Urinazawa Pasture
Total area: Approx. 33 ha
Elevation: Approx. 800 m
Number of cattle: 22 Japanese Black
Number of gateways installed: 1
Number of Ushimiru Collar Type 1 units: 22
Number of staff: 1
Topography: The pasture is divided into upper and lower grazing sections by a slope running through the center.
Grazing season: From just after the Golden Week holidays in May to the end of October
— Could you tell us why the pasture is divided into upper and lower grazing sections?
We separate cows that are sick from those that are healthy between the upper and lower sections.
— Have you ever lost track of the cows around the boundary area (the belt of trees between the upper and lower sections)?
We haven’t had that happen so far, but as long as the cows are within the frame (geofence*) in Ushimiru, we can tell that they haven’t escaped, even if they are in the middle of the pasture between the two sections.
*Geofence: A virtual boundary that can be set freely on the map in Ushimiru.
— How often did you patrol the pasture before and after introducing Ushimiru?
Last year, we patrolled every day.
Since introducing Ushimiru this year, we only go out when we actually need to check the cows’ condition directly, so patrols are down to about twice a week.
Because Ushimiru lets us know in advance that the cows are in the pasture, there’s no need to rush or panic.
— Why did you choose Ushimiru for monitoring grazing cattle?
At first, we used another company’s system, but we stopped because the batteries would not last through the grazing season and the transmission interval was too long.
After that, another staff member looked for a system that would have fewer battery outages during the season and allow more real-time location monitoring (every 20 minutes), and that’s how we found Ushimiru.
— Which Ushimiru feature was the most important factor in your decision to introduce it?
The ability to grasp the cows’ location information.
After installation, we were also able to use geofences and the headcount* feature separately for the upper and lower sections.
*Headcount: A feature that counts the number of cows present within a configured geofence.
— In what situations do you usually use Ushimiru?
In the morning, we take a quick look to confirm whether the cows are in the pasture. Of course, you can’t do all the work just with Ushimiru, so for us it’s enough that it tells us whether the cows are there or not.
We also look at whether they are moving or not, and then go up to the pasture to actually check the cows’ condition.
— Have you learned or noticed anything from being able to see the cows’ movement history?
We occasionally look at the movement traces and were surprised at how much the cows actually move within the pasture.
It’s not just a little—they move so much at night that it makes you think, “What are they going all the way over there for?”
— Was it easy to put on the Ushimiru collars?
Yes. The belt is long enough, and you only have to put it around their necks, so it wasn’t difficult.
— Have you ever felt that the Ushimiru collar location information was significantly off?
I don’t think we’ve really experienced any major deviations.
— This season, did you ever have issues like the solar panels running out of charge and the gateway communication being interrupted?
No, that didn’t happen at all during the season.
— Do you feel the benefits are worth the cost?
Yes, I think so.
For the person doing the monitoring, there is a huge mental difference between knowing that the cows are in the pasture and not knowing.
— Going forward, what kind of efficiency improvements do you expect from using Ushimiru?
Besides saving the effort of going to check, there are times when a cow might fall into a ravine somewhere and be unable to move. In that situation, being able to see the current location and see that the cow isn’t moving just by looking at Ushimiru is much more efficient than simply going out and searching the area.
— What kind of farms would you recommend Ushimiru to?
It’s not that expensive*, and if you’re trying to manage cows on a farm like ours where it takes 30 minutes just to reach the pasture, you really need something like this.
It’s definitely convenient to have.
*Based on the rental price of Ushimiru Collar Type 1.
