of 370 households, and 190 of them are farmers (as of 2007). The size of their operations is small, and two-thirds of them own a farm of a size of 0.5 hectares or less. Moreover, the farming community is rapidly aging. The major businesses in this area are agriculture, forestry, and tourism. In agriculture, buckwheat, beans, and vegetables are produced. Among them, buckwheat is the specialty food of this area, and there are many restaurants that serve delicious soba in the urban areas.

In animal farming, in the past there were many farmers who raised cows that were used both in soil cultivation and milk production (700 cows at the peak). Currently, however, only six or seven households are raising approximately 20 Japanese Black cows each for breeding.

When opening the Shimizu Milk Farm, the local administration and Mr. Shimizu agreed that the ranch owner, Mr. Shimizu was responsible for providing anti-water contamination measures (such as night-soil disposal) in order to protect the environment of the water resources.

They also agreed that the municipality would remove the snow on the prefectural highway but the Mr. Shimizu was responsible for removing snow on the forest roads from the prefectural highway to the ranch (machines would be loaned). Electricity and the phone line would be provided by Mr. Shimizu and Mr. Shimizu was also responsible for creating a well for clean water (private water-supply system).

The Shimizu Milk Farm and Cheese Factory has contributed to the revitalization of the local community because: j Two locals have been hired, k ranch visitors (approximately 20,000 people per year) have positive economic effects due to their food consumption (such as soba), lodging, and sightseeing, l local communication increases when milk products such as cheese are provided at local events, and m compost is sold to buckwheat farmers (Shimizu Milk Farm to deliver by a pickup truck). Also, local female residents have started to produce and sell bread and custard puddings made of flavor-rich fresh milk from the ranch which has contributed to revitalization of the local community.

Currently, the city, prefecture, and the central governments are cooperating with each other to construct pathways around the ranch. Once the construction is complete, it is expected that more people will visit Shimizu Milk Farm and the surrounding areas and revitalization of the local community will be further promoted.

 

 

 

 

(H. T., JAICA)

2011/03/23 16:24 | categories：Livestocks | comment（3）

The internationally well-known beef brand “Kobe Beef”

The internationally well-known beef brand “Kobe Beef”

We interviewed Mr. M. Ikeda from the Kobe Beef Marketing & Distribution Promotion Association (General Manager, Animal Farming Division, JA Zen-Noh (National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations) Hyogo), and asked about production and distribution of Kobe Beef. The overview of the interview is as follows:

1. Trends of Kobe Beef production
The overall production volume has remained the same. There has not been a dramatic increase in the number of cows because the number of breeding cows (number of breeding Tajima-gyu cows: 15,000) has remained the same and also the producer (farmer) population has been aging (although there are some new young producers).

* Number of households raising cows and production volume:

• Number of breeding farmers of calve of Tajima-gyu cows (designated producer): Approximately 2,000 households
  (number of breeding Tajima-gyu cows: 15,000)
• Number of feeding farmers of Tajima-gyu cows (designated producer):
  Approximately 300 households
• Annual carcass production (Kobe Beef):
  Approximately 1,320 tons from 5,500 cows

* Tajima-gyu cows as breeding cows for Kobe Beef

• The pedigree of Tajima-gyu cows is strictly managed. They are weak cows born from inbreeding; therefore, they must be carefully raised. They are light and yield a small amount of meat. The meat however is high quality and high class meat.

2. Production and distribution of Kobe Beef
* Kobe Beef production plays an important role in recycling-oriented agricultural production

•  Farmers that raise cows often produce vegetables crops. They use cow manure in their vegetable field. (Use of organic fertilizers leads to the reliability and safety of vegetables.)
•  Manures are provided for rice as well as upland crop cultivation. (In many cases, manures are provided to Zen-Noh by livestock farmers, and then they are provided to rice and vegetable farmers.
  They are however sometimes directly provided to the rice and vegetable farmers.)
  (This follows the nature cycle and contributes to recycling-based agriculture and continuation of traditional agriculture.)
• Production of Kobe Beef (feeding of Tajima-gyu cows) requires high quality straw (coexistence for rice cropping).

