Takahide Dairy Farm operates a dairy farm as part of a “recycling-oriented dairy farm” where compost and liquid fertilizer are made from cow excrement and used by local farmers to grow feed rice for their cows. The farm has also opened a processing plant that makes cheese and gelato, and has grown into a spot that plays a role in local tourism through its direct sales style. We follow the farm’s efforts to aggressively manage its business.
40 years of raising cattle in Isumi City
Gelato, pizza, and cheese made with milk from the ranch are popular among tourists. About 180 Holsteins are raised here, and from the terrace of the Milk Kobo, a café that also serves as a direct sales counter, visitors can enjoy the sight of the cows relaxing outdoors. The farm is a popular tourist spot in the Sotobo area of southeastern Chiba Prefecture, and is also active in promoting the appeal of dairy farming, such as by holding hands-on dairy farming workshops.
Toward a management strategy that goes beyond union shipments of milk
Takahide Farm was started in 1983 in Isumi City by Kenji Takahashi, the owner of the farm. Before that, Mr. Takahashi’s father raised cows in Yachiyo City, located in the northern part of Chiba Prefecture. I started dairy farming at home when I was born, and I have loved cows ever since,” says Mr. Takahashi with a boyish smile. Ever since he was a child, his dream was to become a dairy farmer, and his dream came true at Takashu Farm.
The milk from Takashu Farm is shipped to the “Northern Chiba Dairy Farmers Cooperative Association,” a cooperative of dairy farmers that he has been associated with since his father was a farmer. Yachiyo Milk, the brand of the Northern Chiba Dairy, is a familiar local milk served at school lunches for residents in the northern part of Chiba Prefecture. While most of the milk currently in circulation is ultra-high temperature pasteurized milk, which is sterilized at 120-150°C for 1-3 seconds, Yachiyo milk is sterilized at a relatively low temperature (75°C for 15 seconds), known as the HTST method, and is characterized by a flavor with minimal flavor alteration due to heat.
Generally, milk is purchased from dairy farmers by distributors and distributed to dairy manufacturers, retailers, and consumers, but Mr. Takahashi points out that “the low price of milk purchased is a major reason why more dairy farmers are quitting. The problem is that dairy farmers themselves cannot decide the price of milk,” he stresses. In order to address this issue as a cooperative, the Northern Chiba Dairy Farmers’ Association has implemented the above-mentioned pasteurization method and a value-added strategy of locally produced milk for local consumption, which has been successful in expanding sales channels to school lunch programs and co-ops in the prefecture. However, the number of dairy farmers who are members of the cooperative continues to decline, and the situation remains difficult.
Mr. Takahashi has been focusing on “sixth industrialization” and “recycling-oriented dairy farming” as he continues to move forward with an eye on the current situation.
Sixth industrialization aimed at selling at a fair price
Noriyuki Okura is in charge of cheese production at Takashu Farm. After working for a major dairy manufacturer in cheese production, he moved to Takashu Farm in 2017, saying, “I want to make cheese from a distance where I can see the faces of the people who will eat it. He is the second generation of the cheese factory’s production manager, and he is constantly improving his skills.
Began processing and selling dairy products on the farm
As a “sixth industrialization base” that combines the production of processed milk products (secondary industry), its sales, and tourism (tertiary industry), Takahide Farm opened a cheese factory in 2011 and a milk factory offering gelato and pizza in 2016. The foundation of the milk factory was laid by Mr. Takahashi’s eldest daughter, Haruka, and in 2021, an antenna store of Takahide Farm, “Gyu Kau Bakka – Gelato Shop of Takahide Farm,” opened in the central area of Chiba City.
At the cheese factory, the previous owner has honed his skills and established a cheese-making process using milk produced on the farm. The semi-hard type “Makiba no Taiyo,” made by aging the cheese for more than a month, won a gold medal at the 2014 Japan Cheese Awards. His blue cheese “Blue Sky of the Meadow,” which combines the sweetness of milk with the unique flavor of blue mold, won Super Gold at the international competition “Mondial du Fromage” in 2015, among other achievements.
