Ahead of the onset of winter, ''grazing'' was recently carried out at the Kyoto Prefecture Ikari Kogen Farm in Tango-cho, Kyotango City, Kyoto Prefecture, where Wagyu cattle that had been grazing since April were returned to their barns. Eleven pregnant cows were led by staff members on light trucks and minibikes to the barn to prepare for the winter.
Ikari Farm is located at an altitude of approximately 400 meters and raises a total of 150 Japanese and dairy cows. During the stable pregnancy period, the cows are grazed, but in winter, the long-term snow cover reduces the amount of grass they can feed on, so they are kept in barns.
The 11 cows were urged by a staff member to ''Let's go!'' and ran in a line to the cattle shed, about 1.5 kilometers away. The cows are scheduled to give birth between January and May 2024, and lead researcher Michiya Hayashi (age 53) said, ''Some of the cows are close to giving birth, so we want to feed them an appropriate amount of food and keep them warm so that they can give birth to healthy calves.''
Grazing will resume in early April 2024, depending on the growth of the grass.
