A Narrative of Farmland Restoration by Letting Cattle Graze and Eat Weeds - May 2004

A Narrative of Farmland Restoration by Letting Cattle Graze and Eat Weeds - May 2004
I was standing in front of a desolate farmland back then. The land, once a field, was covered with weeds, and the neighbors complained that it was a source of insect infestation. There was a limit to how much weed cutters could be carried, and the elderly members of the group were losing strength. While everyone was wondering what to do, someone suggested, "Why don't you let the cows loose in the field?

At first we were skeptical. However, when we learned about actual cases in Kanagawa and Tokushima, we were surprised to hear that cows eat 50 to 70 kg of grass a day and the ground appears in 20 days. The farmers who were actually on the ground were not only impressed by the numbers, but also by the realization that "I see, with this we don't need any manpower," which was very touching. I will never forget the excitement I felt when I saw the cows grazing and walking around, and the weeds that had grown so thick gradually disappearing.

Moreover, the cows did not just clear away the weeds. The manure they dropped eventually became manure, softening the soil. I strongly felt that this was the true cycle of life, as the farmland was revived by the power of nature, without relying on chemical herbicides. For those of us suffering from labor shortages, cows were a reliable source of labor, and at the same time, they were our companions in protecting the land.

In the trend toward a "recycling-oriented society" and environmentally friendly agriculture that was spreading in the 2000s, the idea of grazing cattle was not outlandish, but rather a method that suited the times. Through this experience, I came to believe that there is still a future for even the roughest farming villages. The cows taught me that it is possible to revitalize farmland by working together with, rather than against, nature.