In mountainous areas of Japan, there is an urgent need to develop animal husbandry that incorporate grazing systems. The grazing systems can effectively utilize crop fields that can no longer be cultivated due to the declining rural population, and can also be expected to secure profit by the calf production at low cost. In our division, we are working on the development of a grazing system suitable for mountainous areas of Japan. We are engaged in : 1) development of a grazing and pasture management to extend the grazing period, especially in midsummer season when grass withers, 2) development of a smart grazing system to increase the productivity and quality in the mountainous areas, 3) development of cow-calf-fattening systems utilizing local resources.