* Production areas

• Awaji area: vegetable and cow breeding farmers
• Tamba (Sasayama), Kakogawa, Kobe areas: mostly cow feeding farmers (average number of cows that are raised: 200 to 300, but some raise as many as 500 cows).

* Development of successors

• Training is provided in Zen-noh’s test ranches.
• Some fattening farmers accept trainees.

* Cost of production

• A breeding cow is expensive (450,000-550,000 yen per cow).
• Dramatic rise of the feed grains (corn etc.) price has caused an increase of production costs.
• The price of feed grains continues to remain high and prospects are clouded. (Is this price trend different from the past? There is no indication of the price declining in the future.) These are leading to concerns for the farmers.

3. International expansion of sales channels
* Kobe Beef Marketing & Distribution Promotion Association open the door of its certified exporter and distributers of Kobe Beef to any entities (there is a procedure to certify reliable individuals to maintain brand credibility, and this is the same procedure as the one used in Japan (shop designation and issuance of certifications)).
* The trademark registration has been completed in Korea and Taiwan. It has been applied for in China and Hong Kong (it takes 3 years).

4. Quality control
* Maintenance of the technical level

• Instruction manuals are published (and made available to the public).

* There are designated producers (for breeding and feeding)

• For an individual to become a designated producer, first the local JA checks if he/she raises Tajima-gyu cows and then recommends him/her as a candidate before the committee.

* Certificated shops (wholesalers, retailers, and restaurants)

• Any entity can be registered as long as the standard established by the committee (the right way of selling) can be met. Note, however, in order to guarantee implementation of the right way of selling, entities that are recommended by current certificated shop of the Association are accepted as a new certificated shops (so that current certificated shops are responsible for the new shops that they recommend).

* Meat centers and carcass markets

• Six meet markets in the prefecture are designated and commissioned to inspect and put seals on meat and issue certifications.
• Other markets can apply to become designated markets but the committee members must carry out on-site inspections. There have not been any applications to date.

5. Actions taken to maintain the brand
* The production and sales registration system is maintained.
* Objections are raised whenever incorrect information is released (i.e. media report).
* Tajima Beef Certification System, a ubiquitous network was developed. The System consists of information on blooding line, birth and breeding etc. of each Tajima-gyu, breeding cows of Kobe-gyu. Consumers can access the system through the Internet and by cell phone.

2011/03/23 12:12 | categories：Livestocks | comment（1）

Utilization of Abandoned Paddy Fields for Cattle Grazing – Funaki Farm in Fukushima Prefecture -

Introduction

In late October, when autumn was drawing on, I visited Samegawa Village (400 to 700 meters above sea level) in the mountain area in the south of Fukushima Prefecture, about 160 kilometers north of Tokyo, to see a dairy farmer Mr. H. Funaki who kept about 30 heads of dairy cattle there.  The aim of the visit was to observe Mr. Funaki’s efforts to use abandoned paddy fields (unused paddy fields) for grazing of dairy cattle with the purpose of breaking away from conventional dairy farming that depends heavily on imported grains and of contributing to the maintenance of rural landscapes.

One of the characteristics of the Japanese livestock industry is its low feed self-sufficiency ratio.  Above all, the self-sufficiency ratio of feed in dairy farming is extremely low with a national average of 34.9 percent (2009) and an average of all prefectures other than Hokkaido of 16.7 percent, which means Japan’s dairy farming depends on foreign sources for more than two-thirds of its feed.  The total amount of imported feed grains was 14,266 million tons in 2009, which includes 10.632 million tons of corn imported from the U.S..  Recently, soaring international grain prices have severely affected the management of Japanese dairy farmers.  Therefore, there is an urgent need for dairy farmers to lower feeding costs by cost reduction measures such as improving productivity of self-supplied feed and by grazing livestock.  As one of the measures to address this issue, efforts to utilize paddies of abandonment of rice cultivation and fields as pastureland have been spreading all over the country.  Recently in Fukushima Prefecture, where the percentage of land not being cultivation is high, the use of abandoned cultivated land for grazing of beef and dairy cattle has been increasing.

