Author Archives: The Japan Agricultural News

AI daily cow art contest held in commemoration of World Milk Day

TOKYO, June 5 — A contest for artworks depicting dairy cows created with the use of artificial intelligence image generators was held in Japan to commemorate World Milk Day on June 1. In the contest, organized by Noujoujin, an agriculture branding service firm based in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture, the top prize was awarded to an artwork by Tetsuya Kawakami, 37, a dairy farmer of Izumo, Shimane Prefecture. Kawakami’s work portrays a design of a cow along with red, orange and yellow flowers and plants. He instructed AI to include not only a dairy cow but also farm produce so that people who look at the work will understand how the … Continue reading

Posted in Farm Policy | Comments Off on AI daily cow art contest held in commemoration of World Milk Day

Lisianthus flowers have scent components that attract cats like silvervine: NARO’s research reveals

TOKYO, May 28 – Giving silver vines to cats? Yes, but lisianthus flowers can also make your cats happy. The National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO) has published that lisianthus flowers possess scent components like iridoids and actinidine, like silver vine, which attract cats. This is the first time these components have been found in the types of flowers sold as cut flowers. This property will likely become a new advantage of lisianthus, which is already famous for its wide variety of colors and shapes and good keeping quality. NARO analyzed 13 breeds, including New Lination White, with a weak, sweet scent. Then, 36 chemical compounds, including iridoids and … Continue reading

Posted in Others | Comments Off on Lisianthus flowers have scent components that attract cats like silvervine: NARO’s research reveals

National bullfighting summit held in Niigata to preserve the tradition

NIIGATA, May 27 — The 27th national bullfighting summit was held on May 26 in Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture, with 28 bulls clashing their horns at the Yamakoshi Bullfighting Arena before an audience of some 1,100 people. Nagaoka Mayor Tatsunobu Isoda, who heads the event’s organizing council, said, “It is 20 years since the entire population of the village of Yamakoshi was evacuated following the (2004) Niigata Chuetsu Earthquake. We want to show how the area has been restored by the passion of the local community and those who provided support so that we can offer strong hope to people in other disaster-hit areas.” The village of Yamakoshi became part of … Continue reading

Posted in Farm Policy | Comments Off on National bullfighting summit held in Niigata to preserve the tradition

Enjoy night-time strawberry picking in greenhouse lit to break plants’ dormancy in Yasugi City, Shimane Prefecture

SHIMANE, May 23 – “Night Strawberry Picking” in Yasugi City, Shimane Prefecture, is becoming a popular tourist attraction. The unique experience of picking strawberries in an illuminated greenhouse to break the plants’ dormancy is drawing in repeat visitors. The Omori Farm of Strawberries in Yasugi City began the night event in 2021 as a seasonal event in May every year. The farm is open to visitors five days a week (closed on Monday and Friday) at night from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The greenhouse is lit to break the dormancy of strawberry plants, creating a unique atmosphere for the attraction, and you get to enjoy picking two varieties, Kaorino … Continue reading

Posted in Food & Agriculture | Comments Off on Enjoy night-time strawberry picking in greenhouse lit to break plants’ dormancy in Yasugi City, Shimane Prefecture

Rice farming coexisting with oriental white storks

HYOGO, May 22 — Oriental white storks can be seen searching for food near farmers preparing rice paddies in Toyooka, Hyogo Prefecture, a town aiming to coexist with the birds designated in Japan as a specially protected species. In the Tajima area, which includes Toyooka, farmers, local authorities and an agricultural cooperative work together to implement stork-friendly farming — growing rice with reduced use of pesticides and no use of chemical fertilizers. They also adopt other environment-friendly measures including winter flooding — keeping irrigation water in rice fields during winter to maintain biodiversity — and the use of organic fertilizers. Biotopes are developed using fallow fields to provide a habitat … Continue reading

Posted in Food & Agriculture | Comments Off on Rice farming coexisting with oriental white storks