Pasture utilization by the beef cattle deposit system in Aso area [Japan]
2001
Okubo, K. (Tokyo Univ. of Agriculture (Japan))
After the trade liberalization of beef, the beef industry has been suffering from the declining price in Japan. In this situation, the reductions in the feed cost and the labor hours are crucial for the management of calf breeding farms. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the significance and the problems of the beef cattle deposit system in Aso area, which enables the farmers in the lowland to use the upland pasture in Kumamoto prefecture. The pasturage of beef cattle has been in practice in Aso highland area for years. The calf breeding farms not only produce beef cattle but also indirectly preserve the pasture, which is a feature for tourists in this area. However, the preservation of the pasture is at risk with the worsening economic environment for the beef industry. With the deposit system, the farmers in the lowland are able to acquire skills on pasturage. It is expected that the diffusion of pasturage skills and year-round pasturage practice will make the reduction of cost and labor possible and highly beneficial to the beef industry in Kumamoto prefecture.
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