In 2006 (five years ago), Mr. Funaki started grazing dairy calves in abandoned paddy fields under the guidance of the village office, the National Livestock Breeding Center, and the Fukushima Prefecture Kennan Agriculture and Forestry Office.  Since then he has enlarged the scale of pasturage.  Now he grazes cattle on 1.11 hectares of abandoned paddy fields including 0.7 hectares of leased land, which enables him to reduce feed costs and save on labor in rearing management of dairy cattle.

Summary of Funaki Farm

Samegawa Village, where Mr. Funaki’s farm is located, lies at the southern end of the Abukuma Range in the south of Fukushima Prefecture.  The village is in a hilly part of the Abukuma Range and ranges from about 400 to 700 meters above sea level.  Narrow intermountain places are used as cultivated land such as terrace paddy fields, while meadows and pasture spread in gently sloping areas on hilly terrains.  The average annual temperature is about 10 degrees Celsius, and unusually cold weather sometimes influences crops in this village located high above sea level.  In addition, the temperature remains low from December to March, sometimes dropping to below zero.  The key industry of the village is agriculture, but each farmer’s management is conducted on a small scale.  (Nearly 80 percent of farmers have less than 1.5 hectares of fields.)  Many farmers are engaged in multiple farming that combines stockbreeding with rice cultivation or with cultivation of summer and autumn vegetable crops.  Abandoned paddy fields, where retired or aged farmers abandoned rice cultivation, are dotted　throughout the village.  Now they are overgrown with weeds higher than a man, which detracts from the beauty of the rural landscapes.  In order to utilize limited land resources effectively and to maintain the rural landscapes, the village office is recommending farmers to revitalize abandoned paddy fields as pastureland.

Mr. Funaki’s farm is about an hour drive from Shin-Shirakawa Station on the Tohoku Shinkansen line.  It is situated in a typical intermountain area, surrounded mainly by forests and small-scale paddy fields.

Mr. Funaki, whose children have already left home, raises 31 heads of Holstein cattle including 22 delivered cows with his wife mainly by drylot feeding.  His farmland is divided into 3.3 hectares of paddy fields (including 0.7 hectares of leased land), 3 hectares of upland fields (including 1 hectare of leased land), and 0.7 hectares of leased meadows.  He grows corn for silage in the upland fields and grass for hay in the meadows.  However, the amount of the self-supplied feed is insufficient, so he buys large amounts of compound feeds made from corn, etc. and imported hay.  Because the soaring international grain prices have also greatly influenced the dairy farming of Funaki Farm, Mr. Funaki is now under pressure to take measures to reduce feed costs by as much as possible.  Grazing cattle is an effective way to lower feeding costs, but it is difficult for him to develop new pasture due to geographic constraints and cost problems.  For this reason, he decided to start pasturage in abandoned paddy fields.

Utilization of Unused Paddy Fields for Pasturage

Mr. Funaki takes a leadership role in local villages, serving as the chairman of a regional group of agricultural instructors who are certified by the prefecture as persons to raise young people in rural villages into capable successors in agriculture.  He attended a workshop on grazing held by the prefecture earlier than other farmers and learned skills to use abandoned paddy fields as pastureland.  In 2006 (five years ago) he started using abandoned paddy fields as pastureland for the first time in the village by setting up a simple electric pasture fence around abandoned paddy fields with support from the National Livestock Breeding Center, the Fukushima Prefecture Kennan Agriculture and Forestry Office, and the village office.  As a first step, he sent two dairy calves (weaned and nonporous dairy cattle) to 0.63 hectare of abandoned paddy fields.  Since then he has enlarged his pastureland by accepting offers from local farmland owners who had abandoned cultivation, and now he grazes five cattle on about 1.1 hectares of land.

In order to use abandoned paddy fields as pastureland, it is necessary to drain the ground depending on the conditions.  The abandoned paddy fields that Mr. Funaki used had not been cultivated for more than 10 years and were covered with reeds and other weeds.  The ground remained muddy, so he needed to take measures to drain the water.  For this reason, he dug trenches (open ditches) with a width of 50 centimeters and a depth of 30 centimeters around the abandoned paddy fields by using his own backhoe to improve drainage.