Mr. Okura, the second generation of the family to take over the craftsmanship from his predecessor, is in charge of the workshop. He has been making various kinds of cheeses and has also improved the gelato department, and has demonstrated his skills by making a hit with his gelato made from the blue sky of the prairie. Since his arrival at the workshop, sales of both gelato and cheese have tripled. I think the processing division can grow even more if we do well,” he said. The most important thing is that we can set our own prices. I believe that dairy farming can continue only if the price is fair considering the costs incurred. Mr. Okura says that young dairy farmers who have a sense of crisis about the future of the dairy industry often visit Takahide Farm for inspection.
Addressing the challenges of both dairy and rice farmers in a cyclical manner
Takahide Farm is promoting domestic production and local self-sufficiency of feed for cattle. One of the objectives is to reduce dependence on imported feed, which has skyrocketed in price. Currently, most of the feed used in dairy farming is imported, and the farmers are under pressure to reduce the impact of price hikes. Corn, which is fed to give milk its rich flavor, is one of the most common imported feeds. However, “If we switch from corn and other imported feed to domestically produced feed, we will tend to run out of protein sources,” says Takahashi. To counter this problem, he has taken advantage of Chiba Prefecture’s rich soy sauce brewing traditions to use soybean meal after soy sauce is squeezed out as ecofeed (feed made from food residues), and has also begun growing corn on the farm.
Another major objective of the project is to address the issues faced by both dairy farmers and rice farmers. This is the reason why the local self-sufficiency style of feed rice is “recycling”. Cattle manure is fermented on the farm and turned into compost, and urine is turned into liquid manure in a special lagoon. The compost and liquid manure are then used by local farmers to grow feed rice. The rice harvested there is then used to feed the cows.
In Isumi, abandoned rice paddies are increasing due to the aging of rice farmers. In light of this situation, the farm aims to incorporate feed rice, which is easier to cultivate than food rice, into the cycle to create demand for rice cultivation, thereby supporting the farming business. On the other hand, for the ranchers, it will lead to the utilization of cattle excrement and a stable supply of feed. Okura says, “By facing the challenges together with the local community in this way, we can protect the landscape of the satoyama, and I think we can create a strong dairy farming business.
Making cheese with milk from cows fed on local rice
Our milk is a little sweet and refreshing, and I believe that sweetness comes from the rice. For example, “Blue Sky of the Meadow” is a symbolic product that uses that sweetness to make a mild blue cheese.
Mr. Okura does not dare to select different breeds of cows, such as Jersey or Brown Swiss, for cheese making. He believes that the community and Takashu Farm are supported by the “recycling-oriented dairy farming” that has become a community-wide effort, which is why he always “does his best with the milk brought to the workshop.
Taking the next step
Mr. Okura, who incorporates such a concept of Takahide Farm into his cheesemaking, is enthusiastic, saying, “I want to make unique cheeses with the milk of cows raised on rice-based feed, using the best of my skills. Mr. Takahashi is also moving on to the next step. He is planning to establish a “TMR center” jointly with more than a dozen other dairy farmers in the neighboring area.
A TMR center is a “feeding center for cows. When one dairy farmer tries to produce subsistence crops, the labor cost of producing feed is a huge expense in addition to running the dairy farm. The tractors used to operate them cost a huge amount of money, as much as 10 million per tractor, and it is difficult for an individual farmer to purchase one. Therefore, the idea is to improve the efficiency of feed production by establishing a centralized feed production center to increase the self-sufficiency ratio of feed for the entire region. In particular, we need a system that separates the dairy farming part from the feed production part. If we have to work 14 or 15 hours a day, I don’t think young people will continue to do so,” says Takahashi, looking ahead to the next generation of dairy farm management. The challenge of a dairy farm that works together with the local community will continue in the future, involving various people.
