Chikuren Group Farms
Our Story
Chikuren Group Farms
Hokota Farm, Yonedaira Farm and Ibaraki Farm are joined under Chikuren, a cooperative farmers’ group in Ibaraki Prefecture. Chikuren began its operationof managing and operating the cooperative pilot farms in 1981. There are 50 cattle farms under the Chikuren cooperative banner. Hokota Farm, Yonedaira Farm and Ibaraki Farm are the ‘cream of the crop’ of the Chikuren Group, and they qualify as Hitachigyu Select Farms. Each farm is named after its location in the prefecture (Ibaraki is the name of a town as well the name of the prefecture). Chikuren has long been engaged in research and development for product improvement. Some accomplishments include selective breeding for creating a better blood-line calf, development of antibiotic free natural mixed feeds for healthy and better tasting meat with less environmental impact, and the development of Bio Baggase, dried and fermented fibrous matter obtained from crushed sugar cane for maintaining the health of the cattle’s’ gut. The antibiotic-free feeds called Meijin (‘expert’ in English) was introduced in 1991, and soon gained popularity across the country. Meijin is not just antibiotics-free, but with the addition of rice bran oil and dead coral and clam shell powder makes it very appealing to cattle, and a happy, well fed cow produces better tasting meat. Utilizing all these highly developed products and knowhow gained from research and experience today the selected farms under Chikuren have achieved a record of 95% of their beef being certified as A5 or A4. The meat has received numerous prizes for its high quality. “Just as we human beings enjoy natural and better food, and seek a stress-free lifestyle, we give our cattle the same high-quality lifestyle resulting in healthy and delicious meat”, said Mr. Tomita, a Chikuren manager. The three selected Chikuren Farms have a total 100 cows and the remaining 910 are comprised of bulls, heifers, bullocks and calves.
Our Story
Hokota Farm
Hokota Farm began its operation in 1982. Hokota Farm’s meat is well-marbled but it does not leave the diner with a greasy mouthfeel. The secret is adding more rice bran oil to the Meijin feed. This further lowers the melting point of the fat and thus making the texture and taste of remaining fat in the meat lighter and more pleasant. The water which cattle consume every day at Farm is very special. The well is twice as deep as the usual 300-foot depth of such wells. Thus, the cattle drink super pure and clean water that becomes incorporated in the animal’s body adding to the excellent flavor of the meat.
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Yonedaira Farm
Yonedaira Farm is located in the high Ibaraki hills at an elevation of 1640 feet. Because of this location Yonedaira Farm enjoys a cooler climate than other farms in Ibaraki Prefecture. This elevation also provides a larger temperature difference between morning, daytime and night. It has been found that this variation also contributes to creating meat that has a good balance of fat and very flavorful red meat. The remote high location allows the farmers to find and use very fresh, pure spring water for watering their cattle. The cattle and the farmers who raise them are in the care of a sublime natural environment. The result is delicious meat.
Our Story
Ibaraki Farm
Every Hitachigyu Select Farms excels in raising cattle using the best feed and pure, clean water, a stress-free living space and much love. What distinguishes Ibaraki Farm is that the Ibaraki Farm gives cattle more living space than average. The barn space usually allocated for each cow at most farms is about 54 square feet. At Ibaraki Farm each animal enjoys 71 square feet of lodging space. In addition, the barn roof is built higher than typical for more air circulation than at most farms. It is no wonder that these comfortable living arrangements result in excellent, tasty meat.