BEPPU, Oita Prefecture–A stock farmer in a mountainous area in Kyushu has proved a savior for “worthless” cattle.
Breeding cows past their prime and male Jersey oxen that cannot yield milk are unwanted in the marketplace and often simply put down.
However, ranch operator Hobokusha tries to extend the lives of such creatures for as long as possible while raising their value. And its efforts are now gaining broader support from consumers.
The ranch’s owner, Tatsuma Yamachi, 44, calls out “good morning” to the free-range cattle roaming a vast pasture 650 meters above sea level and about a 30-minute drive from downtown Beppu.
Yamachi takes care of 70 cattle at four ranches in Beppu and elsewhere. His herds can live in such natural surroundings without cowsheds.
He started animal husbandry more than 10 years ago.
After graduating from college, Yamachi worked at a company in Tokyo and then relocated to Kuchinoerabujima island in Kagoshima Prefecture, a place he had grown fond of during a previous trip.
Yamachi decided to become a cattle rancher to carve out a livelihood.
As a breeding farmer, Yamachi learned that mother bovines become less fertile through repeated rounds of calving, lose their market value, and get turned into cheap minced meat.
He also became aware that males from the Jersey variant and other small-bodied breeds are promptly killed off because they are not suited for either consumption or milk production.
“It’s terrible that they are disposed of so quickly,” Yamachi recalled thinking.
He decided to collect and cultivate cattle that would otherwise be discarded, and converted deserted plots into farmland, which helped to address the issue of making use of abandoned fields in Japan.
AS PRICEY AS ‘WAGYU’
Yamachi buys cows and oxen that people are unwilling to purchase even for the minimum rate of 1,000 yen ($6.80) in the domestic animal market.
He also asks acquaintances to provide unwanted bovines.
Many cattle kept by Yamachi are noticeably smaller and skinnier than those found at other farms.
One key objective for Yamachi is to improve the worth of the animals.
Cattle’s market values are based on the marbling level of their beef and the amount of meat that can be secured.
An A5 rank indicates the highest quality of beef. Cattle at Hobokusha are mostly awarded the lowest grade of C1.
Still, the fillet from Hobokusha cattle for diced steak comes with a hefty price tag of 5,000 yen per 200 grams, comparable to the cost of luxury marbled wagyu beef.
Although it is not easy to make profits, Hobokusha sets prices to act sustainably.
Based largely on the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), programs are spreading throughout Japan to lengthen the lives of abandoned cattle.
And an increasing number of people are opting for beef sourced from these projects.
Yoko Aoyagi, 34, a chef at a restaurant in Tokyo, said she was impressed by Yamachi’s policy. She says she saw him carefully nurture cows under natural conditions after they finished their role of giving birth.
Hobokusha bills itself as the “stock farm to consider the happiness of cattle.”
Aoyagi said Hobokusha’s meat has a “chewy and wild taste,” unlike marbled beef. She uses Hobokusha’s offerings for roast beef, patties and other dishes marked by the unique flavor.
Four years after Hobokusha’s foundation, Yamachi said there are still many issues to think about.
“Allowing cattle to eat as much food as they want within cowsheds every day may make them happier,” he said.
Yamachi said he will continue thinking of ways to make the animals happy.
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