Baby lamb playing on mum’s back (in Fujisato-cho, Akita Prefecture)
Kotaro Yamada
Spring is the season for lambing and here at Ohnodai-houbokujo ranch located in Fujisato-cho, Akita Prefecture, ewes are giving birth to approximately 120 baby lambs this spring from February through mid-April. The ranch breeds black-faced black-legged Suffolk sheep for meat production. Newborn lambs are raised in the barn for a while until the grazing season starts in the middle of May.
Fujisato village has been focusing on lamb meat production since 1989 in order to make lamb meat its local specialty. Currently the village breeds about 200 lambs a year. Kaoru Takahashi, an engineer for Agriculture and Forestry Division of the village shows his pride and confidence in them, saying, “In this beautiful natural environment in Shirakami-sanchi, one of Japan’s world heritage sites, our lambs grow strong and healthy.”
(April 6, 2015)