Dairy

Dairy farming in Hokkaido allegedly began with milking of "Nanbu" cows in Hakodate city in 1857. In 1873, Edwin Dan laid a foundation for dairy farming by introducing cows, called "Darham" which were used for both milk and beef in the United States. In 1878, Sapporo Agricultural School imported milking cows, called "Ayrshire". The school and individual ranches imported Holstein-Friesian in 1889, which are now main species of milking cow. In 1923 Hokkaido invited dairy farmers from Denmark to show their management by running farming operations here. Dairy farming started in earnest in 1920s, especially in 1960s westernisation of the Japanese diet increased the demand for milk and dairy products. To cope with this increasing demand, modernization and enlargement of dairy farming has become full-fledged through the setting up of various milking and processing facilities, adoption of modern machinery improvement of grass lands, to name a few elements.

In 1999, the number of dairy farmers was 10,300, there were 878,000 head of dairy cattle, and milk production per head is 8,200 kg, reaching the level of European Union countries. Total milk production in 1998 was 3,640,000 tons, which accounts for 42.4 % of national production.

Recently, due to the popularity of Hokkaido brands, shipment by sea of milk from Hokkaido to other big cities throughout Japan has been increasing.

The main goals, in dairy farming today are conservation of labour, by establishment of helper organizations, improvement of the efficiency of management, and appropriate treatment and practical use of excreta from livestock.