Just saying “Good morning” to your milking cows can increase their milk production. In a study coducted by a 24-year-old farm helper at a dairy farm in Nakashibetsu town, Hokkaido, cows produced more milk after receiving friendly cares, stroking and approaching, and less after receiving slaps or being shouted at. The stock handler, Haruka Koshio, also confirmed that first-calf heifers are more susceptible to such emotional experiences. Koshio presented her report at the 50th Congress of the International Society for Applied Ethology (ISAE) held in the U.K. in the summer of 2016 and the drive to encourage gentle cow handling is growing in Japan. “Positive interaction” is key to higher … Continue reading →

[Anseong, South Korea/ By Zhezhu Jin, The Japan Agricultural News Staff Writer] More than a thousand farming tractors gathered in Anseong city, Gyeonggi-do, in the suburb of Seoul on Nov. 25, as farmers from Gyeongsangnam-do and Jeollanam-do, the two southernmost provinces of South Korea, traveled north, heading towards the Blue House where the presidential office and residence are located. On their way to Seoul, they protested against President Park Geun-hye and her administration’s failure in farm policy, claiming that their business conditions are getting severer than ever because of plunging rice prices and market liberalization under free trade agreements signed with other countries. The farmers left Jeollanam-do on Nov. 15 … Continue reading →