Although cattle feed on wild grasses selectively, it is necessary to sow garss seeds to enhance the feeding capacity.  For this reason, Mr. Funaki improved the grassland by sowing seeds of Italian ryegrass, orchard grass, timothy, etc. in autumn and by adopting the hoof cultivation method (a method to prepare pastureland with no mechanical power by utilizing the characteristics of the released cattle).  Currently, for example, he grazes two calves all day for a month in a grazing plot of 0.3 hectare.  His challenge for the future is to promote grassland improvement so that he can extend the period for which grazing is possible.

One needs to accustom cattle to electric fences before grazing them.  Mr. Funaki conducted this process near the cattle house, which was completed with relatively little effort.  Mr. Funaki said, as continuing all-day grazing for a long period increases the risk of making cattle wild, he goes the rounds of his grazing fields once a day to feed cattle a grain diet as supplementary feed and talks to and strokes them during each visit, with an idea of keeping relations of mutual trust between the feeder and cattle in his mind.  According to him, his cattle now run up to him even from a distance when he approaches the pastureland.

Mr. Funaki carries water in plastic tanks on his light truck and supplies water to water storage tanks installed at the grazing plots by using the car battery.

Because the abandoned paddy fields used for pasturage are located separately at several locations, Mr. Funaki has to use public roads to move cattle to another grazing plot.  Because cattle are likely to go on a rampage on public roads, the help of sturdy men and the greatest possible care are required.  Mr. Funaki conducts cattle transportation with help from an office staff in charge of livestock development of the Village.

Conclusion

As a pioneer in the region, Mr. Funaki has realized power-saving and low-cost rearing of dairy cattle by working on the utilization of abandoned paddy fields for pasturage.  He has also accepted requests from local owners of abandoned fields to revitalize unused paddy fields, which were scattered throughout the village after nearly 10 years of abandonment and devastation, as pastureland. As a result, he succeeded in reviving beautiful rural scenes of grazing cattle, which can be said to be his great achievement.   Many people now visit Mr. Funaki’s farm to learn about his pioneering efforts.

2011/03/23 09:48 | categories：Livestocks | comment（1）

Asian Product Organization (APO) Multicountry Observational Study Mission on Branding of Local Food and Agricultural Products

- Kobe Beef Brand Strategy -

From November 9 to 16, 2010, the Asian Productivity Organization (APO) hosted an observational study mission on the theme of “branding of local food and agricultural products.” Traditional agricultural products that incorporate local climatic as well as cultural characteristics are often recognized in the market as brand products whose names include the area of origin. The objective of the observational study mission was to learn about such brand agricultural products with geographical indication. From 10 APO member countries, 14 trainees participated in the study mission.

With the cooperation of the Kobe Beef Marketing & Distribution Promotion Association and JA Zen-Noh (National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations) Hyogo, there were lectures on the concept of brand products with geographical indication, frameworks of systems such as the geographical indication system and trademark systems, and Kobe Beef as an example of a local brand.

Mr. M. Ikeda, General Manager of the Kobe Beef Marketing & Distribution Promotion Association traveled 500 km from Hyogo Prefecture to the venue in Tokyo to give the lecture. Then, he talked about how the Kobe Beef brand was established, systems involved in maintenance of the brand, and specific operations in each production stage and distribution as well as all other phases in between. Since many of the trainees were from private companies or business organizations　of APO member countries, this lecture must have been a great opportunity for them to obtain firsthand information.

During the lecture, there were many questions from the trainees such as: “Only 3,000 cows produce Kobe Beef per year (Kobe Beef accounts only for 0.06% of the entire beef consumption in Japan), and is it because there is some kind of limit on how many cows can be used to produce Kobe Beef?^Q1,” “I am surprised that not only producers and distributors but also consumers were involved in establishment of the Association. What was done to involve them?^Q2,” “I heard that cows are fed beer. Is it true? Also, are there any standardized conditions in production methods?^Q3,” “Is Kobe Beef associated with specific parts of a cow?^Q4,” “I understand that Buddhism is against killing, so are there any religious problems?^Q5,” and “Are there any halal foods* available?^Q6” Also, one of the female participants commented that “although people now tend to like meat of small animals such as chickens due to the recent health trend, I love beef. I would like to try some Kobe Beef while I am here.” (See below for answers to the questions.)

