Jersey Cows Begin Grazing on Hiruzen Plateau in Japan

The Yomiuri Shimbun

12:46 JST, May 8, 2023

MANIWA, Okayama — Jersey cows have started grazing at a ranch on Hiruzen Jersey Land, a leisure facility in Maniwa, Okayama Prefecture.

The feasting is seen as heralding the arrival of early summer on the Hiruzen Plateau, which sites at an altitude of 500-600 meters.

With an eye on improving the condition of their bovine wards, the Hiruzen dairy farmers’ cooperative association put out to pasture nine 1-year-old cows who are expected to give birth in November.

The move marked the first time for the ruminants to leave their barn. When released onto the 2-hectare ranch at the foot of the 1,202-meter Mt. Kami-Hiruzen, they gamboled around the meadow in groups and chomped on the 20-30-centimeter-tall grass.

About 10 cows at a time will be grazed until early November, with the animals being swapped out every two to three months.