On the last day of the study mission, the trainees made presentations and made comments as follows:

• With the example of Kobe Beef, I was able to understand the importance of the trademark system and 3D trademark system for assuring quality.
• Excellent marketing strategies have been used for Kobe Beef. The history, stories, and data about Kobe Beef produce overwhelming effects.
• I learned that strict standards and operations are necessary to secure and maintain high quality and safety.
• I now understand that collaboration with not only producers but also distributors is necessary.
• I learned that understanding of regional collective trademarks and geographical indication as well as desire to build a brand by producers and farming communities are important.

 

*Halal foods: foods that are allowed under Islamic dietary guidelines

Q1:   There are no limits on how many cows can be used. There is only the shown number of cows that meet the criteria. We would like to increase it.

Q2:   For the purpose of monitoring the actual distribution, we wanted not only producers and distributors but also consumers to get involved. We advertise for participants with the help of city and prefectural consumer associations.

Q3:   Beef is certified as Kobe Beef when it meets the pedigree, place of birth, place raised, and lunar age conditions as well as the final meat quality criterion. Although the standard production method has been published as an instruction manual, there are no set ways to do it. Surveys with producers however reveal most of them use almost the same production method.

Q4:   The entire carcass can be certified as Kobe Beef. Not only the rib-eye but also relatively inexpensive parts are very tasty, and I would love you to try it.

Q5:   Japanese people used to refrain from eating four-footed animals. I heard there were strict regulations but they may have been relatively loose in the Meiji period. We have never faced any serious religious issues.

Q6:   Preparation of halal foods is our future task.

(A. N., JAICAF)

2011/03/22 15:06 | categories：Livestocks | comment（0）

For the Provision of Safe and Tasty Milk

 North Chiba Dairy Co-Operative Association

In Yachiyo City in Chiba Prefecture, which is near Tokyo, there is a dairy co-cooperative association that strives for the provision of reliable and safe milk to consumers in the Metropolitan area by implementing coherent quality control from milk production to distribution. It is the North Chiba Dairy Co-Operative Association formed by dairy farmers living in former Yachiyo-cho (currently Yachiyo City) in Chiba in 1951, soon after World War II ended. The association consists of 36 dairy farmer households and 16 beef cattle fattening farmer households, and all these farmers feed their cattle with a feed mixture specified and supplied by the association. The major ingredients of this feed are non-GMO (non-genetically modified) crops and PHF (post harvest free) corn (for which no agrichemicals are used after harvest). Milk, which is the leading product of the association, is produced in HCCP-certified milk plants that each farmer owns. Milk is treated by the HTST (high temperature short time) method (at 75°C for 15 seconds), which is believed to be the sterilizing method that can best preserve nutrition and flavor of milk. After this treatment, milk is delivered to consumers. In addition to milk, the association also sells yogurt, milk beverages, and beef. Since its establishment, the association has placed importance on direct connection with consumers; the products are directly sold to consumers without the use of distributors. Co-op stores and schools (for lunch programs) are the major purchasers of milk. In order to overcome the difficult operation environment in which milk consumption has been stagnant due to the aging population, the association continues to make its best effort to reinforce the connection with consumers and to produce and sell reliable, safe food, tasty, and reasonably priced products that consumers want.

Profile of the Association

The North Chiba Dairy Co-Operative Association was formed by dairy farmers living in former Yachiyo-cho (currently Yachiyo City) in Chiba at the end of 1951. Milk distributed at that time was low-quality milk mixed with coconut oil and consumer confidence in milk was wavering. Dairy farmers sensed a crisis in this situation and established the association because they wished to produce additive-free high quality milk and deliver it directly to consumers.

In the 1980′s and 1990′s, other farmers who lived in the Yachiyo area joined the association, and as a result, the association now has members across Chiba Prefecture. There are now 36 dairy farmer households and 16 beef cattle farmer households. There are also 70 employees who control the production, sales, and quality of products such as milk or provide members with training and instruction on agricultural management and techniques.

When the association was first established, milk produced by the members was shipped to dairy companies in Tokyo. However, in 1955, the association constructed its own milk treatment plant so that the members’ wish to deliver high quality fresh (additive-free) milk directly to consumers could be realized. The plant then underwent expansion and improvement, and in 1998, it became HACCP certified. The plant is now producing approximately 14,000 tons of milk per year. It was the association’s philosophy that direct connection with consumers and deepening of mutual understanding were important in order to increase production and consumption of good quality milk. Therefore, the association built collaborative relationships with universities, regional consumer cooperatives, elementary and junior high schools (for lunch programs), and community members who wished to drink good quality milk, and directly sold the milk to them. Currently, the largest client is Toto Consumer Cooperative formed based on a citizens’ group for good quality milk called the “Setagaya group for drinking natural milk at a reasonable price.” Approximately 40% of milk produced is now delivered to this cooperative.

In 1987, the association received the Asahi Agricultural Award for its achievements. Furthermore, they won the Chiba Governor’s Award in the High Quality Milk Production Competition in 1990, and they received this same award for six consecutive years after that.

Milk treatment plant

 

For the Production of Reliable, Safe, and Tasty Milk

With “Healthy Milk from Healthy Cows” as the catch phrase, the association has been implementing advanced milk quality improvement operations since 1976. Cattle feed, which is the foundation of the production of safe milk, has been supplied by the association. In 1995, PHF corn (for which agrichemicals to disinfect crops are not used) began to be used as an ingredient of compounded feed, and in 2000, the use of non-GMO crops started. These ingredients were approved after regular on-site inspections of production and distribution processes in the import source country (the US) by the feed manufacturer that manufactured the association-specified feed mixture. The association employees also conducted on-site inspection of the feed manufacturing plant so that the approved ingredients were used in the association-specified compounded feed.

The association has a database containing the following four information books: the information on farmer overview, the information on cattle management, the information of feed management and the information on exchange events between farmers and consumers. The producer overview book has data on the structure of the cow barn and milk pumping method used by individual farmers. The cattle management book shows animal fact sheet of all milk cows. The feed management book shows the feed that all farmers give to their cattle. The exchange event shows the record of interactions between farmers and consumers. Based on information contained in the database, the association creates and publishes Yachiyo Farmer’s Passport and Yachiyo Passport. Yachiyo Farmer’s Passport shows the milk production volume and farmer profiles while the Yachiyo Passport shows the feeding record of individual milk cows. Using these tools, consumers can check the reliability and safety of products by themselves.

Milk pumped by farmers is collected, sterilized at a plant, packed, and shipped. The association uses the HTST method to sterilize milk at 75°C for 15 seconds. Although many dairy plants in Japan use the super-high temperature short time method (120 to 150°C for 1 to 3 seconds) to sterilize milk, the association uses the HTST method to highlight the smoothness and flavor of fresh raw milk. For the two brands of milk Kodawari and Yachiyo-Bin, the milk is collected and treated in separate tanks by two designated dairy farmers. These brands are highly commended by consumers as milk of uncompromising quality.

The technical personnel of the association regularly visit association members to provide technical assistance/instruction and information.

Farmer’s passport and milk cow feeding history passport

 

Issues Surrounding the Association

The association members are aging and shortages of successors have been a serious problem; there are 36 member households and among them, only 18 individuals are willing to take over dairy farming. Also, the coexistence of dairy farms and urban cities has become difficult for ecological reasons. Dairy farming requires a large amount of investment in environment-related facilities, such as sewage treatment facilities, and it has started to affect the finances of the members. Furthermore, milk consumption has been stagnant due to the aging society. Consumers are no longer satisfied with milk that is simply reliable and safe; it is necessary in the future to make milk more competitive in terms of taste and price. The association therefore, with the hope to further develop the dairy farming business, established the quality policy to “prioritize quality, assure traceability from production of ingredients (milk and meat) to product development, sales, and distribution, conform to relevant laws, implement full voluntary management, and deliver products to consumers.”  

<H. T., JAICAF>

2011/03/20 13:26 | categories：Livestocks | comment（3）